tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-257601772024-03-07T16:21:58.736-08:00margot's blogsome modern day journalingmargothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-79758823215737337842010-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:002010-09-22T15:11:06.989-07:00<iframe src="http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=2sankb2fdhpjbh2kl4bg409jjg%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Los_Angeles" style="border: 0" width="800" height="600" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-7626720465211007792008-08-07T15:54:00.001-07:002008-08-07T16:25:47.994-07:00Moving to the CityI'm very excited because on Friday we're picking up key to our new apartment in Noe Valley in the city. No more long commutes, train passes, or obsessive internet browsing on iPhone. Now I get to ride the BART and spend two more hours of my life each day doing stuff I consider productive.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-26613909432667671982008-07-29T10:18:00.001-07:002008-07-29T10:18:06.197-07:00Pet Charts - a bad name but cute content<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cs63.clearspring.com/o/482879ff4721472b/488f50cc95cf0c10/482879ff39be2b92/54aa3361/widget.js"></script>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-1808935831237734492008-07-20T22:10:00.000-07:002008-07-20T22:19:17.543-07:00My blog - dead and now alive again!Life takes its twists and turns, and in the past year, I've realized I'm more mercurial than most MBAs. <br /><br />On June 20, I resigned from my position at Apple and the next Monday started work at a software startup in San Francisco called Wallop. Whoa - I didn't realize how life could change so much. Here's a quick throwdown:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Apple vs Wallop, round I (ding!)</span><br />Offices vs One big room where everyone works<br />10,000 other people who do stuff vs 10 people who do stuff<div>Me thinking about doing stuff vs Me doing stuff</div><div>Silicon Valley suburbs vs. San Francisco</div><div><br /></div><div>So you can see, after round I, it's a knockout for Wallop. The name does indeed pack a punch. So many other great qualities, too. Right now, I love my job. :-D</div><div><br /></div><div>Check out an upcoming post where I will post our new company website - right now I'm working on it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Along with my career move, Ari and I have taken the plunge and put away a car's worth of cash on a beautiful apartment in Noe Valley. Ok, maybe a cheap, used car's worth. Like mine. We'll be moving up to our new digs on August 8th.</div><div><br /></div><div>And so, I've decided the blog must go on. Actually, after hearing lately that people actually read it, I have come to this realization. So thanks to Ajeeth Sankaran and his awesome wife (whom I haven't met but I'm sure is rad) and Nick Hoel for my kick in the butt to get going. </div><div><br /></div><div>My motto this time: It's never too late for anything! Stick around for upcoming posts.</div><div><br /><br /></div>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-846124893487920602007-06-28T07:32:00.001-07:002007-07-05T07:41:28.545-07:00Visiting the family Villages - Chonglou district, near Taishan in Guangdong ProvinceI will also have to do a lot of explaining, but here are the the videos and photos for those eager to get a glimpse of what my grandfather and grandmother's villages look like today (well, a little over a week ago).<br /><br />Videos first:<br /><br />Here is when we finally found Yeah-yeah's village by walking through a field of crops - we could barely see the gate from the road and had to finangle through some rows of crops just to get to the entrance. Yeah-yeah's house is the building on the left, and there are some farmers living there and one woman. This is my first approach - thankfully this guy was really friendly and actually let me go inside and see the place thoroughly.<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fqFoiweQXoQ"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fqFoiweQXoQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />These guys are helping us find Yeng-yeng's village by drawing maps in the sand. Our driver is in the blue shirt.<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ECSTXCOk9uU"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ECSTXCOk9uU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RwZCRvwImac"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RwZCRvwImac" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />This is all I could post today - more coming!margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-55204842088408454172007-06-28T07:22:00.001-07:002007-06-28T07:32:10.629-07:00China!China.<br /><br />So, it's been 9 days since I landed here in Zhongguo, and I feel terribly bad for putting my journaling off until now for two reasons: one, I've been lazy, and two, I think my English has deteriorated and my ego is at risk. Oh well. As for the latter concern, that kicks off this entry with the observation that NO ONE HERE SPEAKS ENGLISH, well, practically no one except our guides. This has upsides, for example, my Chinese has really improved and the experience has felt very authentic. We discovered this fact when arrived at our first hotel, a wonderfully new and clean place called the Novotel immediately adjacent to the Guangzhou Bai Yuan Int'l Airport. I was so excited by the modern room with western bath and aromatic soaps it was like Christmas (ha ha).