Thursday, December 25, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Au revoir Paris!
I'm sad to leave Paris. On the business side, we accomplished
everything we wanted and more. On the fun side, I had some of the
best meals in my life.
The highlight for me was dinner at Maison de la Truffe, my favorite
restaurant this side of the Atlantic. I first went there in July with
my classmates, and was instantly hooked. Thr second you walk in to the
restaurant, the rich aroma of truffles nearly knocks you off your
feet. The meal started with fresh baguette and white truffle-infused
olive oil. My starter was a beef carpaccio with greens and generous
shavings of Burgundy truffles. My main course was grilled lobster
with a truffle polenta. Dessert was a truffle cream creme brûlée.
And I was drinking champagne.
Alec was happy, Alec was very very happy.
I'm currently traveling through the French countryside aboard the
Eurostar, on route to London for more meetings, then back to the US
tomorrow!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
On the road again
and good fortune, Apple is sending me to Europe for a week, in style.
This is my first international business trip, so I am excited and a
little nervous, but I expect to have a great time.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Photo time
From the 4,000+ photos, I've narrowed them down to two albums:
China: http://picasaweb.google.com/alecdet/China
Olympics: http://picasaweb.google.com/alecdet/Olympics
This marks the end of my incredible summer, which took me to nine countries throughout Europe and Asia. I had been planning for this summer ever since I knew I was going to business school three years ago, and it certainly exceeded everything I had hoped for. I am excited about the new friends that I made on my travels, and will always remember the fun times we had together. I'm not sure when/if I'll ever get to travel like this again, but perhaps I can try...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Good bye, Beijing
the lobby of the Central Garden Hotel, where we spent the last few
nights in Beijing
Monday, August 25, 2008
Great Wall
It was a little foggy, but we had great views of the hillsides and
valley below.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
More blogging
several funny stories, and some of my photos and video: http://ron-fun.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 23, 2008
CELEBRITY STATUS
Above: Picture of Alec Detwiler and his new found Chinese family.
Watching this scene unfold was hilarious. The lady asked Alec 3 times to take a picture with her child. At first we thought that she wanted him to take a picture FOR her, but in the end it was that she wanted to take a picture WITH him. Don't they look like they were meant to be?
Friday, August 22, 2008
In Beijing
Shanghai. We are now checking out the finals of the Modern Pentathlon.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Blogging
Monday, August 18, 2008
Zhou Zhuang
preserved over a century ago. It sits on the edge of a large lake,
and has canals running through it. They call it the "Venice of China".
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Dim Sum
restaurant, tasting the bean curd jelly thingy (loose translation).
Several famous leaders have dined here, including Nixon and H.W. Bush.
China trip update
On our second day, we took a bus to Shenzhen (45 minutes away) to enter mainland China for the first time. Shenzhen is a massive city (14 million people!), with an impressive skyline. We spent the afternoon at the headquarters of China Vante, the largest real estate developer in China. We toured a few showrooms then spoke with a few execs. That night (Friday night), we hung out at a nice club, Richy, near our hotel, Lushan hotel. We partied in style with reserved tables, bottle service, and a new drink for me... johnnie walker and green tea.
Today was an incredibly relaxing day. We started with a late 10 am start, then stopped by Lianhua mountain (hill) for a nice view of Shenzhen. We then drove to a private beach 45 min east of Shenzhen for a few hours of fun in the sun, playing a modified-game of beach volleyball (inspired by the olympics no doubt). Along the way we drove by Shenzhen's massive shipping port, the third largest in the world.
In the evening, we had a nice Shanghai-style dinner, then proceeded to one of Shenzhen's signature spa & massage complexes. This was quite an experience. In short, I had the best massage of my life - a 2-hour body massage. I also received a 45-min foot massage while watching the olympics (saw the 100M final), and being brought drinks and watermellon.
The food so far has been great. We have enjoyed several styles of Chinese cuisine (Cantonese, Szechuan, and Shanghai), and most of the dishes are completely new to me. Some of the more memorable items include sea cucumber and pig nuckles. We have had pork, chicken, and duck served in ways that didn't look like pork, chicken, or duck. Some of the fun drinks include a sweetened herbal tea (apparently the "Chinese Coke") and a sweet rice wine served warm (very similar to sake).
Tomorrow we leave for Shanghai, after a Dim Sum brunch at a rotating restaurant atop one of Shenzhen's many skyscrapers.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Chillin' with Deng
leader, Deng Xiaoping, as he overlooks his crowning accomplistment
(?), Shenzhen
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Heading west to the Far East
of classmates. We start in Hong Kong, and will also spend time in
Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing. I'm excited to see China up close
and take photos of the Great Wall. We also plan to see some Olympic
events as well. I hope to post often, as long as I don't get censored...
View from my room
Photo time
France and Belgium Photos
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Next stop, Belgium
Chambord (above), then drove to Paris. Today we head to Bruges for
three nights
Friday, July 25, 2008
Lunch in Vouvray
in Vouvray! I had a delicious cheese plate for dessert.