Saigon/Hong Kong: a bit of a contrast

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December 2015
You may have heard the saying: “New York hour is a Hong Kong minute”?  If that is true, then I coin a new one: “Hong Kong minute is a Saigon second”.  4 month already and feels like I have lived here a year.  Definitely not for the slow of heart!

Work
Things are definitely getting hold.  Beginning was stress: not knowing if I will be accepted or rejected and unclear expectations, cultural differences and mixed expectations.  Still working long hours but 4 months into it I retained most of my team (a few left) and I hired a few new managers.  I feel we are already making great changes and people see the pattern and vision.  I think they are starting to believe that we can truly build this company into something great and big.  Time will show.  I am a believer.

Family back home
I was very honored to be invited to join the International Board of Advisers for the Gustavson Business School in Victoria, which now gives me even more options to give back and see family at the same time.  I flew to Canada for a week and spent a few days with Cathy, Grace and Tessa.  Was beautiful to witness the fall colors and slow down after Saigon, breathe clean air and recycle (even for a few days).  Next planned trip: Christmas for 10 days, so excited!

My new home
In October I moved to my permanent apartment.  30th floor of Saigon Pearl luxury apartment complex truly feels like living in Vancouver, especially if you consider my unobstructed downtown and river view, doorman service and driver pick-up in the morning.  That is expat life at its best, with the exception of living away from the children.  I love my new home and it is a great space and refuge.  Cost, on the other hand, is crazy: over 2300 US per month!  Luckily this is paid by the company, so I don’t have to feel that bad other that most people can afford to pay 50 to 100US per month for their small place.  Welcome to the Saigon contradictions.

First charity event
I got invited to my first charity event in District 7.  350 new bikes were donated to students in need.  Yamaha as main sponsor and my friend co-sponsor put on a great show, complete with bands, TV.   They even had a VIP bathroom (see pics).  Thousands participated, so was really nice to see corporate world having a good heart.  I also discovered a new District 7 which was built by the Japanese and Koreans and it looks like Vancouver in parts: large green streets, clean, modern buildings and man-made lakes.  Something so so different from other districts in Saigon.  Feels like a different country.  A nice getaway when needed.

Hong Kong trip
Given Vietnam is so nicely positioned in Asia, many places are only a few hours away by plane and the cost is not high.  I always wanted to visit HK, so one weekend made my dream come true.  Cathy’s dada always talked about how amazing that place was… And it truly is!  Buildings on top of buildings, #9 tallest building in the world just constructed, magnificent views from Victoria peak.  Even though HK was handed over to China in 97, you can still see and feel British influence.  The city is opulent in luxury brands.  Did you know HK has the highest IQ and highest number of Rolls Royce cars per capita in the world?  Has many more stats.

As highlights: visited ICC tower (#9 highest) and the elevator takes 60s to go 100 floors; Victoria peak on a tram that travels at insane 40 degree angles; ate a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. on the Vic. Peak, which was superb; enjoyed stunning Victoria peak views: truly the best view ever!  Took Star ferries across the Victoria harbor; visited Times Square and drooled a bit over all the shopping (mostly luxury that none of us could afford) complete with most amazing Christmas decorations; took a bus tour and learned some cool history of HK; ate at a Michelin Star dim sum restaurant (considered cheapest Michelin rated restaurant in the world), was superb; took the pink Toyota taxi; enjoyed some street food.  Basically, exceeded all my expectations and absolutely will go back, despite the fact that it is a tad expensive J

