Paris - Gotta Love Politics

Once Lawyers Get Involved, Nobody Wins...
We're smart - we dedided to sue SAP even before the first office rolled out.  As you can imagine, when you sue your software vendor, things get kinda ugly.  All manner of silly things happen, like for instance the day before I was scheduled to go to Singapore the SAPpies make a big deal about my not attending some dumb meeting in Germany next week.  So, off I go to Germany next week!  I'm taking it in stride.  Today, rather than stroll through the Singapore humidity, I took a hike to the highest point in Paris, Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart.)  The view is one of a kind.  If you zoom in, you'll see the multi-colored Pompidou Center, which is close to my apartment.

Working - Home and Office

A Multi-Country Compare and Contrast
This is a shot of the home office in the Singapore rental.  If you can't tell, we've concocted a desk out of a mahjong table.  It's bright and sunny, next to the open windows.  I work French hours, which means I sit there from 2pm to around midnight or 1am Singapore time, depending on the day.  I try to take a break at dinner that lines up with the French lunch hr.  It has its advantages, nobody asking you questions, annoying you.  On the down side, it can get a bit lonely.  I may spend some time in Jean's office downtown just to be around some people, we'll see.

Singapore - Night Lights

Artsy Stuff in the Night Heat
You can tell they're trying to promote the arts here in Singapore.  I'd seen something like this in NY a few years back - lighting designers showing their stuff.  What's a lighting designer?  I'm not sure.  In this particular event, downtown near the art museum, the focus was on using light to give motion to things, such as this building.

Hong Kong - Dropping in for a Few Days

A City that Continues to Captivate Me
After our Japanese vacation we spent a few days in Hong Kong on the way back to Singapore.  I don't know what it is about Hong Kong.  It's crowded, noisy, polluted, dirty but somehow I really like the place.  I cannot put my finger on it.  Perhaps it reminds me of NY, with all the hustle and bustle and striving.  We stayed in the usual hotel, just steps from Victoria Park.  This is a shot from the hotel room.

Japan - Final Notes

But What About the Tsunami and Nuclear Meltdown?
Keep in mind we went to Tokyo and then headed south whereas the tsunami and nuclear meltdown happened 150 miles north.  Had I never known about them from watching the news I doubt I would've figured it out.  There were minor things like the occasional escalator that was turned off to save energy but other than that Tokyo was brightly lit and the air conditioning was flowing, even out of the wide open front doors of many retailers.

Fukuoka - Nokonoshima Island

A Visit to an Island Nature Park
Just a ten minute ferry ride away, Nokonoshima Island is another world entirely.  It's a large nature park known for it's flower fields. 

Hakata - Even Further South

Closer to Seoul than to Tokyo
Our final destination was Hakata, the main city in Fukuoka, the southern-most island in Japan.  It has a different feel than any of the other places we visited.  It's normal.  This is a back-handed compliment, I guess.  There are no great historical buildings to see, no well-known temples and the cutesie kawai culture is muted.  It seemed like a regular city full of regular people, far from the capital's trendiness.

Kyoto - Temples

These Are What Draw the Tourists
The many Japanese tourists you see in Kyoto are there for the temples.  There are more temples than you can see in two weeks - there are over 2,000, many of which are listed by UNESCO as world heritage sites.  Our ryokan was on the edge of a forest that housed a few large temple complexes.  We toured them on foot, taking in the peacefulness and beauty.  These ladels are used to clean your hands prior to entry, done for ritualistic purposes rather than public health.

Kyoto - Alleyways

Tourist Central is Kept Sweepy Clean
Across the river from Gion is a neighborhood called Kawaramachi.  The many restaurants you find there are packed into tight, neat alleyways.  We walked a few of them but didn't eat.  We were already stuffed.

Kyoto - Geisha

The Old World is Dead
It's always a bit sad.  I romanticize my travels, expecting to step into some ancient world and become annoyed when I don't find it.  Like an idiot, I looked for real geisha in Kyoto.  I found instead the most dispiriting imitation - foreigners who paid to be made up and pulled around the streets.  They were probably looking for the same thing I was and were equally annoyed to be gawked at and photoed by some dummy in flipflops.  However, if you look in a different way, the past is there, right in front of you.

Kyoto - The Look

Just Like Everywhere Else, Except...
Kyoto looks like every other Japanese town except for Gion, a national historical prevervation neighborhood.  Gion is known for being one of the most famous, exclusive geisha districts dating back to the middle ages.

Kyoto - Pay for Pain

Checking in at the Ryokan
Dodo loves staying in Ryokan.  They're traditional Japanese inns that flourished in the 1600's.  Kyoto is known for having many of them so it made sense to stay in one.  They're not my favorite and as we planned the trip, Dodo told me to "pick one of the two I sent you the info on."  One was kinda crappy and the other specialized in adding Yuzu to their hot bath. Yuzu are a Japanese citrus fruit similar to an orange that the Dodo is kinda crazy about.  I'd gotten the signal.....

Kyoto - Sounds

Crickets
It doesn't seem to matter where in Japan you travel during August - the crickets go with you.  Such a lovely sound.  Turn up the audio on your computer while you watch this movie.

Osaka - Osakajo

Jo Means Castle
Osaka Castle dominates the western side of the city.  Its large grounds are surrounded by a deep moat and high ramparts.  It looks like a museum piece inside the modern city.