PostCards: The Global Scavenger Hunt's Event Blog

Welcome to the official blog of the 2010 travel adventure competition event known internationally as The Global Scavenger Hunt™--April 9th to May 1st! We will be offering up some tasty daily updates, event-related news, the state of the competition, gossipy tidbits, photos, videos and rants and raves, along with a few travel insights here and there, as we circumnavigate the globe on our 6th around-the-world epic adventure. Enjoy! We welcome your comments (and Team cheering) below...

(Courtesy Times of India)
Bill Chalmers, Event Director and your daily commentator
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5 May 2010 - Home on the Range - Reality sets in…Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"Don't tell me how educated you are-tell me how much you have traveled." - Mohammed

It is over, and our travelers are back home making lunch boxes, dueling in court, taking meetings, playing golf, plotting and planning their next getaways, carpooling, and just trying to plug back into their own private reality.

I have chased deer, played hockey in the barn, burnt everyone's toast, built towers of Lego, chased the dog, pretended to play soccer goalkeeper, cut the lawn, held a meaningful conversation with my teenage daughter, read a dozen or so Berenstain Bears books, given constant praise and jewelry to my understanding wife, and sat smiling in my chair for a long time...
It could be worse...

It is difficult returning to normal after such a quick 23-day lap around the world. Some of the great cities and destinations of the world from San Francisco, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Laos, Chiang Mai, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Vienna, Munich, Zurich, Paris, Iceland and New York City, are now more familiar! In each and every destination a memory lingers: the smiling faces of children, a wild tuk-tuk ride, watching a creative elephant, being lost in the desert, trying a weird adult beverage, a Mekong River sunrise, eating some spring rolls extraordinaire, taking in a Broadway play, or a long-tail boat ride, feeling sick about a terrorist plot, seeing monks giggling, watching a parade, sharing a meal with a family who have so little to give, helping out at a rural school house, the camaraderie of fellow travelers on the go, watching artist do their thing, taking a cooking class, riding the rails through a jungle, catching a glimpse of a colorful sunset over the Indian Ocean, the memory bank is full. Our cups runneth over…
The Cricket Team...

But The Global Scavenger Hunt--2010 edition--is over. We traveled the globe. We laughed. We cried. We swore. We played a great game. We helped others. We crowned a truly deserving team in Zoe and Rainey as The World's Greatest Travelers™. The Global Scavenger Hunt is truly an amazing event that anyone who has ever undertaken it will attest. It brings out the best and worst in people, and there is never a dull moment. It is a fulfilling and enriching 23-day period of time out of mind in which you are plucked out of your daily routine and shoved, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the world to trust strangers in strange lands. And our teams did just that, they were ambassadors of goodwill.
New friends...

I know that we as a group relished in a little schadenfreude along the way, in which we derived a certian pleasure in the misfortunes of others we left behind on our great global adventure. They will never know what we did, where we did it, and how it all came to be. It is something each of us share with Teammates, and as a group of competitors, on this very special once-in-a-lifetime journey--that will never be re-created again. Nor could it be…as each one is as different as a new season.
It's a tough job...

I am proud of all our Teams for rising to the true spirit of this event and for conquering any internal demons along the way. I am equally proud to have said that we planned, organized, and conducted the 2010 event safely and flawlessly, again! Neither of those two accomplishments is by any means a small feat either. One never knows what lurks behind Asian back roads on stormy nights, or beneath Icelandic glaciers! We are all stronger, healthier, and more humane for the journey. We are all wiser, happier, and enriched for participating in this around the world travel adventure competition.
Girls on film...

It is very difficult to sum up the 23-days we just traveled the globe. It was amazing, fun, wild, crazy, adventurous, nerve-wracking, tiring, frustrating, exhilarating, mind-boggling, enlightening, fulfilling, satisfying, unparalleled, incomprehensible, wacky, exhausting, and the adjectives just keep rolling out…
Just plain odd...

It is equally difficult to sum up the variety of experiences and new relationships that we encountered along the way. The social networking phrase WTF? comes to mind…a lot!

"He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left." - Chinese proverb

Aside from some of the more adverse travel reactions, like the run-of-the-mill traveler's diarrhea--and I promise you that everyone succumbed at least once to varrying degrees--the inevitable jet-leg we all conquered, and Holiday Heart Syndrome (where we indulged a little bit more than we probably should have), there lies an even worse affliction known as Post-Holiday Depression (PHD). Symptoms include: memory overload, outbursts of disconnected laughter, the unpacking and fumigating of clothes, figuring out where you bought your mementos, ordering a wake up call by phone, the surreal feeling of being home yet still traveling in your mind at the same time, the dreaded re-immersion into a daily routine, telling wholly disinterested folks your travel war stories, and the one-word answer to the 23-day in the making question of, "So, how was it?" "Ah, great!" is all you can say. What could you say really?
We were here...

Home again…it is indeed a true paradox that every real traveler must deal with from time to time, which is worse: suffering from homesickness while traveling, or from wanderlust when you are not? Indeed…

Okay, we must move on…everyone has their own lists, these are mine.

What I missed most while traveling for 23-days? Aside from the obvious-family and friends; I missed: popcorn, our compound, biscotti, French roast, my yoga routine, fresh air at night sleeping, green all day every day, peace and quiet, playing with the kids, the Lakers playoff games, cooking, clean fresh clothes of my choice, my reading chair, dinner banter, and my electric tooth brush.

What I didn't miss at all while traveling for 23-days? Aside from the obvious; I didn't miss: making school lunches, taking out the trash, putting down the toilet seat, TV, the daily routine, doing dishes, answering the phone, reading the same newspaper every day, news, and running the damn dog every day!

In the end, my top dozen or so memories of the 2010 Global Scavenger Hunt were:
-Songkran festivities…the Lao New Year celebrations in Luangbrapang;
-seeing "Black Water" contemporary dance by Jorma Uotinen at the Hanoi Opera House;
-seeing Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" performance at the famous Vienna Opera House;
-seeing the lost city of Petra in the Jordanian desert;
-having fun relaxing in the Dead Sea;
-having the privilege of seeing some astounding Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka;
-my 2 days hanging in Paris...blissful;
-the art of the Louvre & d'Orsay museums in Paris (and the Belvedere in Vienna);
-my conversations with Omar, Mohammed, Guy, and dozens of others along the way...
-seeing Denzel Washington & Viola Davis in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Fences" on Broadway;
-my great spring roll hunt in Viet Nam;
-seeing the telling faces of all my competitive travelers at each and every check in! I live for that…
-knowing we did good and will do more good...more micro-loans, more schools!

Until next time, adieu. Travel safe. Be happy.

Cheers,

Bill -

"Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved." - Will Rogers
Smiles and smiles...
"And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain,
I'll state my case of which I'm certain.
I've lived a life that's full,
I traveled each and every highway,
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way." -Frank Sinatra
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:
Gita & Rachel (2008 alum) on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 11:51:42
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comments: I didn't think you could top last year's countries, but what an embarrassment of riches the last segment was! So many countries to choose from! I'm sure each team had great stories to tell. And to end with Paris and New York - the food scavenges must have been terrific. It's going to be a challenge for you to come up with countries next year that Zoe and Rainey haven't hit! Congrats on another great event, Bill and Pamela!

Heather (The OC) on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 7:24:49
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comments: Congrats !!! Another job and hunt well done..... Now go home and hug the kids. I'm sure they have LOTS to tell you..... Love Hez


Andrew (Barbados) on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 17:09:26
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comments: Hi Bill, Thank you for allowing Heidi and Lily to participate in this year's event and taking such good care of them. It has been a dream cone true for Heidi and a real life experience for my almost 14 year old daughter Lily,and I am sure they will be much better people for it. We are so proud of them for coming second in the competition, but most importantly we are so proud of how they did it, competing in the true spirit of the competition and pressing on even when they were things were noy going right for them. As they were told by Lily's Uncle Agnus before they left, what was important to bring back home was not a trophy, but the memories and the experiences they would have along the journey and which they would have forever. Thanks again to you and all of your support group who made this event such a success, and I am sure everyone is a better person for it. Thanks also for keeping us up to date all along the way with your very informative blogs and wonderful pictures. Have a safe journey home, and I look forward to following next year's event.
Best Regards

Omar (Amman) on Friday, April 30, 2010 at 7:29:56
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Comments: Thank you sir fore (sic) the picture and thank you that I have friend like you. - Omar

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William responds: Thank you all...we saw some old friends and we made some new ones...
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1 May 2010 - New York - USA - Back in the USA…and the winners are?

(Latest Post) What a wonderful day in New York! Have I mentioned how wonderful the weather has been for all last week…Amman, Vienna, Paris, and now New York. (Yes, an interesting week indeed!) Today it was a gorgeous 77 out.

Today offered us another treat, no, I did not get to my baseball game-Pamela won that choice-but we did get to see a magnificent good old Saturday afternoon matinee Broadway play. It was August Wilson's "Fences," with an all-star cast at the top of their game in Denzel Washington & Viola Davis, et al. The original music was by Branford Marsalis…what a treat and what great satisfying performances throughout. It is on a limited engagement, so see it ASAP!

It should seem obvious by now to all following the event that the Euro leg winners are the 2010 event winners! It has been a great event, and the best competition of all our six events, and we are extremely happy to have had some great competitors. I would never have guessed when the event began three weeks ago in San Francisco that 5 different Teams would each win one of the first 6 legs. It was a constant battle between the Teams and in the end consistency was the key to success--as it always is. The new scoring system did not allow any one team to run away with the competition in the first few days, and it did indeed take the final serious leg to decide things. And rightfully so…

And so, in the end, Barbara & the Barbadian (aka Christine and Barbara), both of whom competed in the 2009 event with different partners (Christine places 2nd last year!) were consistent enough to claim third place in The Global Scavenger Hunt's 2010 edition and win the bronze medals. I am personally proud of both them. They worked hard together and never let up from San Francisco to New York. Thank you both ladies, it has been a pleasure to travel with you again.
Barbara & Christine

In second place and winners for the silver medals, was a surprising Team that captivated all our hearts, 100% Bajan (aka Heidi and Lily), a mother daughter Team that proved hard to separate and harder to beat leg after leg. Having a 14-year old daughter myself, I can tell you that Lily did some amazing things (in spirit for Ben!) and that she will never see the world as she saw it before participating in this global travel adventure. She is a bigger person than she was 3 weeks ago, and look out world for this young woman. Heidi showed her motherly guidance in every way supporting and protecting and overcoming each and every challenge thrown in their direction. This team simply awed me. Thank you both for giving us the opportunity to show you the world as so few have--you did it!
Heidi & Lily

And our winners, the defending 2009 champions and still The World's Greatest Travelers™, Lawyers without Borders (aka Zoe and Rainey)--performed as champions do. They were competitive, they worked hard, they overcame all the difficult challenges of repeating as a champion, and they played the game (and it is but a silly, though very seriously taken, international travel adventure competition game) in the true spirit it was designed to test our competitors. This is the first time we have had repeat winners of The Global Scavenger Hunt and others have tried but failed. So, it is with great pride that I present Zoe and Rainey, again, as The World's Greatest Travelers™ at the conclusion of this our 2010 event. Well done you too…you have earned my respect in every way, and it has been a pleasure to have now traveled the globe 3 times with you. You two bring out my best, as I hope in some small, to bring out your best!
Zoe & Rainey

Cheers to all…

We will be shortly delighting in our finale event, the Winners Gala, at a nice little chic Italian restaurant named Bistro Milano. We will have some final fun handing out some prizes for the "world's tackiest souvenir" purchased along the way, as well as some prizes for the best cabbie joke learned, the most modes of public transportation employed, the best global price index, and the most unusual travel collections. Spit will be swapped along with some laughter and war stories…

I will be departing for family and home early in the morning. I have not seen my two children in over three weeks and miss them both terribly, as I know they have missed their father. As a result, I will not be posting again until sometime next week with a final wrap up of the event…with some photos and videos too.

I want to thank Pamela for once again indulging me and supporting my efforts to create and produce this amazing travel adventure competition experience for all our participants--without her this event would simply have never come to life and would have just lived on in my mind like so many other half-baked great ideas. Thank you Pamela, you are my anchor as well as the wind in my sail!
Pamela & Bill

And thank you all for following the 6th edition of our little around the world travel adventure competition known as GreatEscape2010: The Global Scavenger Hunt, and in our household simply as--dad's big trip.

Thank you and until later…


(Early Post) "I'm in a New York state of mind." - Billy Joel

Welcome to New York...a modern day 309-square mile traffic jam!

It was a difficult night of tossing and turning and waking up at 2:19AM…everyone is so wacked out on Euro time, that the 6-8 hour time differences for us all have humbled our bodies. Alas, we are made it safely and happily around the world. And that in itself is no small feat!

A few things required checking and some double-checking this morning about the Euro leg's final standings, and without further ado…in 6th place was team Mad Dog with 1,762 points. In 5th place was the dearly departed (not literally) Camels Team with 1,840 points. In fourth place, and the cheapest team (They also won the bottle of French champagne for staying at the cheapest hotel on April 28th--60Euros! Enjoy it, you deserved it.) were the Indy Roadrunners. In third place with 2,815 points earned (And some mighty expensive points too I might add!) was Barbara & the Barbadian. In second place with 2,940 points was that feisty team from the islands 100% Bajan! And the winner of the difficult level 6 ranked Euro leg was Lawyers without Borders with 3,095 points.

It was fun but challenging leg--the Euro leg always is--and Teams worked hard at completing their scavenges and in the true spirit of the event.

It really has been a great group this year, and as the Event Director I am thrilled that so many have really embraced the spirit of The Global Scavenger Hunt travel adventure competition, and our unofficial motto of trusting strangers in strange lands. Karma has prevailed and those that give--got; those that smiled--got smiled upon; those that where open to others--were allowed into their worlds. It is a great feeling knowing how much fun people had on this 6th event we have conducted. I am thrilled to have them all back safely and to have shared vicariously in so many wonderful heart-warming stories.

…So, many Teams are now out doing their last day's worth of fun sight-doing here in the Big Apple. There may be a Yankees game in my future--if Pamela allows?--and then we have a wonderful Winners Gala dinner planned this evening, albeit an early one because of everyone's internal clocks.

Music while traveling…I remember Sony Walkman's came on the scene...and all those darn cassettes I had to carry! Now, we thankfully have MP3's and iPods. Makes life on the road a tad easier; kind of like having a large Valium in your pocket at all times! Instant serenity as you carve out your own turf in a sometimes very crowded world. Or, when you just want to be left alone. I can almost feel my heart slow as I slip into my seat at La Scala, or on U2's latest 360° tour. I have created many soundtracks that have choreographed my movement through strange times, and even stranger places.

Let's see, Song Styling's by Bill…on this lap around the world the top 10 musicians I have been listening to since I left? Muse is big in my house this year (have fun in SFO Petra!)…and I have personally been listening to a lot from an Atlanta-based band called Manchester Orchestra that excites me, as does Elbow and of course the Kings of Leon. I really like The Decembrists and Fall Out Boy, and my old standbys include: Dave Matthews, Mark Knopfler and Ray LaMontagne. Of course Madeleine Peyroux and Alicia Keys are always high on my most played lists.

