Chino Golf Outing
Nothing like a day on the golf course to brighten the day! Even in China!
Friday was really bright. Okay, not sunshine bright. But you know, in America, there always seems to be some kind of golf outing. There is a best ball tournament somewhere nearly every weekend. Well, here in China, there may be tournaments, but who knows. I can’t read the postings at the golf clubs! I can’t read any of these Chinese symbols.
Well, Chino Latino and Jason to the rescue. Even though he’s English, Jason has gotten the bite and fever of golf over the last few months. Fortunately for many of us ex-pats that dine at his fine establishment, it also meant that he got interested in hosting an event for a day of golf. Last Friday was it!
Dubbed the Chino Golf Society (there must have been mostly Brits on the committee to come up with a name like that!), they organized an outing for February 24 at the Hillview Golf Club. And oh what a day! We started at 10 AM at the Chino Latino with Bloody Marys. That was followed soon thereafter with an English breakfast. It was complete with bacon and beans. Only I coulda used some bread.
At 11:00, our group of about 20 piled into a bus for a trip across town to the golf club. Only the bus didn’t have enough room for all our clubs. A few seats had to be reserved for refreshments, so the bus got a little more cramped than you would have expected for our small group. But by this time, no one seemed to mind.
Arriving at the club, we gathered around the starter’s area and drew teams. Random draw put us in five groups. The last group only had a few players, with some late arrivers expected. Tee-off then commenced. As usual, hecklers were in abundance until the last group teed off.
Play was nothing to write home about. But most everyone had a great time. The last group took the team prizes. More than a little refreshment was consumed. In fact, Tiger Beer supported our outing with a cart full of cans. Ziv drove the cart while he got photos for Here’s Dongguan magazine. Our little group of less than 20 consumed an average of 10 cans per person. And then there were those drinking vodka…….. Let’s just say everyone enjoyed themselves.
The bus trip back to Chino was quicker. Or else we were just so tired that it seemed that way. Most everyone stayed around for some dinner and stories about golf. New friends were made. And planning for the next outing commenced.
Photos are posted with a link on the right.
Thanks Jason, Lucas, and all involved in making this happen!
Thailand
Thailand…………. What a wonderful place!
Enough said…………..
A seafood restaurant in countryside of Thailand. Beautiful, isn't it?
Okay .... More
Thailand…… Okay, I’ll say a little more…………
It is a great country. Reminds me of Costa Rica with the warm climate, palm trees, and steady winds. People are great too. Always happy and with such respect for each other. They are constantly bowing with respect. It is so pleasant to walk into a plane or hotel or even a restaurant and be greeted by someone with that simple prayerful pose.
The language is full of soft and hard tones. It almost sounds musical. Everyone uses words with “cup” this and “cup” that. I think it is a term similar to “sir” or in some way is recognizing an elder.
Other notes on Thailand:
- They love pickup trucks! You would almost think you are in Texas. And they fill the back with people. It’s amazing how many can fit in the back of a pickup.
- It is so hot here! …………Okay, all together now: “How hot is it?” …………… It’s so hot, that they have awnings in the parking areas of shopping centers.
- Almost all restaurants are outdoors. They may have some covered areas, but they are very outdoor-casual.
- Street vendor stands are everywhere else. Even most restaurants are just eating areas in a building with a cooking stand on the street.
- They drive on the left.
- Getting around is beyond me. Thankfully I have always had a great driver. But most intersections are full of so many loops, that I’d be always headed back where I came from.
- Oh yea, if ya want to do that, they have these “u-turn flyovers.” They are really something.
- Buses look like they are out of the 70’s. They’re psychedelic and incredibly colorful.
- Dogs look like they have the run of the land. At least they are pretty docile. They just lounge anywhere and everywhere.
- Most buildings are rather dark. They look like they have been charred. But dust predominates, so how do they get so dark?
- Markets are still prevalent. Most trade is still bartering at the market.
- They are infatuated with massage! …… and ohhhhhh …. how sweet it is!
Food vendor along Thailand street.
Is that Ronald McDonald?
A typical roadside barbecue.