<br /><br />The next morning we took an early morning flight to Kunming in Yunnan province, where our trip really began. Since neither Ari nor I enjoy crowds, bars, late nights, or smoke that much, we decided that for this trip we would just skip the cities and go straight to the country side in tourist-popular forever spring Yunnan province. Of course, here in China a small city like Kunming still boasts 10M people, but it has an intimacy that is charming. It is navigable, clean, and inherently accessible. We met our tourguide, Leslie in the airport and took a car straight to the only AAAA tourist attraction we'd see on the entire trip, the Stone forest (Shi Lin), a park of 300sqkm that is pock-marked with large grey stones jutting up from the ground. It's a beautifully groomed place, and we were pretty tired so we took an electric bus and walked just some short distances. <br /><br />Our guide Leslie, who was a chatty and sophisticated 21 year old told us about how Israelis frequently visit this area and are typically the most demanding tourists of them all. Apparently the previous week a large group had gotten into a fight (people literally pushing eachother around) when the local hawkers got a little too forceful. She showed us the exact location and we all laughed. That afternoon we tried our first authentic Chinese food and it involved choosing raw ingredients by sight to be cooked, a routine that was exercised several more times on the trip. We ended up with Pork with mushrooms and a green spinach-like vegetable stir fried with egg, and a large bowl of soup with some cured meats. We thought it was tasty, albeit a little expensive (85RMB, about $10). I was able to try out my Chinese by ordering a bottle of water and two glasses. <br /><br />On the way back to Kunming, Leslie brought us to a family's shop (in a big house) where ladies were carefully stiching away at delicate thread covered paintings and exquisite silk rugs. That night after a nap, we ventured out of the hotel, tired and bedraggled from traveling, to get some dinner. This task proved more difficult than expected, seeing as I forgot my quick-reference book and only knew the words for bread, rice, dumpling, beef, and pork. We ended up getting adventurous at a small street-side restaurant with arms-length-diameter steamers, and discovered something that we loved but still don't know the word for (see pic). <br /><br />The next morning we caught another flight and headed north toward the Himalayas to Dali, a town with dual personalities: modern and ancient. This region, Yunnan, is haven to more ethnic minorities than the rest of China combined, so we set out to learn more about them. The Naxi (na-shee) people are centered in this area, so we went to a touristy Naxi house and saw the three course tea and marriage ceremony recreated. Three course tea involves three teas, one bitter, one sweet, and one with everything but the kitchen sink, including cheese that is grated and some nuts. (bitter and sink ones pictured). We liked the second one best, with its spiced honeyed taste. The marriage recreation was also interesting - the bride actually wears sunglasses (and as Ari says, looks ridiculous) and a mirror hanging from her neck. As you can tell, we were entertained.<br /><br />A typical restaurant where you choose your ingredients, while they're fresh, and then they cook it!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931602874993554"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiZOJRi5I/AAAAAAAACR4/4miLEp0SYB8/s400/CIMG0982.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Street food:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931594285058946"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiYuJRi4I/AAAAAAAAB20/dimr9RC_Y70/s400/CIMG0981.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Later that afternoon we visited the three pagodas and a gigundous Buddhist temple complex, all shiny and golden in the afternoon sun. I was in awe at the 40ft tall buddhas laden with gold in the numerous darkened temples. The doors in these places are people-sized, and the monuments god-sized, so it's difficult to imagine the possibility of even transporting one of the statues into each temple. The thresholds are 1-2ft high to prevent wandering ghosts from meandering in, which makes one feel a little athletic. Through the center doors go the monks, while the lowly tourists (myself) go in the side door. While we were there we heard chanting which sounded almost Gregorian in tune, and the air was muggy and rainy. One hall that was especially interesting for me housed 300 statues of monks (at an inferior level to that of the Buddha or other gods) from long ago until now. Monks were life-sized, and each with a resemblance to someone, perhaps even the monk himself. There were monks with large bellies, skinny as a rail, monks laughing with children climbing about them, monks with beards, monks with no hair at all, monks with musical instruments, with war tools, with mouths open in praise and quietly meditating. The stories of each of these characters were almost palpable, and recorded in a way that was formerly unknown to me: in sculpture.