A few other highlights and learnings since my last blog

·         Reunification Palace: a 1960s design building that replaced French Colonial one; was the place of command for the South offensive against the North during the Vietnam war.  Building is preserved from the victory day, but other than a few grand rooms and the  bunker with old phones, maps and radio equipment, the entire building is a massive space under-utilization.  More impressive on the outside than the inside.
. Bathrooms: each country has its weirdness around bathrooms.  Vietnam has its.  Each bathroom stall is equipped with a little sprayer hose, something that you would use to water small plants.  It is used to wash undercarriage and seems very effective.  The only downside is the water tends to go everywhere.  But definitely more effective than the french method.  Vietnamese were surprised we foreigners don't have this: so how do you keep clean?  Certainly did not expect this.
.  On my way to work, I can see people on the side of the road selling live chickens.  Those are not sport chicken, but the dinner kind.  Cheap and ready to go.   I prefer KFC kind to skip the production process.
.   There is lots of street food everywhere.  Basically if you do not think of where it comes from or where the dishes get washed, with several cans of Heineken or Saporo some of these treats can be very tasty: french bread with pulled dried pork or some other kind of meat, all kinds of seafood, some veggies and fruit.  Cheap cheap cheap.... and tasty.  By the way,in the big supermarkets you can buy MSG in bulk in bags of 10, 20 or 50kg.
.  Toothpicks are as essential here as the chopsticks.  Every self respecting Vietnamese knows how to use those discretely and effectively.  Even I have learned to use this great little invention.  Now after lunch we can have 5 minutes of quiet, all politely checking the spacing. 
.   We have lots of malls, with new ones opening everyday.  Not sure who shops there, but the other day I found some really nice bedding for 500 USD.  That was the cheap set.  The top of the line retailed for just over 1000 USD.  I was just imagining the sweet dreams I would have sleeping on money.   But that thought passed quickly and I got myself a 4USD latte.
.   Gyms are another for of social belonging expanding rapidly here.  Monthly fees from 60 to over 100 USD per month.  That is about 2/3 of an average salary.  Too bad they don't let you sleep there, as they have already very nice showers. 
.    In Ho Chi Minh City there are about 10 million people and 5 million scooters.  Some old, some new, all polluting.  The best part are the Louis Vuitton of Gucci branded seats on those bikes.  I wonder if they are fakes? 
.  Did you know that burping in Vietnam is socially acceptable?  At least it appears that way, as nobody skips a beat doing that.  As Shrek once said: better out than in!

So that is my latest installment from Saigon.  Getting ready to head to Canada for Christmas and see the girls.

Cheers!  Or as the Vietnamese would say: YO!

Good morning from Saigon!

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Four and a half weeks in Vietnam already and boy oh boy, what a change.  It took me over a week to get over the 14 hour difference, so now I can start sorting things into business, cultural shock, weather shock and other buckets.  So here come my first impressions from first 30 days of being here.

I arrived to Ho Chi Ming City late Friday and got picked up by a driver that works for the lady that rents an apartment to me.  The apartment is located right on the Saigon river, is large and bright and has nice river views from my 12th floor.  It is a strange feeling to be in a completely normal modern apartment with AC in the middle of a country where an average wage is 200US per month.  Of course I now know that my apartment location is good for going to work with only a 30 minute ride in a company car, but it is far from any expat life, restaurants and shopping.  As originally planned, I will try to move to another for October to be able to start making some connections. 

Our office is interestingly located in District 12, just like the home of Catness from the Hunger Games.  In general Vietnam seems to have some interesting similarities to the society in the Hunger Games series: there are very rich and very poor districts, all supporting the elite few.

My first memorable experiences

·         Becoming a multi-millionaire at the age of 40! I exchanged 300 € at the airport and got 7,700,000 Vietnamese Dong!  Definitely need a bigger wallet!

·         Went to a supermarket for the first time.  Was able to easily identify apples, Pringles, coke, ritz crackers.  Everything else was in Vietnamese and packaging nothing alike to what we know.  So after some investigation I found some yogurt, cookies, milk from New Zealand and even some extremely expensive edam and gouda cheese.  Here I relieved myself of 1.3 million Dong at the cash register.  Basically: supermarkets are very much geared to the rich and the expats and the prices resemble those in Spain.

• I was very proud of myself when in the regular market I found and bought a metal coffee filter that everyone here uses.  Fact: Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil, threatening to go number 1.  After, I bought best coffee brand in the store (Trung Nguyen Coffee) and the first Sunday  I was stoked to make myself the first cup of jo Vietnam style.  I got my condensed milk prepared (which they use here as cream and sugar in one) and started the drip.  What a huge disappointment!  When I opened the pack of the ground coffee of the best brand in Vietnam, it smelled somewhat strange, with hint of hazelnut or some other flavor, and it tasted nothing like a normal coffee.  Then I find out that Vietnam produces a lot of coffee but the way they roast it is completely different from Europe.  They add some oil and other additives which makes it taste strange (it is similar to Louisiana chicory coffee).  So for now the closest I got at home is a German Tchibo instant.  I also learned that I can get "normal" coffee in many coffee shops downtown that do espresso from Italian roast.  Now I am on a quest to find my own...  Believe it or not, they have a Nespresso store in town and a number of Startbucks stores.