More later…including the crowning of the 2010 winners and The World's Greatest Travelers™!
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30 April 2010 - Keflavík - ICELAND - Heading back to the USA…first a quick stop in Iceland!

"I like hotels because in a hotel-room you have no history; you have only essence." - Douglas Coupland

(Later Post) We all arrived after our trans-Atlantic journey at our snug mid-town Manhattan hotel. Some went right to bed, some went out for dinner-some order great Thai takeout and watched the Lakers finish off their 1sr round NBA playoff opponents.

The Road Officials are busy tally score sheets and checking the numbers. Teams will met again tomorrow at 8AM--they will be up!--for a final city scavenge hunt here in New York City.

(Early Post) Happy to report that all the teams checked in on time at our Paris hotel meet spot…a tad worse for the wear indeed after a four day cross continent journey--but their smiling faces exuding the new personal experiences all endeavored into!

Sadly, we said a collective good bye to The Camels team of Sami and Brian, who in their infinite wisdom are returning to their Dubai home from Paris today, instead from New York City on Sunday. Who needs another trans-Atlantic flight when you really don't have too!? They will be missed and it was a privilege to travel with them, share a few meals together and get to them and their body of global works. (Thank you both for taking this leap of faith we call A Blind Date With The World and for being very worthy and spirited competitors. I hope to see you again soon-and believe I will! Cheers mates…)

Onward…We have a brief stop over here in Iceland and are just at the airport in the hopes of avoiding any Iceland incidents of ancient history lore. ___________________________________________________________
29 April 2010 - Paris - FRANCE - Day 2...

"The best of America drifts to Paris. The American in Paris is the best American. It is more fun for an intelligent person to live in an intelligent country. France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older -- intelligence and good manners." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I broke my personal best record today for time spent in the Musee du Louvre today--you know, one of the world's greatest institutions of thought, historical development, and art! My fourth trip there…the 1st time I was there I lasted about an hour; the second time was chronicled in my book "A Blind Date With The World" that lasted 12 minutes; the last time I was here I went to see three pieces and was gone in about 50 minutes due to too many people. Today, I spent two glorious hours surveying all that is great about mankind-our creative genius!

So my BFF Andy who works for Deutsche Welle, fast-trained in from Bonn yesterday and within hours we were pitching book ideas at a transcend lunch at Christian Constant's les cocottes, with two wonderful folks-Kimberley & David, who run a publishing empire of sorts and have a great apartment literally meters away from the Tour Eiffel. We talked and strolled for hours it seemed enjoying the sights after a long lunch of crab salad and langoustine ravioli--along with several carafes of white wine) until we hit a wonderful Italian ice cream spot called Amorino--I had cocoa and chocolate, aka a Mounds Bar…we'll see about the new book deal later!

In between the art, the beer, the sights, the ice cream, the history, the cafes…the weather here in Paris the last few days has been perfect…a hot and sunny April with no showers.

Here are some photos of Paris, I am sure our Teams will see-eventually!
...old & new

The National Assembly

the beer of choice...Leffe!

Andy & his friends...

...this is a crab salad!

Ice w/ Kimberley & David

Cheese glorious cheese

Montmartre party scene

Moulin Rouge

Le Metro...
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:
Pamela (Home on the range) on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 16:31:55
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Comments: Humph! Too much fun without me. Can't wait to see everyone really soon, especially my husband...and yes, I'm bringing biscotti.
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William responds: There will be a party in NYC! ___________________________________________________________
28 April 2010 - Paris - FRANCE - April in Paris...riding the Metro...I was a free man in Paris...

Good evening all…we, err, well at least I am in Paris. The Teams are…? Well, I don't know where they are right now!? They could be in Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, or somewhere in France? The bread crumbs I left for scavenges should bring them to the eternal City of Light sometime tomorrow (Thursday) for or 10AM Friday morning check in. Until then, it is anyone's guess where they are.
Paris...

This level 6 leg is a tricky one logistically as I have set up Bonus points in many places off the main rail line between Vienna and Paris-that would have been too easy right! So, they have a lot of options. I have given them a lot of rope in which they can hang themselves here…a few time management issues could hit them hard too.

They have optional Bonus scavenges in Berlin, in Liechtenstein, in Graz, Linz & Salzburg (Austria), in Bratislava (Slovakia), in Hungary, in the Czech Republic, in Zurich and Basel (Switzerland), in the Black Forest of Germany, and a few spots outside Paris proper…it could get very interesting considering that this leg will produce a winner of this 2010 event, and different strategies will produce significantly different points. I look forward to seeing who did what and where on Friday.

…Until then, someone has to enjoy Paris, so here I am. My friend and former travel colleague Andy has shown up from Bonn to help me partake in the city's delights…we will do our best to soldier on over the next few days-unless we run out of sights to see, restaurants to eat in, museums to see and either Leffe beer, gelato, or Châteauneuf-du-Pape …my guess is we are safe.

This morning I went to Musee d''Orsay…what a delight to see so many 19th and 20th century pieces: Manet, Rodin, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gough, Pissarro, Bonnard, Vuillard, Gauguin, and Degas…I must say that after today, Degas has moved to the top for me…he simply could, and did, everything! The whole place was a treat…

Walking in Paris is always an endless feast of things to see and eat…there is no end that I have ever found yet. And the Metro and bus systems are just seamless to use. It is all about appearances here and the food and clothes are designer-chic.

I will report more later when time permits…
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Lyn - (Dean's in Miami, I'm headed to Vegas, but would still rather be where you are!) on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 15:06:34
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comments: I'm breathless with anticipation for every new update. Been following closely and salivating at your destinations. One day...Keep safe -- time seems to have been on your side. Look forward to catching up and seeing ALL photos upon your return.
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William responds: Thanks Lyn...I think you shall do this one day...you are game!See ya soon...best to the kids!
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27 April 2010 - Vienna - AUSTRIA - Kicking around in the Euro-zone

The last leg has begun in earnest here in Vienna…Teams were barred from checking out of the hotel until at least 8AM, meaning no trains or buses to other destinations. One Team was in the hotel lobby at 8:01AM---Barbara & the Barbadian. I took their official proof photo at the desk with the clock behind them. Poof, they were gone! Bratislava I think? Hopefully, no one will take the wrong river cruise down, instead of up the Danube, and end up in the Black Sea?

Saw some Teams hanging around Vienna…the Music House--where I learned that the upper limits of my hearing was at 13606 Hz! And that for nothing can I led an orchestra-unlike Lily! At the Belvedere Museum-where Klimt's "The Kiss," and the great works of Segantini and Schiele hang beautifully! And in a café or two…they have Starbucks here and it seems oxymoronic!

In other news:

Yikes…my Lakers find themselves in a tied first round series with the surprising Oklahoma Thunder (2-2) with tonight's home game a Staples worth something big! Kobe and others are hurt (only nine players were on the court for practice Monday) and I think the team is embarrassed…the good news? The Lakers are 17-0 in best-of-seven series when they win Game 5 at home…Go Lakers!

Keflavik International Airport, the main international airport in Iceland, reopened on Monday after a three-day shutdown because of ash…that is our impeding flight path back to New York City on Icelandic Air from Paris on Friday. Thank you Mother Nature…

Best Restaurant in the World? El Bulli is no longer #1 after four consecutive years atop this set of rankings, dropping to #2 and being replaced byNoma, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Other great restaurants include: Alinea in Chicago, The French Laundry in Napa, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz, and Arzak all in Spain, The Fat Duck, in Bray, England, La francescana, in Modena, Italy, Daniel and Per Se in New York City…we'll be seeing you Friday!?

As they say, "America is #1." Unfortunately in this case, we're the #1 producers of crap beer (according to a survey of over 2000 people from 80 different countries)…That maybe true, but I am in Austria and Bavaria where the beer is really good, and where Bud means the GREAT beer from Budweiser Budvar Brewery (Bud?jovický Budvar) a brewery in the city of ?eské, Czech Republic. My favorite beers you ask? Sure: Tiger, Carlsberg, Pilsner Urquell (draft), Guinness (draft), Harp, Leffe (draft), Löwenbräu (draft), Asahi Super Dry, and I'll throw in Molson Canadian too! I have never been into seasonal beer or mirco beers and prefer lagers and pils thank you very much!

On a sad note, a wonderful and enlightened man, Fred Halliday, a professor and mentor of mine from the London School of Economics in the 1980's died. His reason and wisdom will be missed. RIP

Thinking about Bryan Ferry's Song for Europe today!
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26 April 2010 - Vienna - AUSTRIA - the Euro leg has begun!

Jeez I just do not like aborted landings…there is that 2-3 second interval between when the plane wants to land and the pilots has to decide to pull her up-quickly. That is a very disconcerting time for me. And that is the second aborted landing on this adventure-Hong Kong and now Vienna International. Ugh!

Anyway, we all landed safely and quickly got to our hotel here in Vienna. Our Euro meeting had something old and something new…the old news was that the Jordan leg saw some serious competition among three teams. A tie for first with The Camels and Barbara & the Barbadian each earning 1,785 points employing radically different strategies! Great job both teams. And, could it get any tighter, 100% Bajan came in third with 1,775 points! They now lead the event by one point differential overall over Lawyers without Borders team that placed 6th in Jordan by default! In fourth was Indy Roadrunners with 1,560, Mad Dog followed with 1,515.

So, as mentioned the leader board now has 100% Bajan in first by 1 point over Lawyers without Borders, and in third place just 3 points off the pace is and Barbara & the Barbadian…what that means is that whoever wins this difficult level 6 Euro leg…will be crowned The World's Greatest Travelers for 2010-and win a free trip in the next event to defend their title! Good luck all…it will be tight and interesting.

After setting lose the Teams in Europe…they have to get from Vienna to Paris by Friday at 10AM. Easy enough right? Well, they have a few stops in between…Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, as well as few other minefields along the way! More on that later…

We participants in The Global Scavenger Hunt lead a charmed life-both adventurers and Road Officials. Yesterday we float in the Dead Sea and hang at Petra…Tonight, I had a very wonderful night here in Vienna…I got to go to the Mecca of Classical Music-the Vienna Opera House and see a fun performance.

There is nothing like a night at the Opera here in Vienna. Everyone dressed to the nines. Tickets can cost as much as €250 a seat…the setting is historic and the artists always the best of the best in the world. It was a fortunate score to get a ticket to see the Richard Strauss tragic opera entitled Der Rosenkavalier. Act 1 lasted about 70 minutes after which folks mingled in their black tie and cocktail dresses with champagne and canapés. Act 2 called Werner, was an amazing set that lasted about 60 minutes. It was a good night.

To top it off I went to my favorite wiener schnitzel restaurant here in Vienna called Figmueller's on Wollzeiele Strause. Big helpings!

So, it is late here and more later…and a complete rundown of the Euro Leg!

Enjoy the video of the opera...amazing!


Act 1 - Der Rosenkavlier

Act 2 - Werner


Vienna Opera House

The man--Mozart!

Inside the classical cathedral

Mighty fine schnitzel...
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

bev and buz (still in cool and rainy Japan) on Monday, April 26, 2010 at 17:53:55
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Comments: Another WOW on your itinerary. Our Petra story ivolves walking back through "the gap" in total darkness after watching sunset at the monastery. I was swearing at Buz the whole way...but made for an amazing story. Have fun and enjoy some great places on this leg of your trip. We will be in Vienna Dec 31 for the New Years Ball.
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26 April 2010 - Amman - JORDAN - …and on the way to Vienna!

Good Morning/Good Evening…wherever you are!

All the Teams checked in last night at 10PM local time as planned with stories to tell…floating in the Dead Sea (you can't really swim in it), broken down taxies, lost in the Jordanian desert, wonderful people stories, Biblical sites uncovered, great food scavenges, haggling in the souks, camels rides and of course Petra. If anything it was agreed that our visit to Jordan was too short a stay…this is global grazing at a high level, so hopefully Teams come back and visit longer on their own. It is a wonderful place…oddly, sandwiched between two of the world's intractable hotspots-Iraq, and Israel (and the occupied territories known as Palestine).

After the Peer Review assignments, no one mysteriously had the energy to stayed up and share an adult beverage and a storey however?!

We are off to beautiful Vienna in a few hours to begin our last major leg, the tough 6 level Euro-leg. Our plane, Inshallah, will arrive at 2PM local time and we will be checking into the Radisson Sas Palais Hotel Vienna.

A few observations before we leave:

Oddly, and just so like the Middle East, there are competing John the Baptist sites--Wadi al-Kharrar here or the west bank of the Jordan River in Israel? Who knew...

Jordan sucks up all the regions refugees, Palestinian, Egyptian and now there are an estimated 750,000 Iraqis have arrived in Jordan since the start of the war. Yet a new diaspora.

I just love ancient souks; it always turns into a version of the Haggling Olympics. And don't worry about getting ripped off--you will! caveat emptor reigns…let the buyer beware because this isn't for the feint at heart!

Once I was offered 65 camels for my wife…so it is important to know your camels, setting the proper price to age! The best camels come from the Sudan. The ones from Somalia don't adapt so well. I can tell if a camel will bite me or just run away by the look in their eyes and the foam around their mouths--it is essential to know such things! I will never forget the first time a camel spat at me--Marrakesh 1985. I do not favor camel meat…

The Dead Sea, technically in Asia, at -409 meters is the lowest place on Earth--Death Valley by comparison is only - 86 meters below sea level, and Laguna del Carbon in Argentina at -105 meters.

There is nothing quite like sitting atop the Citadel here at sunset listening to the echoing calls to pray of the muezzin…

If food is your Levant Call, Jordan has it all and is smack in the center of the Middle East. You'll find the bright vegetables from Lebanon; crunchy dripping falafels from Syria; zesty and juicy kebabs from Egypt; spicy meat dishes from Iraq; Kurdish dishes like shredded chicken or beef served with vegetables and rice; and of course, mansaf, a lamb shank served on a heap of yellow rice with chopped, blanched almonds and warm yogurt sauce--it is the national dish of Jordan. Now I am hungry…again!

I usually say, and have been quoted somewhere (?) as saying that, "A thousand and one Arabian Nights may be 999 too many for some!"…but not in Jordan.

Onward we march…just 5 days now until our New York City rendezvous and the crowing of The World's Greatest Travelers™ for 2010!

More after we arrive in Vienna and the European scramble has begun…and some much needed wiener schnitzel.
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25 April 2010 - Amman, JORDAN - An Amazing Sunday in Jordan

What a day had by all...here's a quick photo montage. (For Petra of Petra)
Morning Mosque

Sheep Herder...timeless!
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Barbara & Christine...happy!

The first sight of the Treasury...wow.

The Money Shot!



Tombs

Camels...on a break.

Big and magnificent...

Not me...