<br /><br />We took an electric bus back through the ancient leaning pagodas (think Towers of Pisa) that miraculously seperated and reunited during the 1996 earthquake, and headed to town. Since it was our first ancient town, we were enthralled with the "old-China"ness of it all - ashen-coloured roofs curling up at the ends, dragon carvings, charcoal covered wood everywhere. We stopped in a tea shop for a sales pitch and sampled three teas as part of a complicated process: first, one has to wash the tea leaves three times with almost-boiling water, and wash the cups (small shot sized glasses) as well with the hot tea-like stuff, and then you can try it. In the shops they have these neat desks with a depressed area for splashing hot water and the tea about, and then a drain that heads secretly out of the back of the shop. We enjoyed the syrupy sweet ginseng zing and caffeine. Then we headed back to our hotel.<br /><br />That evening we ventured into town along "Foreigner street" to find some food at a restaurant with an English menu. Unfortunately, this limited us quite a bit, because I found that even ordering the local specialty (fish in a hot pot with bean curd) was a bad idea. The best part of the meal was when an old woman tried to sell us some small hand-made dolls, and I asked her if she wanted the soup. She eagerly nodded and pulled out a plastic bag, in which she and I dumped the sizeable remaining contents of the soup (a whole fish, cabbage, beancurd, etc.) in to a flimsy slightly-leaking pink plastic bag. She left quickly and I hope she enjoyed the soup more than I did.<br /><br />Dinner<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931620054862786"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiaOJRi8I/AAAAAAAAB3U/cR6J3VFmfzw/s400/CIMG0986.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Later that night we realized what a tourist trap we were in when the Chinese guests also staying at our hotel came back from whatever revelry they had been up to. The walls were thin and the guest were LOUD. All night. This theme unfortunately continued into LiJiang.<br /><br />Drive to LiJiang<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931658709568546"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiceJRjCI/AAAAAAAAB4E/5tyfcFSd1Ko/s400/CIMG1000.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We awoke the next morning and drove another couple of hours to LiJiang. Our guide met us at the hotel and took us to Ancient Lijiang. From the highest point in town, one can see a yin and yang of construction - old blackened roof houses in the ancient part, and new alabaster-coloured commercial buildings in the new. Unfortunately, the place significantly loses its romance when you learn that entire place was reconstructed in 1996 after the massive earthquake that tumbled all the buildings to the ground.<br /><br />Anyway, back in the ancient city, we were a little puzzled - weren't we just in this place in Dali? It looked exactly the same. Our guide took us on a walk through the city explaining the geography of the place, with its heartspring of water and unique well systems - water was recycled completely efficiently at one point, with drinking water, dish-washing water, and clothes-washing water all coming from the same place. Now, ancient water ways line all the stone paths so that tourists can find their way around; if you're ever lost, just head upwater and you'll reach the center of town at the water wheel.<br /><br />LiJiang waterway<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931718839110802"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTif-JRjJI/AAAAAAAACR0/Ts3lCJNGU60/s400/CIMG1007.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Water wheels in LiJiang<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931980832116338"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTivOJRjnI/AAAAAAAAB8s/FPpRoDCuTXo/s400/CIMG1041.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Dai minority women in LiJiang square<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931800443489570"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTikuJRjSI/AAAAAAAAB6E/_pMab9NCAg0/s400/CIMG1017.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Waterway in the square<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931804738456882"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTik-JRjTI/AAAAAAAACRw/J-XHAOS00AM/s400/CIMG1018.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Longevity Bridge - supposedly a guy who lived here hundreds of years ago lived for hundreds of years.<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931753198849234"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTih-JRjNI/AAAAAAAAB5c/WJB41N4qBRI/s400/CIMG1011.JPG" /></a><br /><br />On the way to Lion Hill<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931933587476002"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiseJRjiI/AAAAAAAAB8E/d39wqb2ALy4/s400/CIMG1036.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We also climbed to the top of Lion Hill for a good look down on the two-faced city and the mountains that surround it. The Chinese are keen on noting the likeness of natural formations and other inatimate objects. The peaks that surround LiJiang are said to resemble a Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and a divot for holding a paintbrush. Since the roofs of ancient LiJiang are also blackened, its said that the city is like an ink slab for a giant god-sized artist. That night we ventured back into the ancient town to find a raucous scene that reminded Ari of Thailand. Dancing girls in bars shouting at eachother and into the crowd in mock competition, Chinese tourists everwhere, and really bad food. At this point we realized that something I was eating was really getting to me (more on that later) and skiddadled back to our hotel for some shuteye.