·         You know the old saying "slow road to china"?  Well, I have finally experienced this first hand!  Just imagine that it is very normal on a highway to go about 33 km in 1 hour!  Or 200 km in 5!  That is a normal thing here, due to congestion, scooters and really really bad driving.  I am just surprised there aren't more accidents.  Traffic is insane! I thought Italians were crazy and Spanish were bad, this is infinitely more insane!  The city is about 10 million and everybody drives a scooter (reportedly 5 million scooters here), because the cars are reserved for the very rich and cost 3 times the price in Europe due to government tax.  Just imagine your Toyota 4 runner costing you 100k!  The streets are crowded with traffic jams, there are barely any traffic lights so it is a free for all.  You will see every kind of thing carried on a scooter, from building materials to 10 bottles of office cooler water to huge bags of rice.  While helmets are obligatory for those over 9 years of age, the little ones are carried on those bikes with no helmets, many times asleep.  You will see entire families on one: parents with 2 children or 5 kids on one!  Essentially, Vietnam is a great testing facility for motorbikes (aka scooters) as they undergo extreme trials on a daily basis. Parking a scooter is an exact science as every establishment has security guards that will look after your bike for a nominal fee, otherwise it will get stolen.  Elsewhere in the city and the country there are some new roads and highways which we used over the weekends.  While the toll highways are good, driving is no better.  A Canadian would go mad here: all the slow traffic is in the left lane and you go passing them on the right.  Add to this 120km/hr speed max, and situation is not at all optimal for safety.  Breaks, tires and horns bust be the biggest sellers in this country.  All this said, I already got a scooter, as without one living in Saigon is impossible.   Now trying to get a licence.  Maybe should have done this the other way around…. Oh well…

·         People seem very nice here, they are very polite, still quite traditional but it is changing.  Many young people coming to Saigon to find work and better life, so easy to see lots of western influence.  So far my interactions have been limited to the office, and here staff seem normal, hard working, with their own issues and concerns.  Privacy seems to be not a concept they embrace much: they will ask very direct questions about family, marital status, age, etc.  I am sure I will get more insights later.  Starting to meet some business people in Saigon, so networking scene in this city is very promising.

·         Weather here is hot all the time and humid.  Slowly getting used to it but being out for extended periods of time is hard, so a coffee shop with AC is a good escape.  Summer is the rainy season and winter is dry, but the temperature in winter is still in the high 20s, which I think is quite pleasant.  Good time to visit Vietnam for those thinking about it.

·         Ho Chi Minh City is a fast growing city.  The downtown is almost all new, full of tall buildings and a few skyscrapers.  Aside from the famous reunification palace, Note Dame Cathedral and French central post office (designed by Eiffel company, same guy that stood up the Eiffel tower in Paris), the downtown looks fairly modern, clean and an epitome of what this country fast becoming.  All the luxury brands are here (Louis Vuitton, Dior, etc) along with many US fast food chains like KFC, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, while the statue of Uncle Ho (Vietnam 's liberation hero Ho Chi Minh) proudly stands overseeing the main downtown plaza being invaded by the capitalist promise of tomorrow.  There are entire new districts being built, skyscraper apartment buildings for luxury living, sky train and metro stations to connect the city.  The city and the country are on the move where the luxury and the poverty coexist in a dynamic, almost symbiotic way, and there is no stopping the progress.  Soon this city will resemble many other large cities with its cleaned up waterfront, more green spaces, more restored monuments.  Exciting to be here during the metamorphosis.

