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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Date: Week of April 30th Locale: Lansing, Mi Well, I flew home Saturday, even managed to get an earlier flight for no extra charge, and arrived home about midnight. Sunday was a busy day because of several chores that needed to be done. Chief among them were getting wash done (needed clean stuff for this week), general cleanup of the yard and such, getting a little groceries in the house, and resting when I could. Monday I got a rental car, and drove here to Lansing Michigan. I was here twice last year for this same class, but there's no way I could have trained every technician for the Michigan State Patrol in just two classes. So I'm here again for the same reason. I arrived here last night, and taught class today. This class is an evolving one in that I've changed my approach a little over the last year. This device is easy to manage and program, but it's configured a little differently that other devices, which is probably the hardest thing for people to get their minds around. Things went well today, tomorrow is my last day, already! Yep, short class, small device so a longer one isn't needed. In Closing I will spend next week in Tucson, Arizona. I am looking forward to being in the Southwest; I think that's where my heart lives. I will fly home to Albuquerque, visit my sister-iin-law (Ruth), and drive to Tucson from there. Being home is always special as you know. Since I get there so seldom, it's even more precious to me. Til next time, y'all continue to write, I'll review, credit the Anniversary Forum, and try not to make a pain of myself. See you then my friends.... |
| Date: Week of April 23rd Locale: Chehalis, Washington After being 'forced' to not deliver a class for a week, and spending a week in Schaumburg delivering a resident class, I somehow managed to be scheduled for a week in Washington! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the Puget Sound area; Chehalis is in the south, not really part of the Seattle Metro area, nor even part of the Puget Sound area. But I still flew in to Seattle to spend a little 'me' time seeing a place I'd never been to. I arrived in Seattle on Friday afternoon, and spent Friday night up in Everett. Dinner at Anthony's Homeport started the week off on an excellent point! On Saturday morning, I took a hour long Ferry ride from Anacortes to San Juan Island! Despite living in the Puget Sound region for 10 years, this was a place I'd never visited. I spent the day exploring the island and having dinner before having a quiet evening at a local Bed & Breakfast. During my drive around the island, I found the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park, a large outdoor area containing about 150 sculptures! Some were astounding, all were beautiful. I also visiting a Lighthouse on the islands Southeast corner, and managed to snap a few photo's of a mother Fox who had just caught a rabbit to beed her young kit. Sunday I visited a Lavender Farm before heading back to Friday Harbor to catch the Ferry back to Anacortes. Sadly, I missed my scheduled ferry ( I arrived 28 minutes early, but they have a strict rule about being there 30 minutes prior to departure, so I was placed in the 'standby' line). There wasn't enough room for me on that ferry, so I had to wait for a later Ferry. Not much I could do, so I sat and waited... and waited... I went to Chehalis, which is south of Olympia, and spent most of Monday driving around. I managed to get within a few miles of both Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens! Both are awesome to see up close. I wanted to get closer, but to be honest, it would have taken almost 4 hours just to get to the base of one of them, so I settled for seeing both from a distance. Besides, it's not like I was going to climb either one....  The class went quite well, and I may get invited here again for another class they need. Only time will tell on that one. I loved the area near Chehalis. You are about an hour south of the Seattle-Tacoma Metro area, and an hour north of the Portland Oregon Metro area. But Chehalis itself is pretty rural, and appeals a lot to me. Sadly, I can't live here, my allergies will not allow that. Itchy eyes, sinus's that just won't dry up, a constant cough, and more that last for about 9-10 months of the year. There's not an allergy medicine out there now that will alleviate those symptoms. So, I live away, and treasure my time here. I can tell it's time to leave though, my eyes have been itching the last couple of days! Noteworthy Restaurants: Anthony's Homeport https://www.anthonys.com/restaurants/detail/anthonys-homeport-everett/ This is one of the nicest restuarants I've been to recently, a little 'above' my normal style. I prefer a homey place, laid back, and not formal at all. Anthony's is not formal by any means, but it is a cut above my normal style. The food is excellent, and of course, the service is also. Their Baked Dungeness Crab, Shrimp & Artichoke Dip has to be tried to really appreciate it, and their Chop Chop Seafood Salad is scrumptious! Cask & Schooner http://www.caskandschooner.com/menu This