<br /><br />at the top of Lion Hill<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931834803228002"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTimuJRjWI/AAAAAAAACRo/1xtw409R1sM/s400/CIMG1022.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The "Ink Slab" (ancient city)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931813328391490"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTileJRjUI/AAAAAAAAB6U/pWO0TJv7ikM/s400/CIMG1019.JPG" /></a><br /><br />LiJiang new city<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931907817672178"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTiq-JRjfI/AAAAAAAAB7s/SVU0Kvl-3n0/s400/CIMG1033.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The mountain where you rest your paintbrush:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076931882047868354"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTipeJRjcI/AAAAAAAAB7U/a_GyM1YfyPA/s400/CIMG1030.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Tourists putting lotus flowers to float down the waterways<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932053846560530"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTizeJRjxI/AAAAAAAAB98/pCr-C3q_Yo0/s400/CIMG1054.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Sunflower seeds: an international pastime:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932285774794978"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjA-JRkOI/AAAAAAAACBk/g9jgiJ35kfE/s400/CIMG1088.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The next day we headed up to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which tops 5900 meters (19,350 ft) Ok, for those of you who have ever been to a mountain in North America, this is really really high. I forgot to mention that even in LiJiang at Lion Hill, we were dramatically huffing and puffing up the stairs. Here, we really had to take it easy. Fortunately, the park as a wonderfully long and peaceful ski-lift that you take up to a mountain meadow (pictured).<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932311544598802"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjCeJRkRI/AAAAAAAACR8/mvXmGR2oiXQ/s400/CIMG1092.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932320134533410"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjC-JRkSI/AAAAAAAACCE/2xaa5_3iVzc/s400/CIMG1093.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Small crimson lace fringed hearts on long strings are are hung in the trees and the forest is quiet. Also, we happened to arrive at a time when the minimal number of Chinese tourists were also there: lunchtime. We began to like our guide even more. We headed to a green mountain meadow where young couples used to commit suicide when they could not be with the one they loved but instead their betrothed. The mountain is much closer from here, too, yet shrouded in a cloud like it is all summer. It also began to rain but in the warm air the wetness was not so bad. The Chinese tourists had a different attitude about this, and acted almost allergic to the rain. It started to really come down in blustery winds when it was time for us to take the ski-lift down, but we decided to be adventourous and get wet. Our tourguide followed with her umbrella (pictured). Once we got to the bottom, we were pretty soaked and ready to head back to town. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932410328846770"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjIOJRkbI/AAAAAAAACDM/cq4fGmeaMQM/s400/CIMG1102.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Yaks in the meadow<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932444688585202"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjKOJRkfI/AAAAAAAACDs/FTggwlPywVE/s400/CIMG1106.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932393148977554"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjHOJRkZI/AAAAAAAACSA/CiW-TOxBQts/s400/CIMG1100.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932363084206434"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjFeJRkWI/AAAAAAAACCk/IpYRfhMyl2I/s400/CIMG1097.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We were the only ones without an umbrella :-)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932517703029378"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjOeJRkoI/AAAAAAAACE0/TbVVRBfdDlg/s400/CIMG1115.JPG" /></a><br /><br />That evening our guide suggested that we visit a local dumpling shop called Northeastern King Wang's Dumplings right near our hotel, and I did my best at navigating the all-Chinese menu. We ordered 30 dumplings and two huge bowls of fried rice for just 22RMB (about $3). Unfortunately, we also discovered what was making me sick for the last three days: MSG. The dumplings were laden with them. 10 days later now and I'm still recovering. So goes it.<br /><br />Finally somewhat accustomed to the altitude and eager to get out of the tourist jungle, we kep driving north with our trusty Muslim driver and fancy new car (a VW with just 16K miles) towards Zhongdian (Shangrila). We saw tobacco fields aplenty, and lots of other crops too, including corn, rice, apples, melon, etc. As part of the journey, we decided to take a hot-dog shaped raft 18km through the first bend of the Yangtze river, where the river bloats and swells its brown mass around a bend and heads north for the first time. Ari and I were eager for a substitute for the car (despite the fact that we really liked our driver) and it was lovely to get some fresh air and see things from a different perspective. We stopped at a sandy mound in the middle of the river, infamous for its gold-flecks (pictured). After about 18km, we stopped at a random sandy bank and hiked up a couple of switchbacks to actually find our driver waiting at the right spot. Our guide gave me a couple of peaches to try, which were at the height of their season and apparently a new variety with less fuzz. They were crisp with white and pink flesh, an quite delicious.