·         Communism is still well and alive in Vietnam.  It is a Socialist country with its red flag with a gold star in the middle.  You see much propaganda art, banners and flags, all reminding me of my childhood.  In fact this is the closest I have gotten to time travel, going back 30 years.  In some ways I think I even understand some of the people dynamics here, because individualism is still an evolving concept.  But as with any totalitarian regime, there are many aspects that are common in a transitional economy.  You can guess what they are.

·         Pollution and garbage is a big issue.  There is no recycling.  People litter and don't seem to care, as they have more pressing needs.  Government has to pick up after them.  Again, much hope for the future and I feel the next few years will start introducing these changes.

·         Restaurants and food are plenty in Vietnam, from cheap cheap street vendors to fast food to qreat restaurants that are as expensive as in Canada.  Wine, given it is an import, is expensive, comparable to Canada, but there is some good selection if you look.  Beer is cheap if you drink local.  Vietnamese food seems very varied and appears very healthy, with lots of rice, herbs, vegetables, seafood and a bit of meat.  Dairy barely exists and meat is a luxury, so fish, rice and veggie are the fare.  Everyone says Vietnamese food is healthy and it looks and tastes that way, but I do really wonder about the production of it, as I am sure the quality standards for chemical treatment controls are nonexistent or low.  Despite my thoughts, I have tried some tasty soups, their famous fish and shrimp sauce, rice rolls, fish and rice: all wholesome, tasty and plenty.  With a beer or ice tea to accompany, it is not a hard thing to get used to.  And for those times when I have a steak craving, I can always go to El Gaucho Argentinian restaurant downtown to scarf down a 50$ US steak.  Good excuse when an American client comes to visit.  One more thing: in many restaurants when you sit down, girls show up wearing beer brands, trying to convince you to buy their brand.  We like Tiger girls best; they also have Saporo, Heineken, Saigon, etc.  I order Saporo or Saigon as I am not a massive fan of Tiger.

·         Language is interesting: I have been asking my driver to teach me a few things so I have about a 40 word vocabulary and can ask for the bill at the restaurant.  The hardest part about it is pronunciation, given that same word can have multiple meetings based on how you say it.  Will let you know how my 5th language progresses.  So far so good, and staff have been impressed me making an attempt at the official gala dinner.  They politely laughed.

Other adventures during my 4 weeks here included a company staff trip to a beach town of Vung Tau.  A nice town that is becoming a big beach tourism destination.  Water cleanliness and overall pollution still an issue, but the town is making strides to improve.  Saw a beautiful Pagoda and 5 Chinese temples, one of which was dedicated to a whale!

Then we did a trip to Can Tho, 4 hours away from Saigon, to visit our 2nd office location.  We were taken at 6am by boat to see a traditional floating (boat) market.  A very traditional way of buying wholesale fruits and vegetables. 

We had coconut water, sticky rice with banana and pineapple for breakfast there.  For those technically inclined, the engines on these boats are mostly car engines with direct drive shaft with a prop at the end that gets dipped into the water.  It is like taking a weed eater, attaching a prop at the end and dipping into the water.  What a great idea!

War museum was one of the most impacting experiences so far.  It is a very graphic exposition of the Vietnam war against the US, with various artifacts and photographs.  While I read about the war before coming here, the stats, the pictures and the stories are truly shocking.  Especially the Agent Orange use to defoliate the jungles and the catastrophic effects it had on the country.  And then the killing of civilian populations that went completely unchecked.  While not for the faint of heart, it is something everyone should see and know that humans are still very much capable of doing the most atrocious things to one another.  And then I wondered after seeing this, how a nation of Vietnam had the strength and the humanity to forgive the aggressors and move on.  Today there seems to be no animosity towards the US and the tourists, as long as they come in peace and with respect.

So my first four weeks have been quite full of sensory input, not to mention a new workplace and all the issues that come with that.  Step by step I am adjusting to my new circumstance and feeling privileged to be able to experience this new Land in all its business and glory.  Next week going to Switzerland for business meetings for a week, so will make-up for my cheese and schnitzel cravings.

Istanbul: the WEST meets EAST

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In lieu of celebrating my 40s birthday in some crazy fashion, I decided to give myself a little present (in Spain they call it “auto-regalo”, or something similar to getting yourself a gift).  That little gift was a trip to Istanbul, which was decided by the majority popular vote of all my friends and colleagues when I was trying to choose between Dubai and Istanbul.