place is really more my style, relaxed, laid back, but excellent all around. Their Fish n Chips are some of the best I've ever had. Thick cut of Cod, perfectly battered and fried. A little greasy, but not too gooey like Fish n Chips can be when not properly prepared. Duke's Chowder House https://www.dukesseafood.com/menus/dinner-menu/ Duke's is a place you can dine at, and enjoy outstanding Seafood, as well as a laid back atmosphere. It's a little pricey, but well worth it if you ask me. Their Dungeness Crab Stuffed Halibut is so moist, so tender, and just perfect! Photo's From Visit:  Roche Harbor Resort Marina  Dragonfly Totem At San Juan Islands Sculpture Park  Shark Fin Seen Through The Arch  Wavy Blue Wands  Mount Rainier  Mount St. Helens Historic/Interesting Places Visited: San Juan Sculpture Park http://sjisculpturepark.com/ Approximately 150 Sculptures from numerous artists adorn the grounds of this park. It's generally free to the public, but they do ask for donations. A $5 donation is well worth an hour or two of roaming the area admiring the objects. This was a great way to spend a sunny April afternoon! In Closing I will spend next week in Lansing Michigan. I was there last year delivering two classes on the same piece of equipment; they want more of the same this year for other technicians who could not attend last years classes.  Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of April 2nd Locale: Pismo Beach After spending a week in Schaumburg delivering a resident class, I somehow managed to be scheduled for a week in sunny Central California! I was in Pismo Beach once again, and had looked forward to this class for some time. Having been there in December, I knew what to expect with the customer, and the surrounding area. Being there was a real treat away from our winter that continues to hang on. Once again the customer was Pacific Gas & Electric's Nuclear Power Plant at Diablo Canyon. This time, I flew in and out of San Francisco so I could stop at Garlic World in Gilmore, California and get a braid of garlic. But to get home at a decent hour, I had to take the red-eye from San Francisco to Chicago. Needless to say, I'm still recovering from that... This class was on our newest 'Base Radio', and a small device called a Comparator. These two devices work together in a radio system to repeat what is called 'voted audio' from several remote sites. The students seemed very appreciative of information provided in the class. I also did something I've started doing with classes I deliver over and over, and am very comfortable with. I use the Powerpoint slides during the early stages of the class, then put them aside and use just the equipment and software to get learning points across. This allows them time to operate the equipment/software themselves. It was especially important this week, because they have strict requirements on accessing their system when it's 'live'. Plus, there's not a high failure rate on this stuff, so it may be months before they get to access it again. Noteworthy Restaurants: Guiseppe's Cucina Italian Restaurant https://www.giuseppesrestaurant.com/ Dinner was absolutely excellent. There was an appetizer special that night that I had to try. Zucchini Blossoms filled with a light cheese (I think it was Ricotta), lightly battered in a Tempura style batter, and deep fried. As I said, it was excellent! The whole meal and dining experience was one of the best I've had in recent months. Photo's From Visit:  Fisherman's Memorial Fountain In Closing I am home for the well deserved week off. I am supposed to be working from home, but will most likely use it as a vacation week. Spring is supposedly here, but it snowed tonight, so it's not really here yet.. However, I think I see a warming trend coming along. Keep writing & Reviewing, and enjoy life! |
| Date: Week of March 19th Locale: The Bronx, New York City, New York This week found me in the Bronx, delivering a basic RF class. For me, it was a first in a few ways. My first time in the Bronx. My first time working in, or even being near, a 9-1-1 Call Center. In my job, I found out long ago that a 9-1-1 Call Center is called a PSAC (Public Safety Answer Center). i was here in January with the same students, so it was nice to see them all again. When I was there in January, I learned of a small area about 2 miles east of me called 'Little Italy', on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Restaurants abound all around this area, and I just had to go see it, have dinner there. I learned that I needed to spend a day there to experience the atmosphere and see/learn about the neighborhood. The whole time I walked down Arthur Avenue, my mind was thinking "Godfather"! Class this week covered several subjects, each providing background on basic RF (Radio Frequency) theory. It's a pretty basic class when it comes to RF knowledge, but I credit it with allowing me to learn as much as I do know about RF in general. It's caused me to read up on people who were instrumental in the development of radios. People like Nikola Tesla, Harry Nyquist, Thomas Edison, Heinrich Hertz, and many more. I love teaching this class, the students and I end up in quite