Awnings over cars at a car park near Bangkok.
On The Way Again
Well, I'm on the way to Thailand again. It's Tuesday afternoon, and I'm typing this from a kiosk in the Hong Kong airport. Amazing what you can find here.
Anyway, I will be in Thailand for a couple of days and back to Dongguan on Friday for a golf outing with ex-pat friends at Hillview. Looking forward to that!
Even got new pages for my passport and filed application for passport renewal at US Consulate in Hong Kong this morning. What a place. All went pretty good. But the world of security is certainly evident there!
Thailand contact information applies for next few days. See info posted a couple of weeks ago. To Thailand..................
Delayed Plans
A funny thing happened on the way to Thailand. …….. Okay, it wasn’t so funny. I ended up in the bathroom. Yep, most of Sunday was spent in the bathroom. It wasn’t pretty. I’ll dispense with any details.
Needless to say, I cancelled trip to Thailand for now. No way was I gonna get on a ferry and airplane, much less ride in a car through this traffic. We woulda had to stop every mile. Especially the way drivers like to weave across all lanes.
I am planning to reschedule and make the trip later in the week. But that messes up a lot of other plans, so this isn’t very easy. More details later.
Eric and Paul with Imperial Woodworking admire the seafood options at the Grand Oriental Hotel.
New alligator at the Grand Oriental Hotel restaurant.
Here Comes the Rain Again
A rainy Saturday! Nothing much worse, is there? Well, we are getting back into the rainy season. Talk about humid! This is the absolute worse. Walls sweat. Everything gets wet. Umbrellas are a necessity, but don’t do much to keep ya from getting wet. Sounds pretty exciting, don’t it?
Well, it has been cold here a couple of months. Now the rains are starting, as it seems to be getting warmer. That’s a real sign of the wetter conditions ahead.
So………..… I’m going to Thailand! Hopefully it will be dry there! I know it will be warmer. It always is! I leave tomorrow, for a couple of days. Got to check some things at our plant there. On return to Hong Kong I get to visit the US Embassy to get some more pages for my passport. I’m really filling it up!
Otherwise, I haven’t had a lot to write about recently. I’ve been fortunate in having a few Americans around recently at the plant. That has been a nice diversion. But we’ve only really been to the same places I’ve written about before. Okay, maybe Dakota and I singing at the karaoke was a little different. He’s a pretty good crooner. And Eric and Paul enjoyed the Brazilian and Royal Lagoon Jazz Bar last night. Always the best there!
Maybe Thailand will give me a few more things to write about.
Grace and Linger singing at the Royal Lagoon Hotel.
Me with designer Dakota Jackson, when we weren't singing at the karaoke bar last week.
View of construction in parking lot out my bedroom window!
NOISE!!
I’m getting sleepy! I shouldn’t be so tired, but there is some new noise around my apartment! It is cause for some trepidation.
A few weeks ago, I noticed some machines in the parking lot of our complex just outside my bedroom window. It concerned me that some new construction might be started in this little used space, but then they disappeared. But over the weekend, new worse equipment arrived. A pile driver started chipping up the asphalt! Try to sleep with a pile driver out your window.
Last night, I was kept awake late into the night. The workers just turned on some headlights to the crane they were now employing and just kept on working until after midnight. A call to the apartment complex to complain didn’t do much good either. There wasn’t even anyone there that spoke English! Pretty frustrating.
I’ve mentioned before that our factory works some long hours. That goes for all things, now including the construction next door! We even had some special CNC programming going until 3 AM this morning to get some prototypes done for our evaluation before a customer has to leave this week. And there is little said about such hours. They just seem to keep on working.
My apartment is Building 5. There is no 1 through 4. That may be changing. I think I need to move up to a higher number away from this
And Now A Bryson in Italy too
Just on a side note. Most of you know that my daughter, Meredith, is a student at UNC. (Yes, that’s still hard to admit for a die-hard Wolfpacker, like myself.) Well, this semester she is spending in Florence, Italy. Sounds like a pretty nice place for class work, doesn’t it? She got her chance for “overseas study” and opted for Florence for its unique life in the arts to go along with the education. UNC has the most students in overseas study of any public institution of higher learning.