I went on the trip with my good Spanish friend Jose Antonio, who was just as enthusiastic as me about seeing this wonderful city connecting EAST with the WEST.  Jose was much less excited about the itinerary I planned for us.  Those who visited me in Spain or travelled with me would know that any tour day including less than 7 must-see attractions simply does not cut it.  But he was game and off we flew to Istanbul on a direct charter flight from Zaragoza.

As you can see in the pics, the hotel that came with the package was in a very colorful and lively district, full or local bars, shops and hookers.  Despite the gorgeous views out the window (overlooking run-down buildings with a million of satellite dishes catching EAST/WEST TV waves), the rooms themselves were clean and comfortable.  Something you would expect from a 2 star hotel.  It included heat and free continental breakfast.  Staff was sufficiently helpful.  The night of arrival we went to a neighbourhood bar to have some local food, which was delicious and cheap (8 EUR for 2 people) at 2am in the morning.  Surely this place is not on Trip Advisor, but was a memorable meal.  The only downside is that beer and wine can only be had in touristic places and is very expensive, so we drank water.

Our day 1 started with a visit to the Blue Mosque (also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque).  Small line, shoes off and in we went.  From the outside the mosque is impressive (and most recognizable symbol of Istanbul): with its 6 minaret towers, it stands guard over the old city.  Inside of the mosque was underwhelmingly plain, with blue tiling and hanging lights.  I suppose if you have never been in a mosque previously (which was my case) you may expect something similar to cathedrals.  But the absence of any adornments and furniture made the space look very cavernous and lonely, aside from the visiting tourists.  I suppose just the fact of being in the Blue Mosque was cool in itself.

After we left the mosque, a few photos and off we went to the Topkapi palace.  Here we made a great strategic decision of buying 3 day museum pass cards, which permit entry to most attractions.  The best part, you get VIP entrance of skipping the lines, which saved us hours.  Topkapi is a vast palace, with a wide mixture of architecture, characteristic of the influences from the west and the east over the centuries.  The most interesting things to see were the HAREM (ladies were not included), royal jewel collection and relic collection, including the Staff of Moses, the turban of Joseph and many relics of the prophet Mohammed.  We spent a couple of hours in the palace, enjoyed the sweeping views of the Bosphorus straight and the vast gardens.  Next time I am getting an audio guide to get deeper into the subject matter, as it felt we simply scratched the surface.

From the Topkapi, we headed to the Hagia Sophia church/mosque/museum.  On the way there we stopped for Turkish black tea in a nice tea place.  At the Sophia, we skipped the line and walked into what may be one of the most impressive buildings I have visited in my travels.  The fact that the church was built in a Byzantine style almost 1500 years ago and it took only 5 years to build this gargantuan structure is enough for you to stand in awe and marvel at some of the mosaics that are still left preserved in the church.  Since it has been converted into a mosque in 1453, there have been some Islamic adornments fashioned on the walls, but the magnificence of its original still perseveres.  We spend some good time here to breath in this astounding piece of architecture and history.

From the museum of Saint Sophia we went on our culinary quest.  As a small interjection: my friend Jose by this time was feeling extremely happy with my itinerary and the fact that we skipped all the lines and were significantly ahead of the schedule.  He even suggested that 7 things may be a bit “light” at this rate.  Oh ye, of little faith….

We then visited the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius, standing beside the Serpent Column and the Constantine column.  

Here was our first mistake of deviating from my plan: I had a restaurant picked for lunch, which was one in the top 3 in Istanbul.  When we stopped to ask for directions, the guy said: “oh, this is very expensive and for tourists.  Let me take you to where locals eat, very good and good price”.  We got sold.  While the food was ok and they served beer, we overpaid for what we got.  Lesson learned: stick with the plan!

In the afternoon we visited a very unique Basilica Cistern, which is an underground water reservoir built in the 6^th century to serve as water purification and distribution system.  It is truly something very different: a basilica underground with hundreds of pillars, complete with several mysterious Medusa head featuring columns.