a few discussions on various topics. Wednesday was interesting, mainly because it started snowing Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, and snowed all day Wednesday. Since I didn't get a rental car this trip (I rarely get one when visiting NYC), I didn't go out anywhere. Dinner was a to-go order a Applebee's, which only served to reaffirm my standard of not dining at national chain restaurants when traveling. I did have an excellent Moscow Mule (Kentucky version, made with Bourbon instead of Vodka) at the hotel bar. Turns out, the bartender there had never heard of a Kentucky Mule. Didn't stop her from introducing them to another gentlemen the next night. He ended up having three! Noteworthy Restaurants: Zero Otto Nove https://www.089bronx.com/#Menu As I hinted at earlier in this post, it seems the Bronx is almost all Italian. This place was recommended to me at the hotel; I wasn't disappointed. Excellent food, I tried their Coniglio Alla Cacciatore (Rabbit Stew In Tomato Sauce with Fresh Rosemary), and a small appetizer, Brasato e PeperoniSecchi (Short ribs, sun dried peppers, arugula, shaved parmigiano reggiano, & spicy olive oil). Both were excellent! Photo's From Visit:  Sunrise In The Bronx, Tuesday, March 20th In Closing I am home for the weekend, and will be in Schaumburg delivering a class next week. Spring is here so I'm told. So I wonder how it is that we're supposed to get 3-5" of snow tomorrow! It's still far too cold, but not as bad as it could be. Keep writing & Reviewing, and enjoy life! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of March 12th Locale: Kingston, Ontario, Canada This week found me in Kingston, Ontario, once again teaching in a Prison. The facility was the Bath-Millhaven facility, composed of two separate prisons sitting side by side. One is a medium security facility, the other a high securityfacility. I was actually in the prison itself this time, the medium security one. The course itself was a tailored course we created five years ago for this customer. I was (AM) proud of the small training system used in this course; I built it with no drawings to refer to, about a month before the initial delivery of this course. Only four students, but things went well and they were very pleased with what they learned. A variety of subjects were covered, but at a high level. They won't be doing much maintenance on the system, so they didn't need all the nitty-gritty details/knowledge we cover in most classes. Radio programming/configuration for two different models of radio was covered, along with system operation, console configuration and maintenance, and three separate 1 hour classes on Friday for their dispatchers. It started snowing on Monday while class was going on, and continued almost the entire time I was there. The temperature was right at freezing though, so though the ground was covered, it never amounted to much due to melting during the day. Kingston is a beautiful town, my hotel was on the waterfront, but my window faced another building. So no view of the water at all. Kingston sits on the north side of Lake Ontario, right at the beginning of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Sadly, I didn't get to see much of that due to working, but I did see a good portion of the city and surrounding area. Bath-Millhaven is about a 30 minute drive from Kingston, but you get to see quite a bit of the lake and shoreline getting there. I was in heaven! One night, I dined at Dianne's Fish Shack, and while looking at their beer menu, I noticed they had a local beer from the McKinnon Brothers brewery in Bath. You know I had to order that! After I ordered it, the man sitting next to me (we were at the bar), turned to me and said, "A man after my own heart. Hi, I'm Mike McKinnon. I'm the father of the two men who run that brewery." Needless to say, we struck up a conversation and had a good time chatting.Noteworthy Restaurants: Dianne's Fishshack & Smokehouse http://www.dianneskingston.com/ Everything you could want in a good seafood meal is here. So good, I went there twice. They have a seafood Charcuterie that is very good. Tuna Tartare, Trout Pate, and Smoked Salmon. Yummmm! Photo's From Visit:  Shoal Tower Viewed Through The Kingston Fountain  Snowy Morning 3/13/18, Shore of Lake Ontario, Kingston Ontario  Snowing Hard In The Afternoon 3/13/18 Kingston Ontario In Closing I am home for tonight, but fly out tomorrow for my next class. Spring is on the horizon! At least that's what they tell me. It's still far too cold if you ask me, but not as bad as it could be. Keep writing & Reviewing, and enjoy life! Jim Dorrell |