Me, reading in the Dead Sea!

Nice name!
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24 April 2010 - Amman, JORDAN -

"A camel makes an elephant feel like a jet plane." - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

(9PM Post) Amman so far...Petra and Dead Sea swiming tomorrow...stay tuned!

Temple of Hercules
Mecca Mall...

Shiek Al...

The Dead Sea Scrolls...

The New ''In" Spring Colors!

Something old & new...

Roman Theater...circa 150CE

The Kingdom of Jordan

(2PM Post) We arrived at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) at around 11AM and hit our first event snafu-the pre-arranged transportation set up by the Grand Hyatt Amman did not materialize, and so puff, we de-materialized from the airport into four cabs as quick as a Jeanie appear out of bottle. Stuff happens, and a lot of stuff usually seems to happen here in the Middle East for some reason? It is the Bible meets CNN…

Teams gathered at 1:30PM local time to vote on who the winners of the photographing the most animals (not in a zoo) points were. It was decided, not unanimously I might add, that brown ducks, white ducks, and black ducks, were all different "animals." And that a fly, caterpillar and worm made the cut too!? Anyway, the Indy Roadrunners won the 50 points with 27 "animals" photographed?!

Onward and upward, after the Peer Review, road officials were called into finalize few score sheets and the winners of the hardest leg of the event, the Sri Lanka leg was the 2009 Champs Lawyers without Borders with an incredible bonus catch of points and 3,209 overall to stay atop the event's overall leader board. In second place was that amazing mother/daughter Team 100% Bajan with 3,107 points, followed in third by Barbara & the Barbadian, the Camels in 4th, and in 5th spot was Team Mad Dog (who worked hard out of sick bay) and finally the Indy Roadrunners.

So, after that difficult leg and with just 3 more legs to go-a 3 rated Jordan leg, a mystery 6 rated leg, and 1 rated leg in New York City, the event has turned the corner for the home stretch and the last week of the travel adventure competition. It seems hard to believe that we have been traveling the globe for 2 full weeks now-San Francisco, Hong Kong, Hanoi, Laos, Chiang Mai, Sri Lanka and now the Kingdom of Jordan. Teams are holding up well and their memory bank cups already runneth over…they have all seen and done some amazing things.

Some of the favorite scavenges in Sri Lanka included using your chutzpah and getting invited to dinner in the house of a local. I heard some wonderful stories about that already. Another was to purchase some school supplies (a dozen note books, scores of pens and pencils, and a few soccer balls too) in Colombo's Pettah bazaar and delivery them to a local elementary school of their choice upcountry…again, the stories from our travelers have been incredibly heartfelt.

Fun scavenges included: Climbing Adam's Peak at sunrise among a pilgrimage of Buddhists--all 6,000 plus steps! Searching for the albino elephant in Yala National Park, and learning the intricate process of tea making from a local Ceylon tea farm. In all, Teams enjoyed Sri Lanka and know that they must return for a longer time in the future.

But now we are in Amman, Jordan. Things are different here. The lush tropical green we all took for granted over the past 5 days has disappeared. Brown is the new color along our horizon. My daughter is a little miffed that I am here without her-her name is Petra. (Next time sweetie!)

This leg is rated a 3 degree of difficulty, more due to the friction of getting things done, anything done, here in the Middle East. Jordanians are wonderful warm and open people, incredibly hospitable; they mean well, but in the end, like to talk themselves out of actual work and out of actually helping make your life easier. No means maybe and yes means no! It takes a committee to get a taxi to take you somewhere. The layers of people pretending to work to those actually working run about 4 to 1. That means the 75% of the time you are wasting 100% of your time! Go figure…

Teams will be of course have the option of visiting the fabled lost city of Petra, swim in the Dead Sea, visit Lawrence of Arabia's Wadi Rum water hole, find some exquisite desert castle frescos, smoke some shish with some locals, see some timeless mosques, haggle in the old souks, and enjoy some Middle Eastern delicacies. They have until 10PM tomorrow--Sunday night--to get to know the place a little better-as they usually do!

Until my next post…enjoy the weekend!
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23 April 2010 - Colombo, SRI LANKA - Will they all come back? (YES!)

(11PM report) Dinner was great fun (we missed you Joanne) during a tropical rainstorm that shook the bar glassware every once in a while...

Teams were handed their Peer Review assignments and we are bound for Amman, JORDAN! Hopefully you will get some reports from me soon about the Sri Lanka scores and what our Teams are in for in the Kingdom of Jordan...our plane leaves at 5:40AM and Teams are already catching some much needed shut eye. More later...

(6PM report) Roll Call: The Camels--present and accounted for; Lawyers without Borders--present; Barbara & the Barbadian--present; Indy Roadrunners--present; 100% Bajan--present, Mad Dog--present (for the most part!).

Yeah…we didn't lose anyone on this level 6 rated (meaning: very difficult) leg! War sagas began fast and furious among the group at our 4PM check-in meeting. For the most part everything was good. We have small walking wounded section, but as they say, this too shall pass (no pun intended!).

We are all meeting for a hosted dinner this evening at the well-regarded Il Ponte Italian restaurant to load up on carbs after this exhausting leg. And then, yes we will be on the move within the next 12 hours to yet another destination which will be announced after dinner.

Teams were thrilled to know that our problems had ceased to exist as far as a potential European leg and a trans-Atlantic flight back to New York City. Knock on wood…Father Time was good to us whereas Mother Nature was not!

Some notes on today: Had an interesting conversation with an ex-pat Brit who is apparently heavily invested here in Sri Lanka. Among the things in his diversified portfolio were elephants! Yep, elephants…and I got the quick rundown on elephant economics--who knew!? Why don't I share them with you?

Seems that you can buy a working broken-in elephant here in Sri Lanka for US$20,000 (although I think he was fudging on that price and it is cheaper!)…food and maintenance of that said elephant runs about US$1,000 a month! Employing a mahout (sort of an elephant cowboy) per day is 300 rupees (about US$2.67 a day = US$81 a month.) Those are the costs, about $33,000 for the first year, and remember the cost of the elephant will amortizatize over time…now the income side! How about US$20 for a 30 minute ride…8 to 12 a day! High/low between $240/$160 a day…say $200 a day average…$73,000 a year minus costs stated above! I bought three elephants immediately; I sure hope my wife is okay with that? I know the kids will be thrilled…

Had an odd out-of-the-blue sight standing before me when I exited the elevator on my 9th floor…three large grown men in full colorful Tanzania tribal battle dress-a lot of red going on! The door opened, I looked, "I must have pressed the wrong country!" I quickly told them…it was a hoot, we all laughed at the moment. I am sure that the look on my face as the Hilton Colombo hotel elevator door open was priceless! It is moments like this you just don't get at the Starbucks at Sunny Crest Mall!

Saw a billboard ad today on a drive north to Negombo fishing village: it was laxative ad whose tag line was, "Get ready to shake things up!" Indeed.

Here's one: YouTube MySpace and I'll Google your Yahoo! A t-shirt slogan…

I was told today there are 84,000 Hindi gods…I can't think of 84,000 things to think about let alone pray for…one seems too many!

Saw an ugly scene in the hotel lobby this afternoon, sort of a diplomatic kerfuffle, it must have been a generational thing I thought: seems some SKIERS (Spending the kids inheritance) older travelers ran into some NINJA's (No income, no jobs or assets) Twentysomethings and all hell broke loose until the older folks explained the finer points of what financial surfing meant (paying off debt with more debt).

Off to dinner and more later…

(10AM report) "The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it." - Rudyard Kipling

...Ooo, Ooo that smell… went for an early walk this morning...temple incense, cow dung, piss, cut flowers, traffic exhaust, baking bread, BO, curries, petrol burning...too bad camera isn't smellivision!

Will they all come back? Let's hope so…it is 10AM local time and I will make another report later this evening to report on what has happened and how everyone is…until then, more dispatches from afar.

"When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable." - Clifton Fadiman

I truly am sad to say this, but it looks like we really dodged a bullet in Thailand…things have deteriorated!

Lakers got robbed tonight in OK City, 101-96 loss...OK had 34 free throws...and the number 1 freethroww shooting Team in the NBA? 12! Something was amiss I would say...series 2-1 Lakers.

BTW: On every leg I offer some questions to ponder for our travelers while they are traveling on trains, buses, taxies and elephants. Something to think about…Here is one from the Sri Lanka leg:

Question One: The prolonged civil war in Sri Lanka appears over. Terrible ethnic (and religious) related atrocities took place on both sides over the last twenty-six years--it is indeed a dark chapter. It is also a politically sensitive topic between the two groups--the minority Tamils and majority Sinhalese-as the democratic nation moves forward. What do you think about the idea of Truth and Reconciliation Committees (ala South Africa and Rwanda) which seeks the truth and positive healing, versus legal prosecutions and vengeance, in helping to heal a nation and move forward to its next chapter? Does this process help the healing process or prolong it? Is justice served? Or, is it just time to move on?

News from around the world: It is the 40th Earth Day… Belgium is set to ban wearing the Islamic burka in public (a public saftery issues you can't have people concealing their identities in public), European airlines get hand out for a government bailout over Mother Nature, McAfee antivirus program goes berserk, Americans eat too much salt-I am shocked, Wall Streets credit agencies drank the Kool Aid, (thank you Bob Schieffer, host of CBS's "Face the Nation), Israeli PM Netanyahu has again rejected US calls to halt construction in occupied Palestinaina lands, Greek bonds downgraded again.

I have a burr in my bonnet that needs to be exorcized …something is happening to the glamour and intrigue of travel, something unsettling to me. For those of us that have traveled decades, hotel lobbies have always been amazing places where just about anything could happen-and sometimes really did! You could rub shoulders with the world's traveling elite: CEO's attending to important business, politicians working an event in the hotel, local and international celebrities milling about as they tend to do; and fellow travelers from far flung destinations visiting on business, for vacation, or for the simple pleasure of just travel through. And yes, in a past life, romance was always a possibility. Fact is that anything was indeed possible as guests mingled, sipped hot and cold adult beverages, made arrangements for day trips, and where spies took meetings…

I am sad to report something I have noticed for awhile now…a new era of travel is upon us and paradoxically, we are closer but getting further apart! Simply put, the Wi-Fi Lobby has taken over and we are all just too connected. Nowadays, people aren't meeting other people in the lobbies of the great hotels around the world, they are simply using their iPhones, Blackberry's, and laptops, to communicate with folks back home--instead of meeting strangers in strange lands! We are always connected these days in real-time with SMS, RSS updates, IMing, cell phones, Skype video chats, Flickr photo shares, and now old school old fashion e-mail. We are social networking, blogging, and Facebooking our way around the world-like we never really left. Friends and family used to get exotic postcards with unusual postage stamps decorating them, now, our social networks gets Tweets! Postcards are indeed obsolete when you can simply attach a digital photo with you staring in the background.

At the same time, I wonder if I'm not missing out on something. Travel for me was always about mystery, about the excitement of the unknown, about getting away from it all! And today trip user content sites with reviews are blowing our expectations… those planning sites, Google mapping, TripAdvisor, etal are talking away all the excitement of the unknown and the mystery of the places we are intending to visit. We already know too much before we even arrive. Our expectations are so high. There are, of course, usually loads of locals to talk to, as I normally allow myself to do-seat partners, taxi drivers, maître d's, concierges, people just sitting at the table over during dinner, someone sitting next to you at the bar, sharing a couch in the hotel lobby reading a local newspaper, etc…most of whom may in fact be experts on the terrain you are just passing through-- or who may not know a darn thing! The point is they could…but being in that moment when things just happen is happening less and less. And with all the pre-trip information, allowing the place itself to transform you is maybe a thing of the past. "Yes, I know about that restaurant, I read all the reviews on TripAdvisor." "I saw that promo video on YouTube." Or, "Former's had the best itinerary all mapped out for us, hotels, restaurants and all the things we wanted to do--we just had to show up!"

In the past, I trusted myself and my luck frankly, to put me on the right path, and most of the time, it worked out. Serendipity, spontaneity, and improvisation usually won out when I traveled. Now I have to remove that pixilated barrier I've slowly erected between myself and the world, and see what I can find with my own two unfiltered eyes personally. I will, however, bring my glasses, they are one piece of technology I can't do without.

And so the romance in traveling, both literally and figuratively is slipping away, with our eyes directed at our personal communications devices instead of that great form of entertainment-people watching! It makes me sad. We aren't mingling anymore. Letting fate and chance allow serendipity to invade our lives.

On the flip side of this double-edged sword of instant communications, is the diminishment of that old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder! How can you miss someone when you never really aren't in communications with them? You see them every day on Skype? It is said that familiarity breeds contempt…and indeed it does when we follow someone's every move on social sites and via cell conversations and tweets. Do my kids really miss me when I share breakfast hour with them on Skype? Does my wife miss me when we e-mail and IM all the time? Do my neighbors sense my distance when they read my travel blog? I don't know…in the past when you went away, you really where off the radar for a time. Now you never leave the grid.

Off the beaten path is meaningless nowadays when there's a Wi-Fi lobby.

I will report later today….

Here are some off-the beaten path spots in beautiful Sri Lanka…
Sleeping Buddha of Polonnaruwa

Amazing frescos of Sigiriya

Indian Ocean stilt fishermen

Adams Peak...many steps up!

Chedi Anuradhapura

Tea Fields
Galle Fort

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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Gita and Rachel (NYC & FL) on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 18:47:14
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Comments: Having fun following along, Sri Lanka is gorgeous. What a great idea this game is. You had a worthy partner in Mohammed. Great questions, and answers, this post was a treat!
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William responds: Good to hear from you two...Yes, it was interesting...I did have a final question for him: Are the women under that black full-coverage burka hot? He smiled and just said, "Yes Bill."
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22 April 2010 - Colombo, SRI LANKA - Day 3 in paradise…

Good afternoon…still no word from any Teams…and yes, no news is still good news folks! We will see them all tomorrow at 4PM I am sure-well, kind of sure…
Where are they?

The Euro no-fly zone has reopened to much celebration here at the Hilton Colombo Hotel in room 925! We visited some markets today and got a haircut (400 rupees, about $3.60). Not much else really happening to report.

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned a family I had met on the train to Kandy. Mohammed the father was traveling with his 3 daughters (ages 10, 7 & 4) with their Malaysian nanny. The mother I was informed was unavailable to travel. He was a business man educated at Cairo University and lived in Mumbai; I would guess he was mid-fortyish. I showed him the pictures of my family and we were sort of members of the father sect from then on. We chatted for a long time, finally getting comfortable enough with each other to make jokes and laugh about some others traveling on the train.

It was at this point that I asked if he wouldn't mind playing a game of sorts with me. I call it Three Questions and I have used it to get behind the cultural curtain in the past. I told him that it was an opportunity for each of us to ask the other three questions we each had always wanted to know about each other's cultures but were afraid to ask or insult someone by asking maybe stupid questions. Enthusiastically he was game. I told him I would start, but to take the mode of inquiry simply as a form of curiosity with no harm or insult meant by the question itself. He nodded okay. So, here is a summarized version of that Three Questions conversation between Mohammed and I on the train to Kandy:

Bill Question #1: Mohammed, we in the West would really like to know what is the deal with the suicide bombers and all those virgins in heaven?