The students started with a two-week crash course in Italian. Now she is into classes like “Opera”. What better place to study that?
I called her on Saturday, and she was standing in the center of St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. And she has already been to Milan. She does know how to get around. This Friday she is going to the Olympics. Good timing to be in Italy too!
Her computer time is fairly limited, but she is keeping her own blog too now. We are not only keeping the sun shining on Brysons round the clock, but we are also spreading the internet with our travelogues too! You can read about some of her exploits and travels at:
www.mcbryson.blogspot.com
Dragon Dance in Pattaya, Thailand over Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog!
Dragon fight!
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
Kung Hei Fat Choi! The Chinese New Year is really a big deal after all. Since my return I’ve been greeted with the Chinese greetings for Happy New Year (both in Cantonese and Mandarin), as “eligible” candidates express their desire to get a red envelope.
The
red envelope is the equivalent of Christmas gift, but with a little more importance on luck. It is given by those older or married to the younger and single – I almost made it in. At least the company gave me one as luck from our employer for the New Year. Pretty neat, huh? But the exchange of red envelopes with a fresh, crisp new RMB bill are being passed around merrily this week.
Our factory was closed for the last week, like most in this country. When I got into Hong Kong on Saturday night from Thailand, it had this eerie sense about it, that I could not at first comprehend. Finally it dawned on me:
the streets were far less crowded. A cab driver told me that at least
half of the 7 million residents had left the city and most had still not returned. When I headed in to the mainland on Monday morning, I think I ran into all of them on the train.
Another interesting phenomenon was the number of applicants to work this week. Evidently many people change jobs by leaving what they had before the New Year, and applying for what they think will be better now. The lines at our factory have been in the hundreds every morning.
This is the Year of the Dog. They have a lot of superstitions and other thoughts on these things. And it is a time of family celebration. That is where most everyone went for the holiday: to see their family.
Traditional celebrations were also held. Ironically, I went to Thailand and saw a great Chinese New Year celebration. One of the shopping centers in Pattaya put on a Dragon Dance and show. It was incredible. The dragon danced, fireworks were lit, and a fight was held with the dragon.
Pictures from the Dragon Dance, and other pictures of Thailand can be found by the links on the right.
An Elephant Tale
Oh well, the enjoyment of the meal was beginning to wane. A loud child’s shrill cry broke the evening air in this open restaurant. It came again from across the buffet tables above the steam of the dry ice. This was not gonna be a pleasant meal after all.
We were in this
suki restaurant in Chon Buri near our hotel. It was late on Friday evening. Mr. Kwan had returned from his holiday and joined my driver and I to teach me how to cook in a hot pot. This is popular in Thailand, and not so indifferent from the recent lamb pot I had in China.
But the shrill cry sounded above the dim of the restaurant crowd. I started thinking this was an unusual kid’s cry. It was sharp and crisp, and very consistent from the previous two. I didn’t really care to see an argument between the kid and parents, but I looked on across the room in interests to see why the cry was being repeated so consistently. What I found was totally unexpected.
It was no child.
It was an elephant!! Yes, an elephant! It was not quite inside the restaurant area, but just beyond the half wall along the exterior. Patrons were feeding it treats sold by vendors in the room. I guess the elephant’s cries were cheers or requests for more! It didn’t sound at all like the elephants you hear on movies!
One never knows what to expect in Thailand. I guess elephants are a little more common here though. Can’t believe I didn’t have my camera. Next time, I’ll remember it.
Thai Script & Other Thoughts
Make no mistake about it, Thailand is a third world country. But it is pretty impressive too! The highways go from incredible elevated turnpikes, to small twisting poorly paved lanes in a matter of a few miles. I’ve eaten out doors at almost every meal. And I don’t always mean some pleasant deck overlooking a pond either. At most meals my hosts stop you before eating to wash out the utensils and glasses – just to be safe!
Turn in a road and suddenly towering over the trees will be another temple of majestic gold and trimmings. Every town seems to be trying to out do the next, but I don’t think that is really the Thai way.