| Date: Week of March 5 th Locale: Houston, Texas This trip was one I decided to drive, instead of fly. It's late winter, at least for me, and I knew it would be warmer in the south than here in Illinois. So I drove. Nice drive, I know I drove a little close to a few WDC members, maybe even passing through towns some live in! I can think of LegendaryMask❤️  in Alabama (I drove through Mississippi getting there), and Angus  (I drove through East Texas going home).The weather really cooperated while I was there, with daytime highs in the low 70's. That was a welcome change from the 20's and 30's of Illinois, or the single digit temperatures I experienced in North Dakota! This area of the country has seen a lot of rain in the last few weeks, it was easy to see the result of it. I saw flooded areas, houses with what seemed to be lakes right at their doorsteps, but the roads were clear! The class this week was on a small device called a 'Comparator'. This device is used in a system where multiple towers might receive the same call from one radio. This signal is sent to a 'Prime Site', but it can't re-broadcast the two signals, it can only broadcast one. So this Comparator will compare the two signals, and send the one with the best audio quality out for re-tranasmission. Simple device really, no parts that can be serviced by technicians, and very reliable. But most technicians don't understand how this particular one works, how to configure it, etc. So the class was all about their efforts in that regard. The class went well, was well received, and a lot of information was exchanged, as well as the class as a whole discovering some of the cabling was incorrectly wired. However, now they know what to do and how to correct these minor issues. Noteworthy Restaurants: Catfish Kettle http://catfishkettle.com/menu/ I found this little gem of a restaurant in Farmington, Missouri. Their menu was pretty basic, but the food was excellent! Everything is served family style, with sides of your choice. They had about 8-9 sides to choose from, so I chose fried okra, cucumber salad, and coleslaw. The catfish was fried perfectly, as was the chicken and shrimp. Good Eats Grill http://www.goodeatsgrill.com/ I was pretty tired when I arrived in Houston, and didn't want to go out too far. This was close to my hotel, and the menu looked good. I was a bit thrown off when I walked in because they were a little busy, but there was no host around, and those who did see me seemed to ignore me. However, one of the male servers seated me, and was just outstanding in his service. So much so that he changed my mind and attitude about the place. Very good food, but excellent service from Carlos! Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Vicksburg Military Park https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm Vicksburg was vital to victory for both sides in the American Civil War. The city was fortified with many forts on the Mississippi River and the general area, with 170 cannons protecting the city proper. The Union laid siege to the city for 47 days in 1863, culminating in the Union capturing the city on July 4th when the Confederate Army surrendered to General Grant. The Military park is a beautiful, but somber reminder of a time in our nation when brother fought brother. In Closing I am home for the weekend, but fly out tomorrow for my next class. Winter is here full force, y'all stay warm. Down under, it's the heat of Summer. Stay cool! Whatever you do, keep writing! |
| Date: Week of February 12th Locale: Bismarck, North Dakota This was soft of a 'return trip' for me, since I was in Bismarck in 2006. However, I was here in June, and drove. Much warmer then! My customer this week was the Western Area Power Administration, a Federal Group that generates and delivers power in Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota. As a result, my students were from those three states for the most part. I'm not sure who they deliver power to, probably Federal Customers? The class was a four day class covering a couple of different subjects, and went very well. So well, that they want to have more classes delivered by me on this subject, most likely in South Dakota and Arizona. Why Arizona? Well, the Federal Power group, for lack of a better word, have several districts around the country, such as the Rocky Mountain District, Southwest Power Administration, etc. Guess we'll see how many classes I deliver to them in the future, huh! It was pretty cold a couple of days while I was there, single digit temperatures were the norm for that week. Snow covered everything, and it snowed a couple of times while I was there. One day was pretty warm, reaching a high of 38 or so, but it dropped the next. Fortunately, getting there was easy, no flight delays or cancellations. Noteworthy Restaurants: Pirogue Grill http://www.piroguegrille.com/menu.aspx Their menu was quite a bit different from places I've dined at before. How about an appetizer of BBQ Rabbit on a Wild Rice Potato Pancake? I wanted that, but the House-made venison sausage with grilled sweet onion relish called me more, along with the Roast Corn and Bison soup. MacKenzie River Pizza & Grill https://www.mackenzieriverpizza.com/ I went here on a whim, at the last minute. Imagine my surprise to find that about 7-8 or my students had planned on meeting there! I ordered Cowboy Nacho's for us all, and decided to have Baja Fish Taco's for my meal, with a salad of Braised red beets, arugula, & goat cheese. Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Lewis & Clark Riverboat https://www.lewisandclarkriverboat.com/ This was closed because of winter, so I couldn't go on board. Would love to get back here during the summer to get a cruise on it! In Closing I am home for the week, before heading out next weekend. I am driving to my next destination, and it's quite a bit warmer than here! I should be able to snap a few photo's, we'll see..... Maybe a Trinket from one? Winter is here full force, y'all stay warm. Down under, it's the heat of Summer. Stay cool! Whatever you do, keep writing! |