Mohammed's Answer: (Obviously grimacing) Well, the Koran I studied says nothing about this. Yes martyrs will be blessed in heaven for protecting God. But, I must tell you that the Koran says good Muslims should never be intolerant of others beliefs or to ever commit atrocities in the name of the Prophet. Legitimate war is, no matter how bad, legitimate. These people are I think brainwashed into doing bad things and hurting their fellow Muslims in most cases. I can only say that I think it must come from a lack of hope. It accomplishes nothing and I have always been surprised that our spiritual leaders say so little about this.

Mohammed's Question #1: I have never been to America and I only see things on TV and from magazines about it. Tell me, why is everyone in America so fat? Do they just eats (sic) fast foods all the time?

Bill's Answer: (Laughing loudly) Yes…they are and they do! But we are evolving. American's are really stressed for time. They work too much, commute too far, and have too much stuff to take care of. So, they do not cook in the traditional way and are eating meals with members of their families less and less. In the past couple of decades I think we have added about 600 calories a day to our diets. That is not good. That combined with eating bad cheap food, makes us fat. If you have seen the movie Walle (and I recommended it to his kids) that is what we are evolving into…people that don't move and just consume, be it food, movies, and entertainment. I think the Roman's called it bread and circuses for the plebs. Americans eat a lot of bread!

Mohammed's Question #2: "I like this game!" (Laughing) Okay, please explain George W. Bush. My people could not understand how this man could get elected--twice?

Bill's Answer: (Happily!) I can't explain him either Mohammed Honestly, American's never wanted to face the facts that we had a constitutional crisis in 2000 after the presidential elections, and we had a judicial coup in America. Bush did not win that election, Al Gore did by popular vote. So, I can honestly say that Americans did not vote for him twice--just once! That said, American's will always support--as I believe other people will do to their leaders as well-a leader who is fighting a foreign war. And in 2004 we had three wars going on at once: Afghanistan, Iraq and the war on terrorism. It is basic human nature-us versus them. So, he was reelected. I would also say that Americans for the most part are very anti-intellectual. They do not like being talked down to by intellectual superiors; they want to feel like they are part of the conversation--no matter how little they actually know about what they are talking about. It can be sad sometimes because frankly about 50% of Americans are basically stupid (too harsh, err, ill-informed) enough it seems to have voted for him twice! George Bush made me shake my head and be sad for eight long years-and unfortunately, we will be paying for his many mistakes for the next 25 years!

Bill's Question #2: Okay, you want to play that way! Who's right: the Taliban, Sunni, Shiites or Wahhabi Muslims?

Mohammed's Answer: That is a good question and a Very difficult one to explain. It would take four more train rides (laughing)--and I don't think either of us wants to do that! I could talk about all those differences. (He smiles at me knowing it would hurt my head.) It is mostly politics between we Arabs and non-Arabs (Persians), it is also between modern educated secularists and old-fashioned uneducated fundamentalists. There is a civil war taking place within Islam today between people who are frightened by the new ways of the world, and people who want to change, develop and grow like everyone else. It is about old power and new power. Islam is a very old religion and in the long term if it is to survive, it must adapt to reality. The world has changed. I think a tolerant and changing Sunni Islam will prevail. The others are desperate interpretations of Islam that suit the politics of where they came from. The people of Afghanistan have not changed in 500 years, and so the Taliban rules like it would have 500 years ago. The Wahhabi beliefs come from equally old Saudi ways and they get much oil money to set up schools (madrassa) in poor areas of the world where children have nothing. They are brainwashed. They should learn Islam of course, but they should learn about other worldly things too that will help them get jobs and be productive. I think Islam will survive and be relevant only if it is strong enough to believe in itself and accept change. We cannot stop the world from turning…

Mohammed's Question #3: I once heard that Americans hate to travel and so few of them have passports, is that true? And without travel how do they know anything about the rest of the world?

Bill's Answer: Well, that is what we call a soft pitch Mohammed! This is actually a little scary and what I talked about earlier. American's are knee-jerk anti-intellectual. They are not a very curious people. They simply believe that we're #1, and that their way is the always the best way-even if it doesn't work or others have found more efficient ways of doing something. They call that American Exceptionalism-the belief that the rest of the world's rules (most that we helped create) simply don't apply to them--they are special. Like building highly efficient and cheap mass transit systems. We like expensive polluting cars. Like having less poverty, less people homeless, and a more efficient social system that keeps people healthy and happy. We like things they way they are-every man for himself capitalism--where the rich get richer and the poor keep paying taxes for their screw ups. Anyway, Americans are good in their heart, but they really don't like to travel too much…Mexico, taking a cruise, even Hawaii is a big deal. It is a sad truth that so few Americans have passports and are actually willing to travel to distant places. (but there are some-like our travelers!) I think most Americans suffer from the Mean World Syndrome that they get from TV news shows. They think the world is all at war, volcanoes are destroying other countries, riots are everywhere, and there is too much poverty. That and they can't get their McDonald's and Starbucks when they travel-but of course they can get them everywhere. They just aren't that curious enough though to stop watching America Idol and read a book about another part of the world or about solutions to challenges that others have figured out. Bread and circuses Mohammed.

Bill's Question #3: I have studied international relations all my life, I am still confused. Mohammed, please tell me what could the west do to make Muslims happy--I mean, less hostile towards us?

Mohammed's Answer: (Smiling) Ah, you saved the best for last I see! Well I do not think we are a hostile people. We are angry about our past and cannot seem to move forward. We feel stuck. Many are hopeless and I think they need to blame someone. They mostly blame the USA. But I tell you it is an excuse. We need to take care of ourselves and change and build ourselves up. Our old ways do not work anymore. We have many corrupt leaders who hide behind our religion to keep us down and poor. We cannot depend on the West to make us happy. We must do it. But I tell you one last thing because we are now friends and I mean no disrespect. The way the West has treated the Palestinian people-they are stateless--through its blind support for Israel, is just keeping a wound wet and diseased. We need to solve that issue give them land for peace and then we would only have ourselves to blame. We could not blame the USA anymore. It is an excuse that could be taken away very easily. What we complain about after that? Nothing…

I quickly asked one more question: What is the deal with Dubai, it is like Vegas in the middle of the desert? (Well that sounds redundant!)

Mohammed's Answer: (Laughing) I think they want to show they build something-when actually poor people from Bangladesh and India have built it-that will look like America thinking that Americans will come and go skiing, visit the beach, play golf, eat food and adventure into the desert. It is like a mirage for us Arabs, we have so little, but there is this big shinny city. And they keep building but there is no one in the buildings? It is I think a big bubble ready to pop. I do not know who is buying all these buildings? And as you know it is built by people who know that oil money will run out and we need to diversify. That is smart. But I do not think many Americans will come to Dubai on holiday.

Me either…
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

bev and buz (Osaka - Japan) on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 05:32:36
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Comments: Bill. what a great destination for all to explore. Loved your interview with the father and daughters. Will send that on to some friends that I know would appreciate it. Look foward to your next destination?? Japan is cold and rainy...... but enjoying seeing many new places.
- bev and buz
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William responds: Enjoy Osaka...get to Nara! It is a must...

cricket () on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 18:50:12
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Comments: Just FYI MRF is a cricket bat manufacturer.

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William responds: Thanks fellow criket fan...good to know that someone is reading this blog and paying attention!?
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21 April 2010 - Colombo - SRI LANKA - Day 2 on Leg 5…lightening lights the midnight sky!

A Sri Lankan Hello to all...

Lakers win game 2, 95-92 (lead series 2-0)!

Good evening from Colombo…I know you all are looking for news about the competition and the teams, but right now everyone is deeply immersed in the challenges this difficult leg brings to them; and frankly, I don't know where anybody is! They are not hanging at the beach, that is for sure! And the beaches are truly magnificent here, but the best of this island and their people lies inward and upward…and so our Teams will be heading for the many hills that make this place special. The last team I saw was Sami & Brian (The Camels) with whom I shared dinner last night at Spices and some fun conversation with. I know they were off inland via train to Anuradhapura early this morning.

Other Teams may be here in Colombo (if they were foolish), but more likely, Teams are searching out Sri Lanka high and low, from looking for Panthers in Yala National Park to climbing Adam's Peak, from visiting ancient Buddha caves in Polonnaruwa and sail boarding in Bentota Beach to exploring Little England near the terraced tea plantations of Nuwara Ekiya. I just don't know…I have got no, "We're lost how do we get back home" calls, and thankfully, no cried for help. So, no news is good news!

In lieu of event news, here is today's edition of Bill's Dispatches from Afar…

I just love the bright white teethed smiles on the Sri Lanka cinnamon girls!

The only security issue I have seen so far was pickpockets…monkeys not people!

The Sri Lankan's numerous road block check points are commercially sponsored? This strip search sponsored by Latex!

Hanging in the Echelon Sports before dinner I enjoyed a India Cricket League (ICL) semi-final playoff match between the Bangalore Bengals and the Chennai Chargers…apparently the Mumbai Indians (no, I did not make that up) await the winner in the finals. It was ruckus TV games compete with cheerleader's ala Dallas Cowboys and a MRF (?) blimp. I found it a tad odd that amidst the choice of great beers, including: Singha, Tiger, Lion (local), 3 Coins (local), Kingfisher, Carlsberg and Heineken; do you know what the beer of choice was among the happy hour crowd of trendy Sri Lankans was? Corona with lime-where do they learn this stuff?

The ads where interestingly too…Pepsi wanted to transport it's drinkers to a place they called "Youngisstan," and a new season of Indian Idol kicks off May 4th . I have never been to the former and I will sadly miss the later.

I grabbed a 7AM train this morning to an interior city called Kandy. It was 3 hours of tropical green… I had a wonderful conversation with a father of three young girls (more on that later) and I would like to file a noise ordinance complaint against my taxi driver Soyso.

Soyso was hired to drive me back to Colombo (all the trains where sold old for my return so I had to be creative) and he has a horn fetish. A bad one…no lie, I kid you not…Soyso must have honked his horn no less than three thousand times. Soyso I asked, "Does your horrn ever break?" "Oh no Mr Bill," he replies, "it always works." Oh no Mr Bill is right....

And yes, I figured it out so as not exaggerate this point. I was so alarmed by Soyso's horn honking that on no less than two occasions did I count his horn honks for a minute. The first time there were 18, the second 15. I would say they were about average for Soyso. He honked at everything on Kandy Road during our 100 kilometer adventure, moving and not: he honked at cars and trucks, birds and beasts of burden, rice paddy workers and school kids walking home, cocunut hawkers, tuk-tuks and political signs…Soyso was an equal opportunity horn honker. So, back to the math…I will take the low 15 honks per minute multiplied by the 3 hours and 45 minutes drive (225 minutes)…yup, that makes 3,375 horn honks! Maybe a world record, one honk every 4 seconds, I dunno…but if I could have reached under the dash to disconnect it, I would have. But then Soyso would not be Soyso!

Tea is really big here…aka Ceylon Tea.

And the beach scene was really lively tonight. Galle Face beach was busier than Hermosa on the 4th of July…and this was just a normal Wednesday night I was told?!

Some views of today in Sri Lanka…

Kandy Market hawkers...

Smiling Train face

Bananas...

Fish Monger (He's 68!)

Buddha's Tooth Temple...

Orchid

A Scorpion...

A Temple Elephant...
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20 April 2010 - Colombo - SRI LANKA - We have reached the halfway point!

We have made a successful transition to our next leg...the very green country of Sri Lanka!

We arrived last night at the hotel just after midnight local time. Quickly checked in and fell asleep. After a late leisurely breakfast Teams met to close the books on the Thai leg…

For the fourth leg in a row, we have a new winner!

The 100% Bajan team consisting of mother/daughter Heidi and Lily won the leg impressively-by just 10 points over the renewed Camels, 1315 to 1305! And to show you how tight it really was, the leg's 3rd place finisher Lawyers without Borders, was just 5 points behind that 1305 points! Tighter than…hmm, just tight! In fourth place were Barbara & the Barbadian with 1227, followed by Indy Roadrunners with 1110 points, and Mad Dog in the rear with 865 points. A great run by all…check out the leader board for the current positions of The Global Scavenger Hunt.

I felt it was necessary for everyone to get reacquainted with the basic rules and spirit of the event-something we hadn't done since San Francisco seemingly a half-lifetime ago. The use of technology was discussed, the differences between private transportation versus public transportation was discussed, teaming up with others for too long, as was the use of information obtained prior to the official handing out of the leg scavenger hunt booklets. It was friendly and it was enlightening with some good questions (read looking for loopholes) were asked.

It is important to maintain both the integrity of the event, as well as the perception of any impropriety early as I have learned from previous events. Everyone seemed to get it and accept that if there were any violations that penalties would be handed out quickly and harshly.

And so it goes, we begin the arduous and difficult level 6 leg of Sri Lanka-4 days worth of exciting and challenging scavenges to perform! I will see everyone on Friday at 4PM local time...

…I have been wanting to come here with the group since we began our little around the world travel adventure competition back in 2000-in fact Pamela's secret desire was to marry me here--on an elephant no less!--but due the an on-and-off civil war against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, essentially a civil war between the ethnic Tamil (Hindu) people of the north and the majority Sinhalese (Buddhist/Muslim) majority of the south, and that nasty little December 2004 tsunami that killed an estimated 35,000 Sri Lankans, we have had to stay clear.

With that all behind them, fresh elections held and new Prime Minister firmly, and seemingly popularly in control…we are here. Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), that tear drop just falling off the Indian subcontinent is a wonderful place to allow serendipity to prevail as often as possible. From where I sit, my visual cup runneth over with rivers full of fish, sweet exotic fruits falling off trees, water buffalo grazing next to ancient stupas, stunningly long pure white sandy beaches, elephants seeming to roam freely, lush rain forests greener than green, terraced tea plantations decorate the hillside, stately old colonial estates stand gloriously, and then those smiles, so many beautiful smiles! A beautiful place…

Today, it is hard to believe that in 2007 Sri Lanka was # on the World's Most Dangerous Places List. Civil wars are inevitably messy affairs, but it is over and life must move on, and even though we are just traveling through, the daily inconveniences of visiting a postwar country like Sri Lanka is sadly evident: military check points, paranoia, arrogance, internment camps, abandoned sniper huts, war crime accusation, an abundance of aid workers, diplomats abound…as do real estate agents looking to help developers develop this nation's wares to foreign investors…at least I did not see the menace of most failed Third World Nations, the ultimate boss in failed states--for there are no kids carrying AK-47 assult rifles here!

Okay, I will have more later for pressing events call me-dinner. But here's some misc photos to take it in...

the Thai pedis...

Lucca boy shows off
The World's Greatest Travelers™ trophy and medals!