These people are really very pleasant. In a stark contrast to Chinese, they constantly smile. They don’t move at a very fast pace, but in this heat, I don’t either! It is very hot here! As they say “
It is hot, or it’s hotter!” They just move along at a steady pace and seem to be intent on enjoying the pleasures of life. You can tell they work to enjoy life, instead of any other option. When the time comes to go play, they go play, or at least relax comfortably!
Billboards are another special treat. You look at each and feel like you need a mirror to read the writing. You know the Thai language don’t ya? It’s that language that always looks like the letters are backwards. And most letters are r’s and n’s or close derivatives.
I just found out that most of the billboards at intersections are temples advertising the worship of a golden ball which should bring you good luck to attend the advertised fair and make a donation. These billboards are everywhere advertising these temple fairs.
And some of these billboards are huge. The space frame construction must be about 10 feet deep, 100 feet wide, and often over 100 feet tall. They could use a few less of those.
I want a sports shirt with the name of a Thai team on the back in that neat writing. But wouldn’t ya know it, store after store and all they have are English names! What is this? It’s the same in China. Look for Chinese characters on a shirt there, and all you get is English. In both countries, everyone wears the English names! I guess that is some kind of pride in that…..
BUT I WANT A SPORT SHIRT WITH THAI WRITING!
Thai Fish Camp
Thailand… what a place! I’ve enjoyed the week. So far, I’ve played golf at great courses, had meals at interesting places, been to the Pattaya Beach, viewed the Gulf of Thailand from high atop a condominium, and been to a transvestite cabaret show. Oh yea, I got some work done too! …… Yes I did! The plant is running fine, and I’ve been checking on new mockups for a special product too! Really! I know, you probably don’t believe me. If I tell you more you more, it may get worse, but here goes.
On Monday, I mentioned to my driver let’s go for lunch. (I could really get used to this driver situation. He is great. Always there and charging along while I relax in the back seat of his van with fresh oranges and apples!) Anyway, back to the story. As we rounded a bend in the road, he suddenly pulled across into a gap in some thick brush that looked to me like we were entering some automobile junkyard. But suddenly there appeared ahead in the lane up ahead, a log building with an entry that framed water in the background. Yes, there behind the building was definitely a lake.
Gullalong, my driver, ran in to check to see if the restaurant was really open. No one looked to be around. Soon, he was returning with glee in his eyes and a prance in his step (he always has that). Parking across the gravel lot between a couple of dogs that didn’t seem to care about us being there, we stepped inside the building to find a wonderful deck over a relatively large pond. Sitting at a table near the edge, I was impressed with how immaculate the grounds were kept. Flowers lined the banks. Pots of flowers hung from the overhang of this restaurant. It was like we had walked into a rustic cabin on a lake in the Yellowstone. (Okay, not quite that nice – no mountains in sight.)
I stepped over to a refrigerator and got us some soft drinks, while Gullalong ordered lunch. Nothing was in English, so I was just gonna get whatever he ordered. As we waited for the meal, a waitress brought us a bag of fish food. At least, that’s what it looked like. I was a little worried it was an appetizer. But my initial instincts were correct. Gullalong dropped some of the pellets into the water below our table, and you would have thought the first food in years had just been served to this pond of fish. An eating frenzy ensued as the fish fought over each other to get at the nibbles of grain. I’ve seen the like at Lake Lure or Smith Mountain Lake, but there you can see the fish beforehand. Here there was no sign of life in the green water before Gullalong dropped the seeds. Now there was life. The fish kept coming up begging for more.
Many other guests entered in time for the lunchtime meals. Many were dressed in uniforms, of which, I never could quite distinguish their trade. They may have been military, but they were more likely school administrators or government officials. I never saw anyone salute another, just those graceful bows of recognition.
The traditional Thai meal consisted of a plate of rice and several plates of seafood and vegetables to please the palate. It certainly had some hot spices, but not too bad. In fact, it was great. What a pleasant surprise. One never knows where they’re gonna find a great
“fish camp.” That is what this was, without the grease!