| Date: Week of February 5th Locale: Albany, New York The class in Albany was not a hard class to teach. Getting there was a different story. It's February, Winter Storms abound. I drove to the airport Monday morning, arriving pretty early really. While waiting in the terminal, I received a notification that my flight to Albany was cancelled, and I had been re-booked on a later flight. About an hour later, I received another notification that my 'new' flight had also been cancelled. I called American Express and was booked on a flight to LaGuardia in NYC, and would drive 2.5 hours to Albany from there. The day got better after that. My flight to Chicago was an hour late, so I had to rush through the B-Concourse of O'Hare. I arrived at my departure gate for LaGuardia in time to see them backing the jet bridge away from the aircraft. I want to note that the original arrival gate for my flight was right near this gate, so if we'd pulled in to that gate, I'd have been on time. But, I was late, so was re-booked on a 2pm flight to LaGuardia. This flight was also delayed, leaving at 3:30 instead of 2 pm. We arrived at LaGuardia about 6:30. This would have been fine, at an airport not undergoing a massive reconstruction. The area around LaGuardia is a nightmare to get around in. Every road in or out of the airport is temporary, signs for travelers, such as rental car locations, are hard to find. And in my humble opinion, the way things are set up there are absolutely crazy. There are three buses that provide transportation around the terminals. To get to the rental cars, you have to catch a certain one (the Green one if I remember correctly). This takes you right past the rental car area, and drops you off at a different location, where you catch a second bus for your rental car company. Is it just me, or does that sound crazy to you as well? Anyway, I finally had a car, and was out of the airport about 90 minutes later. Why so long? Even though I had remembered to have my luggage re-tagged so it would show up in LaGuardia with me, that didn't happen. The luggage never got re-tagged. I had to wait until all the luggage was out, then file my lost luggage complaint with United. By now, it was 8pm, and I had that 2.5 hour drive to Albany. That was the easiest part of my day. As I briefly mentioned, the class itself went well, though I will admit I was rusty with this course, having not taught it since June of last year. All in all though, I felt it went well, it seemed to be received well by the students also, and I left there ready to get home. Once again though, travel delays were an issue. I couldn't leave Thursday night as scheduled, due to another snowstorm hitting Chicago. I was rescheduled for an early departure Friday morning. Three flight cancellations later, 4 flight delays, 3 changes to my itinerary, and 15 hours later, I finally arrived home! Noteworthy Restaurants: Barcelona Restaurant-Wine Bar http://www.barcelona-albany.com/dinner-menu/ I love Spanish food, it's so interesting, and so different from Mexican food. I also love Paella, and this place had it! However, there were other dishes on the menu I hadn't tried before, and ended up having them. The food was excellent, enough so that it brought my back a second night! The first night there, I chose this entree. Pez Espada Romesco - Sautéed in olive oil & garlic. Bite sized cubes of swordfish, whole clams, green peppers, fresh tomatoes, onions, white beans, tomato sauce & roasted almonds. Served over saffron rice The second night there, I decided on this. Zuppa di Pesce - Clams, mussels, scallops, calamari, shrimp & lobster sautéed in olive oil & garlic, in a seafood-tomato broth with toast points. Served hot, medium, or mild. I chose mine medium, which was very tasty, and not too spicy at all. I have to go back to Albany to try other entree's! Reel Seafood http://www.reelseafoodco.com/menu/dinner Being one who loves seafood, this was a natural choice to dine. I didn't have a meal though, I chose to have a couple of smaller plates. Angry Shrimp Roll - Spicy crunchy fried shrimp, sticky rice, red pepper, scallions, sambal cream cheese with ponzu dipping sauce. This was a roll, like Sushi, but not rolled up. It seemed to be rolled up and crusted, but didn't have the layers from being rolled over and over. Didn't matter to me, it was still excellent. Beet Carpaccio & Fried Goat Cheese - Thinly sliced roasted beets topped with balsamic dressed baby arugula & crispy goat cheese croquette. For some reason, I've recently had the urge for Beets. It's not a great urge, more like a desire. Whatever the case may be, this Beet Salad sounded scrumptious, and it was! I am home for the weekend, before heading out next week. I think travel will be much the same as last week, since Chicago is supposed to get more snow Monday. My destination is colder too, so we'll see how things go. Maybe I can actually get out and snap a couple of photo's.... Maybe a Trinket from one? We'll see. Winter is here full force, y'all stay warm. Down under, it's the heat of Summer. Stay cool! Whatever you do, keep writing! |