Barbara does actually eat...

A Lankan beauty

Laotian snake wine...

Buddha

The Water Fight in Laos...

Hindu Temple

faded glory...

Monk rock star...

Lankan beauties...

Hmong

...and my new drinking buddy!
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Andrew and Savannah (from Barbados) on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 10:16:26
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Comments: Congrats on winning the fourth leg Heids and Lil. We are so proud of you. Keep it up, but remember to enjoy yourselves and take in all you can at the same time, for you will wish to remember it for the rest of your lives. What an awesome experience you all are having.

April & Trav (currently at Hong Kong airport) on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 00:27:22
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Comments: We spent the entire flight to Hong Kong speculating as to where y'all would go next and sad we weren't joining! BUT we got the sweetest bulkhead seats so life is good! Trav wants everyone to know he ate a fried worm last night. Hope Lily is feeling better! xoxo

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19 April 2010 - Chiang Mai - THAILAND - Transition Day to someplace far away!

Sawatdee Khrab from Thailand…

Lakers win game one over The Thunder 87-79. Kings beat Canucks in OT 3-2 (series tied 1-1)…

We have had an eventful time here in Chiang Mai. It seems and appears that we may be the only travelers staying at our wonderful hotel here, the Shangri-La Chiang Mai. And we are getting great service from a staff that seems a little worried. It is my understanding that literally hundreds of direct charters have cancelled their stops in Thailand due to recent violence on the streets of Bangkok. It is unfortunate.

I promised a little background…so here we go: In 2001 Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecom tycoon-turned- politician (Your basic billionaire man of the people stuff!) , was elected the country's next prime minister when his political party Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) Party--has a catchy ring to it!-- won 248 seats of the Thai parliament's 500 seats (he had some coalitions joining him to form a majority). His re-election in 2005 had the highest voter turnout in Thai history. He was loved in the rural country side and the North, but not among Royalists, urban-dwellers and Southern's so much. The roots of Thai democracy are fragile with the King remaining the nation's most beloved person.

The Thai Crisis really begins in January 2006, when Thaksin sold his family's telecom holdings to Temasek, a Singaporean investment company. The deal raised serious questions about conflicts of interest and placed Thaksin under intense political pressure. He reacted by dissolving parliament in the hope of securing a third landslide victory, but the tactic backfired when the opposition boycotted the election. The election degenerated into farce and was eventually annulled by the courts, following advice by the King. Thaksin promised to step down from the position of prime minister-even handing over day-to-day authority to one of his deputies for a time-but never actually resigned. Then on September 19, 2006, a military junta known as the Council for National Security (CNS) staged a coup d'etat. Thaskin was forced into exile, his billions have been striped and people are pissed. The National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD)--aka The Red Shirts were formed. Since then they have, for the most part, attempted to peacefully protest in Bangkok busing poor villagers into Bangkok to disrupt business as usual. The so-called Yellow Shirts (that is the color of the Thai monarchy) formed to counter them. They disrupted BKK's international operations in 2008 with a sit in that closed the airports and stranded folks for days inside. And so it goes…It has gotten violent on a few occasions and really got nasty 10 days ago when 21 people were shot and killed in the streets.

Thailand is having basic growing pains. Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket are hyper-kinetic compared to the vast ruralness of Thailand. Corruption is always a problem in this part of the world and clashes between old and new occur daily. The military here has a high degree of activism in government affairs and the Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), aka The King, presence looms large-the monarchy was established here and run continuously since 1238. But he is an old 82, and today largely quiet on the scene. It will be a tricky and messy transition for the people of Thailand. I wish them well…

It should be known that Thailand is the only democracy (nominal at this point) in the Democracy-Free Zone that runs from North Korea to Burma, the proud and functioning anomaly in an vast region including: North Korea, China, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma! Democracy is not a strong tradition here and its roots are tenuous. That is why I explained the so-called Beijing Consensus model of economic development earlier in this blog.

Okay, that is your Political Science lesson for the day. Some folks complain about these asides, but frankly you simply cannot be a real traveler and NOT understand the place you are visiting. And that means to understand their food, culture, social norms and customs, their religions and beliefs, their history, their economy, and yes, their politics too. Frankly, everything is political, despite our protests to the opposite and apathy of the world at large.

So here are a few photos from yesterday's events here in the Chiang Mai area:
happy scavenger hunters...

Wat Bupparam.

Truly finger licking good...

Sleeping tiger with friends!

Rainey's elephant art...
Yes, this was actually hand, err, trunk painted, by an elephant!

Okay, guess this caption?
April is not really smiling at the cobra...what is she really thinking?
E-mail me contest!

We met last night at the hotel bar for a pint of Singha and share a few laughs and say our good byes to a team heading back home; Travis and April have pressing business to attend to and are heading to Hong Kong and onward to LAX today. It was a pleasure getting to know and travel with both of you, I am certain our paths will cross again somewhere down the road. Good luck, fly safe and be well…

So, at noon today (just three hours from this posting) Teams will formally check in and conclude this, the 4th leg of the event. We will be sharing a hosted luncheon together here in Chiang Mai before we head off to our next destination…it is two flights away…airspace is open here, so we will get there, getting out may be another matter, but onward we soldier.

Some Teams have realized (better late than never) that they have too much stuff-and if you haven't worn it after 10-days, you probably aren't going to! They simply did not follow Bill's #1 Rule of Packing: If you can't carry it, leave it. If you can't roll it in one bag, you have too much. If you have too much stuff-you want have as much fun. I understand DHL has an outlet nearby…business should be brisk today!

I also heard from Teams visiting the aptly named Fish Spa…apparently it is all the rage here in Chiang Mai…you put your feet into a rather large communal aquarium and let little fishes eat away your dead skin! Hmmm…enjoy ladies!

Some Teams went to cross the old frontier border with Burma yesterday north of Chiang Rai…that was fun. Others visited a Tiger Sanctuary, rode elephants and played with snakes. I strolled through the old walled city yesterday and was amazed how few fellow travelers are here. I also ate at a place called Shabushi. It was the funniest thing. I was attracted by the conveyor belts of sushi moving around the modern restaurant and so I grabbed a stool at the bar. They brought me out a terrine of spicy Tom Yom Kum soup to fill the hot pot in front of me. So I start eating sushi and putting raw ingredients into my soup. A hostess then comes up to me and in broken English tells me I have to leave by 4:16PM! I smiled, "Huh?" "You leave at 4:16PM!" she repeats. Apparently it was an all-you-can-eat spot, but you had one hour and 15 minutes to fill your gut to the brim. Riddle solved. Not a Slow Food Movement theology, more an Eat Fast Now idea…I wonder where in the world that came from?

Okay, my next dispatch will be from somewhere else. Want something to think about? Try this on for size: Over 63,000 flights have been canceled since Thursday and 6.8 million passengers are stranded worldwide due to the volcano no-fly crisis, reports the BBC!

What, me worry?
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18 April 2010: Chiang Mai - Thailand - Day 10

Hello all from the gorgeous Shangri La Hotel in very hot and dry Chiang Mai--depending on how you know weather, it is either 40c or 100f--hot either way. We all arrived safely on our turboprop ride over the Golden Triangle from Laos intact, and Leg 3's winners were quickly announced.

I like it. I really like it. Three legs and three different leg winners…my boy we have ourselves a competition on our hands, where just slipping a notch or two in how you finish your leg could have you losing pace; even by a few points, it can cost you big time.

With further ado, Team Mad Dog hailing from Vancouver Island in Canada worked hard earning their 850 points in the crazy and wet celebratory Luang Prabang environment where things seemed to be open one minute and closed the next--and did I mention the water being tossed on everyone! Good job ladies… Next was the Lawyers without Borders Team with 785 point, just edging out Barbara & the Barbadian (on Barbara's birthday no less!) with 775 points; the Indy Roadrunners where just 10 points behind them, and the Camels beat out the Team 100% Bajan by just 5 points with their 650 points earned for 5th place.

So, Lawyers with Borders now sit atop the leader board all alone after the three way tie ended ever so precariously with 16 points (low points wins in the end), just two points ahead of Barbara & the Barbadian with 18 points…

It is close, tight and fun…now every scavenge really does matter…well-developed grand leg strategies become more significant, as does keeping it together and getting both Teammates to use their collective travel bona fides. Good luck all on this 4th leg that has a 3 level of difficulty. Ready, set, go…

As the Event Director, who is charged with both organizing this massive operation, along with the safety of everyone involved, I can tell you that I had been watching carefully the political situation evolving in Thailand over that last month since I circled Chiang Mai as an official Global Scavenger Hunt stop. I love the Thai people, and Thailand remains a wonderful, exotic and fun travel destination from the northern Hill Tribe areas, to the white sandy beaches of Phuket, from the Cambodia border where refugee camps once stood, to the hustle and bustle of always exciting Bangkok. I love Thailand. BUT, I had some contingency plans setup if things went seriously wrong here with the continued protests of the Thai Red Shirts (I'll explain it all later); and to say that upon leaving San Francisco to Hong Kong and then arriving in my hotel room to see the headlines of the South China Morning Post scream out at me in bold red color: "21 SHOT DEAD IN BANGKOK AS STREET PROTEST TURN VIOLENT."

Needless to say, I was saddened for those families involved (troops and protesters) and I was not a very happy Event Director. We had six days to figure it all out. Quickly, and behind the scenes we went into both worry mode and contingency plan stage. I thank all those involved in that process, for the information gathering, the rebooking, and all the phone calling. Thank you all, we truly have a great network established.

Alas, here we are now, a week later and things have evolved from bullets to buckets of water over the Songkran festival with cooler heads (no pun intended) prevailing and having calmed things down considerably. Now, our only real concern here is sun block protection and water hydration--it is HOT! Time does have a way of letting things sort out doesn't it…

Now, about the damn eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland on April 17th, and the giant Euro airspace no-fly zone! Could they not have called me and we all could have organized our schedules a little better? Father Time--please, oh pretty please, be my friend again! I have a perfect sacrifice if you should need one--no names!

Needless to say, as far as macro big picture issues potentially challenging us and Mother Nature usually always wins, we are monitoring it carefully and are assembling options. (FYI: Scientists so far have placed its Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)--who knew?--at just a level 1! A 4 would be Mount St. Helen's (1980), a 5 would be like Pinatubo (1991)…and a 6 would be a run like crazy outta here bad ass eruption like Krakatau (1883), that caused that global event known as, "the year without summer." (Which makes me wonder...would volcano eruptions solve global warming?)

Okay enough of the good news then, back to Chiang Mai…and even though the day before we all left SFO and the Thai Prime Minister had declared a State of Emergency for some regions of Thailand after Red Shirt protesters stormed the parliament sending ministers scurrying to black hawk helicopters reminiscent of Saigon in 1975, we are fine here in Chiang Mai. It is a blissful, if not a really darn hot Sunday here.

Personally, ever since seeing Yul Brynner in The King and I (1956), I have always been attracted to Thailand. And that attraction has only grown since my first visit here over 25 years ago. I love the warmth of the Thai people, and gentleness of their ways. I love the zest of their spicy food, and their hospitality. I love the sultry tropical nights here, and their amazing jungles and picture postcard beaches. I love the frenzied cities, and the calm of the peaceful countryside. I love the beauty of their culture, and the tolerance of their beliefs. And as I write this, my mind has done some geo-calculus and it has determined that Thailand may in fact be the country I have visited the most (after England and Italy)--well over a dozen times! So, I apparently have some internal affinity for the place that I keeps me coming back? Personally, using my finite past-life regression analysis, I think I was a Siamese slave captured in Burma to tend the terraced rice paddies of Nan, and so the circle of karmic life warrants that I return here often to humble myself--good thing I don't have to vivid an imagination. Nuff said...

Anyway, I like Thailand and am happy to have had the opportunity to bring our event here again this year to the northern Chiang Mai area (last year we visited the Bangkok area and stayed at The Oriental)…Teams will have fun here doing scavenges until their high noon check-in time tomorrow on Monday, April 19th.

BTW...aside from the trusting strangers in strange lands part of this cultural immersion, and the thrill of not knowing which countries you are going to be visiting and the Blind Date with The World aspect, we like public transportation...
Getting across the river...

Just two gals from the islands!

All Aboard...

More later...
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

JoAnne & Jeff Blakely (USA) on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 12:09:11
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Comments: Somehow I know that fish-tossing comment was aimed at us :) Sounds like you are having great fun. Any travel issues based on the volcanic ash problem? JoAnne & Jeff (2008 Alum)
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William responds: Thanks Guys...Miss ya too! You know me to well...the proof...
"Catching" fish in Melaka!?

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17 April 2010: Luang Phrabang - LAOS - Where to next Bill?

I get that a lot!

First off, Happy Birthday to one of our intrepid travelers--Barbara! I hope you have a great day--where ever the hell you are?!

I noticed this morning that the bags under my eyes seemed somewhat larger than my actual bags--not a good sign!

Part of the Lao New Year celebration is also welcoming the rainy season back...well, they did that in spades. In fact, the big parade wasn't yet over when the skies turned seriously dark and it started...a wallop of a thunderstorm. Water, water everywhere...trees down...the electricity went out throughout the town save for establishments that had generators. The Internet went out, still is as I write this so no e-mail. And last night around 1AM, we got hit again...the thunder rattled the rooms for hours. I know because I was up...ugh!

Something bigger than Travis....barely!

Caught in the action--Camels.

Was asked what some of my favorite scavenges have been so far. Here's a few that Teams have tackled on the first three legs:

In Hong Kong: Learn a joke told to you by a cabbie. Good luck...they simply do not have a sense of humor. I think their funny bone genetically mutated?

In Macao: Obtain a casino chip for me because I have this amazing collection from casinos around the world--and I like expensive chips!

In Hong Kong: Hong Kong has over 100 buildings standing taller than 180 meters. The Team that gets to the highest point in any building--and can prove it gets the points, all or nothing!

In Hong Kong: Take in an evening performance at a local karaoke. I want video of one Team member singing with a few locals.

In Hanoi: Take at least a 3-hour cooking class at your choice of Vietnam culinary schools.

In Hanoi: Locate the weirdest food you can find to actually eat--not illegal food!--but really weird stuff. I want a video.

In San Francisco: Learn to ride a Segway.

In Laos: Purchase some school supplies (a dozen note books, scores of pens and pencils, and a few soccer balls too) at a local market and delivery to a local elementary school of your choice.

In Laos: Rent a bicycle to fulfill at least four scavenges.

In Laos: Go fishing--and NOT just catching a thrown fish!--at a place you are most likely to catch one.
Indy Roadrunners...bicycling!

No, really, we are here...Mad Dog!