From there we headed to the Grand Bazaar.  As we were walking, all of a sudden from all the mosques via the megaphones began the call for the prayer.  It was truly an amazing experience.  I had to stand there and just listen to this foreign yet so familiar song.  If any of you watch TV shows like HOMELAND or 24, you would have felt transported into one of the Arab countries.  This was definitely my top 1 experience in Istanbul.

We go lost on the way to Gran Bazar because it is a very large building with tens of exits and somehow does not look like a market from the outside.  It did not help that it got dark early there.  When we got into the market, we were greeted with the sounds of a million people trying to offer you their wares.  Shoes, scarves, clothes, knock-offs…. You name it and they had it.  I did not know what to expect from this place.  For a souvenir shopper it is a paradise.  And the most important thing is to haggle.  It is a custom and there seems to be an expectation of you negotiating.  After a few purchases, we headed to a Turkish bath.

That was an experience.  Just as in the movies, you get into a towel and head to a marble room complete with a huge round hot stone on which you lie down to warm up.  Then, depending on what pack you buy, you are treated to a soap-up and if you choose a very intense massage.  Due to my back issues I chose the light soap up and cleanse option, which, after meeting my Turkish bath friend, was more than enough.  The guy appeared just as in the movies: large and tall, shook my hand, asked from where I was from and then got to work.  It was intense cleansing experience with him shifting you around the table and sliding you into position for different phases.  I have to say that I am glad I felt comfortable with this experience, but I can see why my friend Jose  chose self service option.

We walked out of the bath super relaxed and clean.  Time to go for dinner.  This time according to my plan.

As it started pouring with rain, we headed down to the restaurant in an Orient Express hotel on the top floor.  This restaurant was recommended by a co-worker of mine and was fantastic.  We met our friends who were also in Istanbul on the same package deal and enjoyed a beautiful dinner, including some expensive wine.  In the end, dinner was cheaper than our lunch, so felt like we were able to average down a bit.

So, 7 attractions and 2 restaurants later we were ready to head back to our hotel after a 16 hour day.  Exhausted yet satisfied.

With such a successful day 1 we decided to take it a bit easier on day 2 and  go at a slightly slower pace:

• ·         Met our friends at the hotel after breakfast and negotiated a taxi ride to the Chora Church
• ·         The taxi left us in the wrong place, so we visited what was my most favourite mosque: Edirnekapi Mihrimahsultan Camii Serifi.  Just beautiful in its simplicity, colour and purity.  Breathtaking.
• ·         Afrom the mosque we headed down the hill to visit the Chora church/museum, which is one of the best preserved byzantine pieces of architecture and art.  Very worthwhile.
• ·         Got back to the center for a quick tea break and off to our Boat cruise of the Bosphorus and Marmara Sea.  We went along the European and Asian coastlines, checking out the different districts of Istanbul, bridges and Rumeli fortress.  From the sea (we had a gorgeous sunny day for this), the city looked spectacular, with a bit of a haze pierces by the minaret towers.
• ·         Once we got back from the cruise, we had wonderful fish lunch on the Galata Bridge, watching the sunset over the old city.
• ·         After late lunch, we headed to the New Mosque (Yeni Cami), where I was able to go in and see the evening prayer.  It was quite foreign to see the men up front and all the women covered up in the back behind wooden lattice.  The mosque was another spectacular one.
• ·         From here we headed to the Spice Bazaar, which is right next door to the mosque.  This was a much more interesting experience than Grand Bazaar.  Smell of spices and pickled food, great shopping made this my favourite mix of locals and tourists.
• ·         After a bit of shopping we walked back to downtown to another restaurant on my list, the ANATOLIA café.  The service was super and the food superb.  It was a great way to end the day.

·         Some night pictures and off to the hotel.

On day 3 I was going solo, as Jose left for Casablanca for work.  At what appeared a very easy pace now, I took a beautiful metro line to Taksim square in the new part of the city, walked down the major shopping plaza, took a funicular and returned to the Spice Market for a bit more shopping and best kebab I have ever had, costing just under 3 euros.  I sat in front of the New Mosque as I enjoyed my kebab, reflecting on the wonderful experience in Turkey.

Definitely to be repeated and not to be forgotten.