| Date: Week of January 22nd Locale: Bronx, New York The class this week was a short one, and once again a tailored class. This time, the customer was the Fire Department Of New York (FDNY). They are a great group of people, and I'll have the chance to see them again in March! When I say a 'tailored class', I mean we (I) took old student guide manuals, and edited them to be consistent with our teaching style today, as well as inserting only information pertinent to their system. It was a short class though, only 1.5 days. As you might know (from previous entries), I arrived home Saturday evening from Bangkok, and had to fly to NYC on Tuesday for class on Wednesday and Thursday. Surprisingly (to me at least), I was over the jet lag and fatigue of that long flight by Monday! I was a little worried that I'd be too tired to deliver an effective class, but that wasn't the case. The Radio Shop Manager liked the class, and told me that I promote learning with the way I deliver a class. I really look forward to the next class because two or three of the students are 'old time' radio techs, and will talk about some of the theory with me in depth. I know, I know. I'm a geek, but I'm proud of it. Still, it will be an interesting class. Sadly, for this trip, I didn't get out anywhere at all. It was such a short class, and the location was only a half mile from my hotel. So, no rental car for me, and no getting out. Lunch was provided each day for us. As for dinner, I broke my 'cardinal rule' of travel, and dined at Applebee's. I have several rules I follow when traveling, and one of them is that I will not dine at a national chain restaurant unless absolutely necessary. No car, no restaurants close by, and too tired to walk very far, meant going downstairs and dining at Applebee's. The second night there, I joined a crowd at the downstairs bar, and sampled appetizers that were sitting out. It wasn't until someone pulled out a microphone and started speaking that I realized I'd 'sorta crashed', a meeting of the Chamber Of Commerce. It was one to encourage small business owners to participate in the Chamber, etc. Still, I felt out of place ,and let shortly after it started. In Closing I am home this week (10 whole days!), but will write my next entry when I travel again the week of February 5th. Till then, stay warm, stay safe, and keep writing! |
| Date: Week of January 15, 2018th Locale: Bangkok, Thailand I spent this past week in Bangkok, Thailand with the State Department once again. It was a good week, a tiring one, but excellent overall. The only wish I have, is that I could have gotten there early enough to tour the countryside a bit, or remained there a bit after class for the same reason. Alas, I don't maintain my schedule, I only adhere to it. I had to be in Chicago the week before the trip to cross-train a fellow instructor so we have a 'backup' to me on a specific course, and I have to be in NYC next Wednesday for a class. This was a great break to the winter weather, with temperatures being in the 70's to 80's all week. Bangkok is a nice city, but once you're there a while, you realize it's just like every other large city. The biggest drawback for me personally, is they drive on the wrong side of the road! No rental car then, I just know I'd end up on the wrong side of their road, and possibly cause an accident. The class itself was a good success, with a few students wanting to meet with their manager to plan future classes to be delivered, with content being written/edited specifically for them. So maybe I'll get back to Bangkok again, who knows? If so, I'll try to arrange much the same flights as this time. I was in business class because of the length of the flight, which made the whole journey a lot easier. It was still a bit tough on me, but not that bad. I found myself wondering how someone in coach can sit in those seats for 13 hours on the flight to Tokyo! I did manage to snap a few photo's, though they are all from downtown Bangkok. On Monday before class began, I walked about 3 miles before catching a ride in a Tuk-Tuk. My goal was the Wat Bowon Buddhist Temple, but it was a bit further than I anticipated, hence the Tuk-Tuk ride.  Tuk-Tuk  Erawan Shrine  Wat Bowon Temple  Bangkok Sunset Historic/Interesting Places Visited: Asiatique-Sky Shopping Center http://www.asiatique-sky.com Several of us walked this shopping center on Thursday night. We split up some, agreeing to meet back at the Christmas Tree at 8pm. I must have walked another mile or so at least in navigating my way around, but it was great fun. I ended up dining at one of the numerous restaurants that dot the shopping center. I am currently home for a couple of days, and will leave again on Tuesday. I will tell you where I am in my next post! Til then, y'all stay warm as we trudge through winter. If 'Down Under', stay cool in your summer! Til my next entry... |
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