The Headline News: Yikes, the Euro-zone is a no-fly zone! That will serve notice on the Brits et al not to debt collect on Iceland…hell hath no fury as a Viking scorned-just ask me! (BTW: Pulverized rock colliding at high speed with a speeding jetliner can blast away surfaces inside the engine; oh that, along with intense heat in the motor and those particles can fuse together when they penetrate the engine and stop it working! Which is NOT a good thing…) Why are we going to Mars again? Brit PM Gordon Brown says, "This is not a ordinary election,"--could have fooled me! Kings lose to Canucks in OT. Study says spanking never good. In an unrelated story, Texas school board backs bringing back paddle!? CIA destroys incriminating video--are you as shocked as I am? China eager to show it's doing its best to aid Tibet quake victims-pushes them into crevice. President Obama earned $5.5 million last year...which proves he can't be bought! (BTW: Book sales are good things--and so you know...my book is still available at Amazon.com too any one.) Yet another shitty idea succeeds--Dollywood celebrates its 25th anniversary!

NBA Predictions? Lakers over Thunder in 5 games, Spurs over Mavericks in 7, Suns over Trailblazers in 6, and Denver wins in 6 over the Jazz…sorry, but I don't care about the East!

Oh yeah, sorry...I digress. Bill, where are we going?

We are on a 1PM flight--the threatening skies willing--Chiang Mai, Thailand!

See ya soon...
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

andrew (in Barbados) on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 04:14:12
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Comments: Hi Bill, - I would like to send out a Happy Wedding Anniversary greeting to my wonderful wife Heidi. Our 22nd wedding anniversary is today the 16th April, and wish her a wonderful day. I am missing her very much but I know that this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for her to see parts of the world she has always dreamed of visiting. And what an education my daughter Lily is also getting. Great job to you all for organizing such a terrific event. - Andrew
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William responds: Thanks Andrew...I will pass it on. They miss home I know, but they are doing great! You would be proud.

Bev and Buz (Taiwan) on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 02:22:53
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Comments: Wow you are going to some of our favorite places this year....so glad the group is having the chance to experience them. Have fun and enjoy. Is such fun following along. We are stuck for a second day in Taiwan as they repair our ship.. a rogue wave took out the radar, GPS and a couple of windows on the brige. This is another form of adventure travel....bev and buz

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William responds: Thanks B&B...be safe...rough waves are no fun!

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16 April 2010: Luang Phrabang - LAOS - Day 8

What My Day Looked Like in Pictures: Happy Lao New Year...

Where the streets still have no names...

A Budding Beauty

The Tree of Life...

Laos' Past

Lao Future

Pick a river boat, any river boat

Colors

Monks

NOT Cousin It!

Crossing the Mekong River, again...

Laotian BBQ...a man's gotta eat!

The Sacred

The Sublime...
...and where I am right now!
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Earlier 9AM Report:

Dawn came early today. Good morning from The Land of One Million Elephants--I have been here 4 times and never ever seen one?! Okay, I am grouchy this morning...sorry.

We arrived at Luang Prabang International Airport around 8PM local time; got our visa-on-arrival--prices varried based upon your nationality-and those darn Canadians had to pay the most? Who did they piss off one asked the beleaguered Immigration Officer? In the end they did however politely say "sorry" for their own inconvenience!--and because it was a holiday, another buck was added to our entry tab.

Quickly we arrived at our home away from home for the next two nights, Masion Souvannaphoum Hotel--formerly a member of the Condé Nast Traveler Hot List. Teams had already debriefed each other in the now happy Peer Review meetings and I quickly added up the points (BTW: I am going to redo my math later today to double-check…my solar-powered calculator might have made errors in the moonlight? I also badly need a calculator holder!) and the Hanoi leg was behind us.
Welcome to Laos

In first place, and I know they worked really hard, were Barbara & the Barbadian with 1,000 points, followed closely by 100% Bajan with 970 points and Lawyers without Borders with 960 points. Mad Dog, the Indy Roadrunners, and the Camels where next in that order, followed, well, not so closely, by The Drifters. Good job all everyone loved Viet Nam, and we have a real competition and a 3-way tie for 1st place after just two legs of The Global Scavenger Hunt! Fun…

Okay, next order of business was to hand out this short legs (a par 2 in my weighted legs degree of difficulty rating system) list scavenger hunt list booklet--and we did. Teams were informed of a strict curfew-NO scavenger hunt points could be earned between 10PM and 6AM (except for eating challenges) and then they were off in their usual mad scramble to figure out what and how to do things. We aren't in Kansas anymore…

And we are in the tail end of the Buddhist Astrological New Year (sidereal equinox…the 5th lunar month of the Buddhist calendar is in April) and is called souksan van peemai or sabidee pimai, which can be translated into English as, Happy New Year! Year 2553 of the Lao calendar--see, they got past 2012 and are still surviving! The whole region we are in is now celebrating Songkan…and they do it for 3 days and they use a lot of water in those celebrations! A lot of water…as Loa festival of Hid Sip Song coincides with the end of the dry season and the start of the rains. And it will rain on our Teams…just smile and wave folks!

It is very traditional here in Luang Prabang and the tradition plays out like this: houses and villages are properly cleaned on the first day; perfume, water, and flowers are used. The second day of the festival is termed "the day of no day," which theoretically is a day that falls in neither in the old year or the new year!? (Damn that time/space continuum.) The third day of the festival marks the start of the actual New Year. Water, sand in temples, and the freeing of beast all happen-that explains the rooster in my room this morning at o-dark-thirty! The Lao believe that even animals need to be free. (Okay, no snide political asides entered here about how actually unfree these people are politically speaking of course--that would of course be rude.) The most commonly freed animals are tortoises, fish, crabs, birds, eels, and other small animals--they need the chickens, water buffalo, and pigs to eat during the festival I guess? Flowers are gathered to decorate all the thousands of Buddha images here in the city, Lao music, and ram-wong (circle dancing) are everywhere--and I am sure a whole lot of Lao Beer drinking takes place if my short walk to eat last night was any evidence!

By now you should get the point that Luang Prabang is party central right now…and our Teams, good travelers all will have to sort out what is open and what is not, what works and what is not and what they can and cannot do. Good luck all!

The Girls plotting and planning!

Poor Travis…Some of you may not know, but one of our travelers is Travis Knight, a former LA Laker player and a NBA Championship ring holder for his efforts I might add! Well, Travis is an honest 7-feet tall…and watching him try and fit into a normal airplane coach seat is awe-inspiring sight to see. Pretzel logic defied. We fold him neatly. Ralph Nader (another tall guy) who founded the so-called Six-Footers Club, in an effort to represent the interests of tall passengers flying in cramped seats on airlines has a new member. We actually tried bribing someone to give up his exit row seat so Travis could get at least one-leg extended. Nope. But it all worked out on our short one-hour turbo-prop flight between Hanoi and LPQ.

Our shortest and tallest competitors, Lily and Travis!

BTW: If you remember I wrote about a runway event several days ago at Hong Kong International? Well, apparently the big Airbus A330 had an engine problem-yea, I would say an engine on fire would be problem-and the plane then landed fast and hard on the tarmac blowing out 3 tires…hence the chutes et al. In the end everyone was okay, but eight passengers and crew suffered minor injuries. Apparently the worst Cathay Pacific incident in years!? Knock on wood…

...a little more and then I am done for today...it is early and I just can't help myself sometimes.

This is my fourth time to Luang Prabang and things are rapidly changing since my first visit. The dreaded Loving It To Death Syndrome is in full sway. Too much development too fast. But who can really blame them, they want what we have; and have a tourism resource to exploit. There are six million inhabitants in Laos, of which 50% live under the poverty line with their per capita GDP (according to the CIA) at just about $500 a year! Yikes, it kind of makes you wonder what the poverty line is here--$475 a year? Think about that while you...ah, never mind...

Taking neighboring China and Vietnam as its economy and political models, the nation's communist party has presided over the rapid change from a centrally planned to a free-market economy--while of course refusing to contemplate even the most minimal democratic reforms. In fact, most Lao pursue their daily lives as they have always done and the power of The Party is felt only by those who would challenge it. Welcome to the new world order ala China and so-called Beijing Consensus that is sweeping the world: promise and deliver to the people 10% annual economic growth--which translates into a materially better life for most of the people and especially for the 41% of the population that is under the age of 14--and leave us alone in our absolute power. Sad but true. Because the model is obviously working; especially when the boom/bust laissez-faire free-market economy we show the world continually busts with the profits privatized and those nasty trillion dollar losses socialized by we the people. And so it goes…the future lays before us!

Okay that is it, the Teams have the whole day to enjoy and explore and see and do, and will be required to check-in at the pool--who will be the first one in? (I bet April!)--at 10PM this evening.

News then at 11...and I leave you with this insight for looking for the nexst new hot place to visit:

"As a host community adapts to tourism, its facilitation to tourists' needs, attitude, and values, the host community must become more like the tourists' culture. That is what tourists in search of the exotic and 'natural' vacation setting mean when they say a place has been 'spoiled' by tourism, i.e., those who got there before them and required the amenities of home. - Theron Nunez, in Valene L. Smith's Hosts and Guests: The Anthropology of Tourism (1977)
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15 April 2010: Hanoi - VIETNAM - Day 7...where to next?

"Hello, good evening, how do you do?
We live lives of a gifted few…" - Gary Myrick's The Message Is You

Indeed we do…admittedly, I am a lucky man. Lucky for the love in my life. Lucky for my health. Lucky for my kids. Lucky to have new and old lifelong friends. And lucky to been able to see and do as much as I have--so far. Yesterday was a special day--a lucky day!

In Hanoi I got to see some wonderful and beautiful sites. Met some wonderfully friendly people on the streets. I got to shop for art to my hearts content--but my knee's contempt. I may have had the best crab spring rolls in my life--so far! And, I was lucky enough to experience something just amazingly sublime and wonderful.

I scored a ticket (5th row center) to the Viet Nam National Opera & Ballet. It was a dual contemporary dance performance for 2-nights only with both Swedish dancers from the Skånes Dansteater joining members of Viet Nam's National Orchestra and Ballet. The sold-out perforamce at the historic old Hanoi Opera House built in 1901, was divided into two parts. The first part featured a piece entitled Bamboo Run which was wonderful and just a delight to watch featuring 8 local contemporary dancers--proud parents and family laughed and cried. But it was the second performance that simply blew me away. I was indeed lucky to see it.

It was truly a stunning performance…I simply have never seen anything like it. It was over 45 minutes long, and had such a dramatic flow among the 17 dancers--both Swedes and Vietnamese. It was beautiful, sweet, powerful, delicate, bold, and the stamina and strength it must have taken to perform it boggled my mind. I was truly stunned and moved. The choreographed movements were just so powerful, bold and unique…it was a piece called Black Water by the uber-talented Finnish chorographer Jorma Uotinem (who was there) that has played to great reviews and great popularity in Sweden.

I can tell you that I was tired sitting down at 8PM before the curtain rose, and at first thought that maybe this performance wasn't going to allow me to be out of there too soon; but then, it was over all too soon. Lucky, lucky, lucky…

Hanoi Opera House.

The Dancers...thank you!

I then I headed over to dinner at a local eatery called the Ly Club. Let's see: new tom chuoi (prawn spring rolls with banana fruit and onion), Vietnamese green mango salad with marinated fish, bok choy sautéed in garlic (Pamela's is better!), then the house special known as caubay rang muoi tieu (aka: soft-shelled crab with onions and chili peppers), and then just to be an absolute glutton, I ordered the over-the-top dish of rice vermicelli stir-fried with scallops, prawn and seasonal veggies (morning glory!). Yum…and all for US$31 including my 333 local brew.

Sitting at the next table in this colorfully decorated old colonial mansion, was an executive chef from Manhattan on a month-long "researching trip" of various Southeast Asian cuisines for his newest creation opening next Fall in New York City. (Which to me is a fun and legit way of getting his trip to Asian business expensed by the IRS. Note to self: Open Indian-Italian-Asian fusion resturant real soon!) He basically ID'ed himself as, "just a guy who likes to cook and eat good food." And his companion told me that indeed his name was actually Guy. So, here is a quick recap (to the best of my slippery memory) of our rapid fire repartee:

Bill: Best 3 national cuisines to eat?

Guy: Italian, Japanese and Thai.

Bill: Italian, Japanese and American…Worst 3 national cuisines to eat?

Guy: British, Ethiopian and Israeli.

Bill: British, Korean and Hungarian…Michael Pollan's Real Food and the Slow food movements, pro or con.

Guy: Life is about sharing a meal with family and friends…we seem to have gotten away from that. I like Pollan's approach, "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." So big time pro.

Bill: Pro, his simple food mantra of, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," is perfect…I agree...but the finicky kids should eat at the little table...Favorite global restaurant?

Guy: It's not open yet…mine (with a wink and a smile).

Bill: I have three: Cumpa Cosimo - Ravello, Italy; Bukhara - Delhi, India; and my new favorite is now Monsoon - Santa Monica…Any secret food obsessions?

Guy: New York-style pizza by the slice.

Bill: Currently I am on a massive Vietnamese spring roll obsession …Late night insomniac snacks?

Guy: Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream.

Bill: Cashews and biscotti (thank you Pamela!)… What would be your Death Row Dinner--3 courses?

Guy: Interesting question. Kind of warped…a good one though. Probably pretty basic: broiled mussels, steak and frites with steamed asparagus and parmesan shavings, and Cherry Garcia ice cream!

Bill: Easy I say… a real caprese salad, porcini risotto, and cracked crab!

I then told him about one of my favorite scavenges that I ask our traveling competitors to do on a few occasions each event; I call it Taxi Cab Roulette. Teams have to hail a cab not waiting for them in front of the hotel and then ask them that they want to eat where the driver takes his family to eat--his favorite local resturant!--please take us there. This either goes well--or not. But it is memorable and fun.

On the good side they either eat at a very popular well-established restaurant that the driver takes his fares--a good thing; or they do actually eat at his family's favorite restaurant, which may be a good thing (or it may not be!) and meet locals and maybe even his family! (Some Teams have actually been invited to the cab drivers own house for dinner--they brought wine.) Or, he may just take them to some place that gives him a kick back for bringing tourists and drunks! Maybe not a good a thing… I love my Taxi Cab Roulette!

Yikes, been her two nights and never mentioned our hotel....it is a nice one. We are staying at the lengendary Hotel Metropole Hanoi (a Sofietel now). It is luxe, well-staffed, great food, our old Colonial wing rooms are very comfortable, the pool is perfect, the piano bar singer needs help, but the Tiger beer amd g & t's on Verranda are a touch of class. In a word: nice!

The Teams will start checking in after this our second leg around noon--an hour from now...we have a late check-out from the hotel, and then onward we go to our 3rd secret destination--where oh where will we be headed next? Guesses welcomed.

I just had a surreal 2010 experience...I sang happy birthday to my wife on Skype and watched her blow out the candles with family in California!!
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14 April 2010: Hanoi - VIETNAM - Day 6...

A Hanoi Gallery:
Hoam Kiem Lake

Ngoc Son Temple.

Uncle Ho's (Ho Chi Minh) sleep castle...

It doesn't look like much...but wow!

Tran Quoc Pagoda.

Halong Bay Beautiful

Burning Hell Money for the Dead

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!...I just have always wanted to say that!

Also, an early (pre-International Dateline the way the world rotates slowly kind of thing) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my bride, partner, love, best friend, and the mother of my children...Happy Birthday Pamela! Wish you were here...dinners at Bobby Chinn's tonight! :) ...sorry you're in Rancho Mirage and will miss the festivities!

I also want to wish my daughter a great time at the MUSE gig tonight in San Francisco...have fun! Wear earplugs...

Well, it is official...the LA Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder first-round playoff matchup is officially set in stone; should be a good series and I would hope that the Lakers (56-24) would benefit from the Thunder's (49-32) playoff inexperience--none! But they could be dangerous with the leagues leading scorer in Kevin Durant...it will be fun. Health is the key for the Lakers...

Okay...Vietnam, Hanoi in particular..we arrived about 4PM yesterday local time at Noi Bai International Airport which is about a 45-minute drive outside the city. The city is busy with motorcycles, bicycles, and the energy of the 7 million people that live here. They seem to be sprucing things up for the city's 1,000th birthday later in October...1,000 years! And to think they have survived the Chinese to the North, the French colonialist era, and that little war for "the future of the free world" against the US?! (In fact, if I remember my history, April 30 marks the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the event that ended US involvement in the Vietnam War (they aptly call it the American War)--and with it any belief in the certainty of American victory in wars fought in foreign lands. Mental note to self: what about Afghanistan and Iraq?)

Hanoi has grown up--read economically developed--significantly over the last two decades, evolving from a grim, famine-ravaged place that was all but bombed "into the Stone Age," into a sophisticated metropolis with high-rises and sensational cuisine; it may be one of the most beguiling cities in Asia with its lovely landscape of lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant parks and quiet old world charm. It is home to such diverse architectural treasures like a 1500-year-old pagoda, colonial French homes, and head scratching modern skyscrapers. Its bustling markets, thriving and murky nightlife, and excellent food...yes, the food again...make it an attractive city. It is the nature capital and birthplace to so much of Vietnam's traditional culture. Hanoi, more than any other city I have visited in Vietnam, is a unique fusion of old and new...and world-class art. And art is what I will seeking out in the bustling famous Old Quarter here during my free time...well, that and my never ending search for the perfect goi cuon--Vietnamese fresh spring rolls! Almost had one last night at the Green Tangerine--two thumbs up BTW.

So out we head...our travelers are all well...they are getting their travel legs and my best guess is that they are trying to find their own personal and Team balance. That balance between doing too much and wearing themselves out, and finding that fine line that will keep them competitively pushing forward happily and merrily. Vietnam is their real first test, as Hong Kong is a developed Western-ized city that works--Vietnam is different. They will also be getting outside the city to some beautiful lazy green country sites, along with the oodles and oodles of things to see and do here in town. I will report more later today...hopefully we'll have some videos to share soon!

"Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion." - Isaac Newton
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13 April 2010: Hanoi - VIETNAM - Leg 2 has begun...

Well that was interesting...was sitting at HKG International and a big Airbus landed and was quickly followed by about 20 fire engines...the plane stopped in the middle of the run way, no smoke or flames from my vantage point...chutes open and out slide all the passengers?! Our plane was delayed due to "air traffic issues" and no word mentioned. It is better that way when you are about to take off on Vietnam Airlines! Nuff said.

Okay, so we arrived in Hanoi, Teams conducted their peer reviews and we have leaders after the 1st leg of The Global Scavenger Hunt's 2010 event.

And it was tight...two Teams, The Camels and 100% Bajan split 200 Bonus points for getting to the highest point in the city of skyscrappers...55 floors up! Good job...after points where deducted for visiting places that weren't open, a quick look at making sure the mandatories were completed, and some Bonuses marked down; the reigning champs, Zoe and Rainy won the leg by just 110 points, 1095 to the 100% Bajan team of Heidi & Lily's 980! Fun...I think we have a competition on our hands folks! In third place were Barbara & the Barbadian, followed closely by The Camels, Mad Dog, and the two Teams holding up the bus are The Indy Roadrunners and The Drifters. I learned long ago, say with our first real event in 2002, that you can't please everyone...

So now all the points go away, and Teams are ranked 1-7...a new leg...new life and a new day for all. Great job everyone, I am proud of you. Onwards we go into the Hanoi night and heart of darkness as they say!
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Randy (The OC) on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 06:45
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comments: Bill, The travel bug has returned here...yer good. Have any good Hong King cabbie jokes to share? How was the pigeon in the New Territories? Better yet...what's for dinner in Vietnam? Tracking your journey again with awe and envy - enjoy! Randy
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William responds: Thanks Randy....a great dinner at The Green Tangerine--one of Anthony Bourdain's undercover spots! Tiger beer was good too!
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13 April 2010: Hong Kong - moving on to...! (noon)

"It may be the way the cookie crumbles on Madison Avenue, but in Hong Kong it's the way the egg rolls." - Robert Orben

Good morning all...we are in a quiet lull right now--that period of time when one leg ends and a new one is staring us right in the face...but a little off on the horizon. We walk slowly to meet our next challenge and bask in the afterglow of what we just accomplished here in Hong Kong. Memories are coagulating slowly...

We are still in Hong Kong...everyone checked in last evening at the balmy Terrace Bar for some quick cocktails and war stories to share after a fun Day 2 in Hong Kong. 1,000-year old eggs were served with pinot noir. All of our travelers got to experience my version of Hong Kong over the last few days...it was interesting listening to some of the older China hands who had been here before--but never quite experienced the things that I had asked them to. I like that...

"One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." - Henry Miller

BTW...did you know that studies show that it takes on average 24 minutes to fall asleep in a hotel, yet only 15 minutes at home! It's not like we were checked into the Hotel Insomniac or anything, but dang last night was tough. Rebound jetlag!

I always get nostalgic when in Hong Kong...don't know if is the memory of The Road to Hong Kong, (1962)--the last of the Hope and Crosby "Road to..." movies (and that hottie Joan Collins debut)--but Hong Kong was one of my first foreign destinations in the bad old days of my early travel years. A port town where anything could happen--and usually did. It has changed a lot in the last 30 years...it is simply mind-boggling to soak it all in. Money, development, hustle and bustle, mega-land reclamation projects, clean streets, red cabs, green Star Ferries, hazy Victoria Peak, hectic Nathan Road...Hong Kong is like no other global city in it's dynamic energy--and food! The eats here are just wonderful; but you do have to know which of the 30,000+ restaurants are worthy.

Anyway, enough of that cheap emotional memory lane...it is the future laying before us that is the most interesting, and by the time we land in our next destination the Official Leader Board for the 1st leg will be posted!

...And so we are off to a new part of the world...we have a 3PM Cathay flight to catch for old lazy Hanoi in Viet Nam. I am looking forward to it...

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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Joan Jones Grimsy in England on Monday, April 12, 2010 at 07:21:08
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comments: This message is for Heidi, thinking of all the exciting things you and Lillie are experiencing, Good Luck Have Fun Joan Jones

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12 April 2010: Hong Kong - HKG's #2 Leg is underway!

Good morning to all from partly-cloudy Hong Kong...and day two here..it is 9AM Monday here.

Everyone checked-in on time (no alcohol-related penalties for tardiness were assessed--not that anyone needed one (or another one) either!)...and everyone was quickly off to never-neverland!

After a breakfast of fresh pineapples, dragon fruit, lychees and Denver omlettes--and more than one espresso drink--the Teams looked refreshed, refueled, renewed, and invigorated to start anew...and so we did! Another day set of scavenges to complete here in Hong Kong between 8AM and 10PM...

It was fun watching the slack-jawed looks on the collective faces of our travelers as they got their new second leg book of scavenges...followed by the inevitable mad dash scramble to figure out how the heck they were going to accomplish their challenging tasks today...and then off like banshees they went again!

Some were off to catch the morning train out to the New Territories; while some were to catch a hovercraft to Macao, and others just drifted gingerly off to the nearby Star Ferry terminal...

(FYI: This event is a serious competition and our travelers take the game seriously...they do want to win! Points are awarded to Teams for completing scavenges as requested. For example, they locate and visit a market and find an unusual fruit sold there. They might get 25-points. But if they have to take a 2-hour local bus to a village outside the city to locate a unique temple or artist, they might get 100-points for that completed scavenge. Scavenges are usually all interactive in some way, and time, uniqueness, and degree of difficulty along with active participation of the culture and people, are all factored into the point system. No Team is required to do any scavenges outside the few "mandatory" eating scavenges in each destination.)

It was a pleasure last night seeing some old and new friends alike high atop the spectacular Felix bar as we watched the nighly festival of lights laser show turn the night sky into colored flames. I met a friend from my college days who we figured we hadn't seen each other in over 20 years...he has been a political science professor here in Hong Kong the last 4-5 years now, and just loves the energy of the place. He seems happy. Oddly, despite both our hairlines changing over the last few decades, he had lost something else--his very distinct and unnerving, though highly-affected British accent! And man did it throw me off...listening to him pontificate on the Gini coefficient but sounding like someone from Oklahoma?! Strange days indeed...

Met a new friend named Greg from South Africa, who will help me get World Cup tix to any match if I need them--sadly, I won't be.

Then it a blast from the past when Bev and Buz crashed last evening 10PM Team check-in at the Terrace bar...fun having them here and seeming some fellow competitors from the 2009 event. They were fresh from 12-days of scuba diving in the lesser Sunda Isles east of Bali. Thank guys for showing up...we will make it an annual event now!

Add up all three encounters and you have today's small world story from across the Pacific in Hong Kong!

More later....
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Betty Ann (Barbados) on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 10:27:22
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comments: Hey Heidi & Lily...not sure if you will see this...but going to give it a try! All the best to you both...have fun...don't get lost!!! What an exciting adventure! Cheers!!!!

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11 April 2010: Hong Kong - Leg #1 Begins

We arrived a tad weary after the most grueling flight of the 23-day event concluded--it was the dreaded 14-hour standing-room only, one aborted landing 747-400 Cathay Pacific flight from San Francisco. Amazing how it all works...I am still in awe. But we are all here smiling and unbowed!

After a seamless transition form the wonderfully hyper-efficient HKG International Airport to our hotel for the next 2 nights--the Harbour Grand Kowloon--I sit typing from my 16th floor room watching an old Chinese junk avoid a gigantic 12-storey cruise ship coming to port. (I wonder if Steve and Hiedi are aboard?) It is overcast, a tad wet, and a humid 77 out...but it is a Sunday morning and that means orange pancakes with the weekend edition of the South China Morning Post at The Pen to me!

The plan is to refresh ourselves with food and taking of the waters before Leg One begins at 11AM sharp...

I am also wondering if I will have a chance to see a couple from last year, Bev and Buz, as they are in HGK today...Trevor? Are you here too? Bill I will meet you at 6PM at Felix--I'll be the one wearing the, "oh boy he needs a good drink look!"

Okay, more later...
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10 April 2010: (Over International Dateline) Ready, set, go...

"It's dangerous business walking out your front door."
- J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit

The 23-day around the world travel adventure has begun! We are headed to Hong Kong...but is it an official rally stop, or just a transit point?

Happy Birthday Brian..all 1:20 hour's worth. That means you really didn't age in dog years!

Happy 5th anniversary Kit & Joanne!

Everything went well in San Francisco at the Palace Hotel...teams met for the first time, it was wonderful to see some old friendly faces, the rules were explained, questions were answered, samples and examples shared, nervous glances exchanged, drinks drunk, and a wonderful meal shared at LuLu's.

The Before Photo! The 2010 Teams...

For too long now travel has been confused with tourism, and our annual travel adventure competition aims to end that blur…tourism is about sightseeing and brands, travel is about sightdoing and authenticity…
and actually even doing some good along the way too!

During the 23-day event, over 400 challenging scavenges in 10 different nations will be offered our competitors--we like to think of The Global Scavenger Hunt more of a rally, than a race--and I will be repeating my favorite saying a lot over the next 3 weeks: he who runs cannot walk with dignity! Embedded in the global course we have setup are 8 very different legs that will test different aspects of our travelers skill sets in urban settings, rural settings, with linear travel logistics in getting themselves from A to B, on a heuristic travel level by allowing them to creatively get from A to B via P and X, to get them to utilize alternative modes of public transportation, overcome language and cultural differences, and relearn how to trust strangers in strange lands once again--who will sometimes hold the key to their very success in the event; and basically recapture the thrill and adventure, and yes the romance of travel adventure that was before mass tourism mucked it up! Teams will be visiting some off the radar spots and off the beaten path exotic locales along the way. It is sure to be an exciting three week journey for all, and one that will have clear front runners leading the way…and, I suspect a few dark horses that stay close until the homestretch near the finish line in New York City on May 1st.

Stay tuned...
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9 April 2010: (San Francisco, USA) Day One...

Good morning all! We are at the starting line of the 6th around the world travel adventure competition in beautiful sunny San Francisco.

In just 3 short hours all the Teams will be meeting for the first time to go over the rules and spirit of the competition. It should be interesting watching all these great travelers, whom we all know but don't know each other, size each other up. Gamesmanship I think they call it...

I want to thank a gentleman, and a good friend at this point, Eimerd Eversten (and Tammy too!) the CEO of AirBrokers Intentional for once again helping with organizing the air portion of this madcap adventure and keeping everything a tight-knit secret--it gets harder every year. (If you ever need international flights--Asia is his specialty, or international upgrades--call him!) We just shared a coffee together in his SF office and chatted our way around the world as we usually do. Have fun at the Giants afternoon game buddy!

Okay, we are off to enjoy The City for a few hours before the 3PM lobby meeting. After the meeting, we will be having our gala Bon Voyage Party this evening at a buzzing local eatery...and then...let the games begin!
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Gita & Rachel (Florida) on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 12:05:54
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Comments: Hey Bill and Pamela - Sounds like you've created another exciting global adventure! I'm sure it will be as amazing and unforgettable as our trip was. Hoping (one or both of us) to join you again in the future - meantime, we'll have vicarious fun following along on the blogs! Wishing a safe and spectacular journey to all!

Rachel & Gita (2008 alum)
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William responds: We look forward to it...I hear they opened a new McDonald's in Bahrain! :)

Lorraine Cook (Winnipeg, Canada) on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 22:18:28
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comments: Barbara and Christine best of luck!! Looking forward to an accounting of your adventures also Heidi and Lily's adventures!

Randy Hall (OC) on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 13:33:09
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Comments: Thanks Bill for the funny reminder that shoes actually do get swiped at the Taj Mahal, just like in the scene from Slumdog, and for reminding me of the ridiculous pain I endured running around for 2 days with size 12 feet shoved into size 9 sandals. What a great convenience that they have a shoe stall right outside the Taj. Note to self: pay the 50 Rupee for the shoe check. Safe travels my friend - and thanks again for the adventure of a lifetime in 2004.

Randy (2004 alum and 2011 wannabe!)
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William responds: LOL....next year buddy!

 

William Comments: Thank you everybody we have heard from in the last few days...an outpouring of well wishers: Susan in BC, Mary in SoCal, Melanie in LAX, Jason in YVR, Randy in The OC, Becky in San Pedro, Bill in HKG, Andy in Bonn, Trevor in Bali, Heidi in SF, Fitz in Silicon Valley, David in ON, Mike in Sausalito, Lyn & Dean in West Van, Peter in East Bay, Andra in TO, Joe in The Valley, Tony in Santa Monica, Garry in LA, John T in Manny Beach...and they just keep pouring in! Thank you all....
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7 April 2010: (Somewhere in the air flying)

Good morning all -

What a busy day perusing the papers: British elections, Alan "Mr Bubbles" Greenspan's testimony, Easter break news from Mexico, GOP pole dancing committee report, Tiger's Master's appearance, our man Karzai's continued outspokenness, earthquakes rattle and roll the Pacific Ring of Fire, Spirit Airline starts charging $45 for carry-ons, net neutrality is in peril, iPad envy is sweeping America, and I think that the only team that could beat the ladies UConn team are the Lakers--78 wins in a row, wow!!!

So, we are ready to start meeting all the Teams soon, and we have an interesting and competitive field this year. We of course have the defending 2009 champions and still The World's Greatest Travelers, Zoe and Rainey, ready, willing and able to take on all comers-again! We have some familiar faces back too: team members from 3 previous events--2002, 2008 and the 2009 events-returning; who are all coming back to take another stab at this "once-in-a-lifetime" travel adventure competition. We have a Team flying in from Dubai and some folks from the Caribbean coming aboard too! It looks like a great group again and I look forward to the 2010 dynamic to start unfolding Friday at our first get together-the Rules n' Regulations meeting in San Francisco.

Again, I was asked another one of those questions: "So Bill, what makes good partners for this travel competition. Is it like the Amazing Race?"

Well, as I say every year…here we go again...That is a good set of questions. And again my answers are built from personal experience and from watching this event unfold every year.

Firstly, as wonderful as CBS's highly successful Amazing Race is--I have been told that we are the Amazing Race for real people-we are nothing like it. We are not a reality TV show fiction, we are indeed a seriously real (but fun) travel adventure competition. We don't cast Teams for their sexiness, potential volatility, or to reach every demographic known to American brand managers. We don't incite drama from our Teams or friction between our Teams. We don't attempt to make fools of our Teams, the people and places they are visiting, or turn our event into a Gong Show by kicking folks out for having a bad day!

That said, having an effective Team for our 23-day around the world travel adventure is a serious endeavor and there are qualities that are more successful than others. Here's my take:

I have Id'ed numerous Traveler Type Psychologies over the years: there are The Enthusiasts, The Adventurers, The Sportsman, The Pilgrims, The Relaxers, The Self-Indulgents, The Beach Bums, The Culture Seekers, The Shoppers, The Self Discovery Seekers, The Foodies, The Trophy Travelers, and The Recluses. (And don't even get me started on the whole Great Tourists vs Traveler Debate either!) Each exhibits their own personality as they travel to fulfill their own needs.

Now, within each of these Psychological Types, exists another sub-species of travelers that include: Contrarians, Master's of the Universe-types, Loners, Compulsive Organizers, Thinkers, Complainers, Old Salts, Cheapskates, Do-gooders, Apathetics, and Wishful Thinkers. Like life itself, variety is the very spice of life and thank goodness for our evolutionary designed diversity!

But…you would never want to mix a Beach Bum Apathetic with a Trophy Traveler Master of the Universe. Or even think about mixing a Self-Indulgent Loner with a Self-Discover Seeking Complainer. No, of course not! You would not want to mix together the ultimate traveling Odd Couple pitting a Nervous Nellie with a Mr Wing-it! Yikes, just think of the karmic debris…

Frankly, knowing all the above from years-okay, decades-of traveling experience, before I even think about taking long adventures with folks we take a short so-called Travel Test Drive (TTD) to first see just how compatible we really are. Usually, I take them to tough developing world holes in the wall to see if the sink or swim. Sometimes this is fun-sometimes not so fun. At any rate, we know after that time whether or not it would be good idea to travel together on longer trips. Vacation dysphoria is no laughing matter!

"I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." - Mark Twain

So then, what do I warn our travelers about when teaming up with others? Well, I certainly would not want to break up any long relationship--and frankly we say no to more than a few couples who want our event to be their coming out party. I just would not want that hanging over my head! On the other side of things, we have watched absolute total travel strangers, not only successfully travel well together-but win this event on three separate occasions. It seems that folks who don't know each other seem to give each other the benefit of doubt easier than well-established travelers who have already set in motion their decision-making dynamic.

This event does test our travelers-that again is one of the points of holding a "travel adventure competition"-- our travelers need to be able to take on the world as a pair, as a real dynamic duo that creates an "us against the world" type mentality. We make sure our travelers know the basic danger signs before they travel and deal with any of these gross incompatibilities before they travel around the world through 24-time zones to exotic and sometimes less than optimal functioning destinations, like:
• Are you both AM people or PM people? How will you overcome those differences?
• Are you a both competitive Type A's or more laid back Type B's? How will you find a happy functioning balance?
• Are you both people persons or a loners? Which of you is best equipped to deal with and be kind to strangers?
• Are you a 3-square meals a day type or 24-hour snack type eater? How will you compromise when energy and blood sugar levels get low?
• Which one of you is left-brained, which one is right-brained? Can it be managed?
• Are you naturally the leader or a follower? How will you make tough decisions and compromises when you are both right?
• Is either of you looking for a relationship while traveling? Is sex always on your mind? How will that effect your working together?
• Do either of you smoke? How will you manage that?

"It's easier to find a traveling companion than to get rid of one." - Peg Bracken

There is a lot to consider when traveling in close quarters with someone for 23-days in highly competitive dizzying environment. You do want to have fun and not feel like you are going to the dentist for a root canal everyday! You just gotta be able to let the little things slide and laugh a lot at each other. We hope there is a lot of laughing this year!

Until we met again and our next dispatch, travel safe folks. See you all tomorrow!
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Today's Event E-mail's and Comments:

Laura (from Seattle) on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 11:19:39
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This sounds so excsiting. (sic) How can I join next year's event?
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William responds: Hey Laura...well, happily we already have a few teams signed up for our Spring 2011 event...just fill out an application online on the opening page and we will let you know everything you need to know!

Doug in London Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 19:29:21
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Bill. Are you coming to England this year and if so where are you visiting?
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William responds: Doug. Thanks for asking. Darn guy, you are not paying attention are you? It is A Blind Date With The World we are conducting here and I'll be damned if I name any of our impeding 10 countries we'll be visiting. So stay tuned!


Jen (tornoto) on Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 14:20:51
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Mr. Chalmers... I read about this event a few years back. Did you ever come to Toronto? And what part of Canada are you from?
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William responds: Jen...It is Bill please, and greetings to all our friends in the Great White North! Yep, we crowned The World's Greatest Travelers in TO in 2009. And thanks for asking, I hail originally from Windsor, Ontario. (But it has been a long time and I don't spell that way anymore!)
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2 April 2010: (Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA)

Hello again. Happy Good Friday?! That doesn't sound right...

So, just a week to go and folks are trying on new lightweight travel clothes and seeing if everything will actually fit in their ONE BAG with wheels!? Time will tell...

I was asked today by some friends in the media what I think makes good travelers, better yet, what skills do folks need to be successful in our little annual around the world travel adventure competition? Well, that is a great question! And after being involved in one such global event myself, and presiding over six other international events, I may have a little insight into that...here are my thoughts and what I have told this year's participants:

Over the years I have witnessed countless acts of creativity and tenacity on the part of our travelers in the name of performing scavenges. We have watched Teams, equally successfully, and not so successfully, endure our quick (although it seems at times like a long marathon?) three-week lap around the world. Our travel adventure requires a lot of overcoming--that is the very point of holding a travel adventure competition!--from language barriers and cultural differences, to logistic snafus and severe jetlag, along with potential for volatile internal Team dynamics, as well as, the obvious heat of the competition itself. Overcoming each set of these challenges is indeed the difference between just surviving this competition, and doing well enough to win the coveted crown.

So, based on our personal observations of our former participants-winners and losers alike!--we have concluded that whatever Team is to eventually be crowned The World's Greatest Travelers™ in New York City on May 1st at the conclusion of GreatEscape2010, we are sure that they have some, if not all, of the following skill sets:

• The ability to admit that you are hopelessly lost--and then asking for help.
• The cautious use of honest shoe-checks--and always having a temple shoe bag. (Right Randy Hall of Orange County!)
• Knowing how and when to trust those short hairs standing up on the back of your necks.
• The uncanny knack of never asking locals simple up/down, yes/no types of questions.
• The capacity for promptly identifying and quickly resolving Team disputes fairly.
• The good common sense to start each day early (with a good breakfast?)--even after drinking late into the evening!
• A flair for packing quickly, effectively, and very, very lightly.
• The sagacity of asking the appropriate questions--before getting lost.
• Possessing the time-honored virtues: patience, compassion, stick-to-itiveness, honesty and fairness.
• The wisdom to say enough is enough.
• The luck of the Irish; politeness of a Canadian; skill of a German; and, the chutzpah of an American.
• The wisdom that goes with understanding that he who runs cannot walk with dignity!
• Having the uncanny ability to produce a Snickers bar for your partner in serious need of energy!
• Juggling effectively the competing needs of flexibility, organization, scheduling, and contingency planning.
• The self-awareness of knowing when to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the sunset--behind you!
• The gracious capacity to listen, really listen, to others while they are talking.
• The personal resolve it takes to take several deep breathes while counting to ten.
• Being a bit of a thrill-seeker and calculated risk-taker who's up for any challenge-big or small--right now!
• The good sense of always having some emergency toilet paper handy.
• Knowing that when all else fails, the discrete application of a few bucks can sometimes help.
• The innate aptitude for grabbing on to serendipitous opportunities when they arise out of the blue.
• The intuitive use of situational awareness to ward off potential pitfalls lying ahead.
• Knowing when not to eat what lies before you...
• The fearlessness of adventurer Indiana Jones.
• The curiosity of Nancy Drew.
• The diplomatic skills of Henry Kissinger.
• Having great negotiating skills and knowing that if you don't ask, you don't get!
• An excellent, and timely sense of humor.
• The wisdom to look for and accept the underlying good in all things.
• The acceptence of karma and knowing that the more you give, the more you get!
• The innate capacity to be regularly humbled.

And oh yes, each of our travelers must have the ability to loosen up and have fun where and when fun arrives; while not take anything--including themselves--too seriously. Because after all--it is just a game!

That is my two cents...any comments?

Until next time, here's a Video Blast from last year's event (thanks Buz!)...get ready folks for some more fun and games around the world!


"The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure." - Joseph Campbell
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Event E-mail's and Comments:

Michael & Nita on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 15:18:39
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Hi Bill & Pamela, Wow number 6, it seems like only yesterday, ah well next year for sure. We will be following you from here so please let everybody know what's happening, love to all.

Michael & Nita (2002 & 2004 two-time alums)
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William responds: Thank you--miss you all--hope you are both well.

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William also thanks a whole lot of other folks that have been reaching out to say hi and good luck! Thank you all....and I am sure we'll be hearing from a lot of folks soon...
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30 March 2010: (Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA)

Hello and howdy to all! We're back...it has been a quick year!

Well, the global jigsaw puzzle is complete, and from my vantage point I can see everything so clearly that the participants for our 6th around-the-world travel adventure competition will be doing over the event's 23-days starting Friday, April 9th in San Francisco--in just 10 short days!!!

It is an exciting and varied route we have chosen for The Global Scavenger Hunt's 2010 edition, mixing some known, and unknown secret destinations. Some that I have been angling towards taking our travelers for years but for various reasons they never panned out...but alas, it is still A Blind Date with the World™ for our competing travelers, so no hints of things to come!?

Pamela and I have been in seclusion for several days now putting the final touches on this year's event. It is truly the calm before the 3 week storm of traveling the globe... It has been, and will be, a lot of work--a true labor of love for us. It is also hard to believe that this is already our 6th time out the gate! When this all began as a table conversation over 10 years ago back in the summer of 2000, I could never have predicted our longevity. Yet the passion is still there for us, and every time we have tried to make each new event better than the last...so far so good we think...and the 2010 event will continue in that tradition.

The global logistical issues involved in setting this up are simply monumental--inviting travelers, the 10+ countries, the hotels, the hospo events, the scavenges, hands to hold, making the air portions seamless, the ground tranpso components, etc...there are indeed a lot of moving parts to keep greased. And then, when you then insert the always unpredictable human element to the mix--it always keeps it interesting for us. There are always a few dimwitted corporate lions to tame, fellow travelers to herd at the last minute and missing scavenges to be found. It is indeed a giant global jigsaw puzzle of over 10,000 pieces (and yes, we counted them!) and up to a few short days ago, frankly, a few of those pieces were still hiding under the sofa and rug. But now the wonderful picture is complete.

The best part of doing this annual international event for us is the people involved...the many passionate and engaging fellow travelers we travel with and meet along the way; the new relationships that develop, the creativity and energy of our participants, the curiosity of the media (okay, sometimes!), and the collective desire of everyone involved to want to experience the world as so few ever get a chance to do in their lives...that is to participate in an around the world travel adventure competition with other serious travel savvy travelers for The World's Greatest Travelers™ trophy. That is why we do it, our love of travel, our love of people, and our desire to give back with our Foundation each and every year.

And we don't toot our own horn too much about what we do, but we have done some wonderful things. Already this year our GreatEscape Foundation has funded the building of four more co-ed elementary schools in Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone and Kenya, along with a secondary girls school Kenya. We are also funding and building a 2-year school building project in Niger to open in the 2010-11 year--it sits next to that nation's only Nomadic medical clinic--that we built! So we are happy that this event continues to be able to give so much back to some of the people we cross paths with annually! And thank you for all that have helped and continue to help. Nuff said...

Stay tuned and get ready for some world-class fun! We are ready to start...

Bill -

"A ship in a harbor is safe,
but that's not what ships are built for."
William Shedd (1820-1894)
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Event E-mail's and Comments:
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From Bev & Buz (in Indonesia) Monday, March 29, 2010 2:24 AM

Hi to Pamela and Bill -
Just wanted to wish you all a great trip. Have been in contact with Zoey and Barbara. How fun to have such a nice group of people returning again for the adventure. I bet you go to South Korea first this year... When we get back to a computer on the eve of the 10th we will check in to see where you are and hope to keep track of the blogs along the way.
Have a great time. Hope it all goes smoothly for Bill and that everyone cames home safely. We had a great time last year (and) will have to wait for a bit if we do it again. Travel Safe.

Bev and Buz and Trevor too... In Indonesia. (2009 Event alum, and Trevor is a two-time Event alum 2004 and 2009!)
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William responds: Thank you guys--miss you all--it is always great to hear from our alum...and Trevor is with you too! New travel buddies!

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