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932814055773538"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjfuJRlWI/AAAAAAAACKk/ONVjjwgIrMQ/s400/CIMG1162.JPG" /></a><br /><br />At the stone drum (an ancient tablet)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932659436950482"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjWuJRk9I/AAAAAAAACHc/xWN8ABdALAI/s400/CIMG1137.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932779696035074"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjduJRlQI/AAAAAAAACJ0/s8hU19Hn0Pg/s400/CIMG1156.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Rafting in the Yangtze<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932676616819698"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjXuJRk_I/AAAAAAAACHs/E6vapuo7mJU/s400/CIMG1139.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br />We met our next guide at a road-crossing near Tiger Leaping Gorge and had some "without MSG" lunch with him. We visited Tiger leaping gorge (where the Yangtse rushes through a 5000ft tall ravine with great fanfare, spraying up over boulders the size of a house) down approx 800 stairs, and made it back up on our own. Men wait along the way with unglamourous chariots and you can't turn a corner without seeing a makeshift shop with trinkets and other junk.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932874185315794"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjjOJRldI/AAAAAAAACLc/ds4I31VC0Do/s400/CIMG1170.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932822645708146"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjgOJRlXI/AAAAAAAACKs/lNIah-Dk3VY/s400/CIMG1163.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br />Markedly different from our other guides in manner and in looks, this guide explained that he was Tibetan. It was pretty amazing for us to see the dramatic differences once we had passed from LiJiang county into Shangrila. First was the smiles - everyone had one for eachother, and our guide took pains to give a smile warm handshake to each person we met. Second was the ruggedness of the land, people, and their lifestyle. Structures went from being small and stone to large, wooden, and seemingly full of warmth - Tibetan houses are large boxes, three stories tall, rectangular shaped, where the animals live on the ground floor during the winter, heating the human quarters above. The top level stores the wheat and grain, and a large open chute makes it easier to distribute to the people and animals below. The landscape also made us feel that we were in a new world - wide grassy expanses with ubiquitous black and white longhaired yaks, the chilling pristine mountain air, farmers with reddened leathery faces. Stick-made structures that resemble a shoddy wooden chair dot the landscape - 30ft tall, structures that keep and dry the wheat during the winter so it can be distributed to livestock. "Buddha hearts" (pictured) also accompany the road to keep drivers safe.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932925724923442"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjmOJRljI/AAAAAAAACSI/qmHLeK8Xz9Q/s400/CIMG1178.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/ChinaDaliLijiangShangrila/photo#5076932930019890754"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/margotnlee/RnTjmeJRlkI/AAAAAAAACMU/lmSGaJStUi8/s400/CIMG1179.JPG" /></a><br /><br />To be continued...at a later date...margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-64339436806780610972007-06-17T01:18:00.000-07:002007-06-17T01:45:56.554-07:00India.Week in India<br /><br />Yep, see, I was in India!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076930610737546210"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnThfeJRg-I/AAAAAAAABnk/LRx8xCr1RZM/s400/CIMG0841.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Before I begin with tales of India, I have to let readers know just how hot it was there. When I arrived at 5:30am June 3rd, it was a cool 40C, but at daytime visits to Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra, the temperature soared to 50C. In case you've never been in such extreme heat, let me describe how it feels. First, you sweat, alot, and everywhere. Second, you have to move slowly as to not build up more heat, and third, all your aches and pains are amplified because of general uncomfortability. Secretly, though, I wanted to see if I was up to snuff and could deal with the sweltering temperatures. And turns out, I could! We were outside at least a couple of hours each day and I did just fine. However, I would not recommend traveling here at this time because it makes things generally unpleasant.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919362218195570"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXQuJRenI/AAAAAAAABd8/gh_QpW_k54Y/s400/CIMG0653.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Line to get into the Ba'hai temple, this time in Delhi (I also saw one in Israel!)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919576966560834"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXdOJRfEI/AAAAAAAABfw/0-jJmrLIILI/s400/CIMG0694.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919572671593522"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXc-JRfDI/AAAAAAAABfs/ZGPWlUVwrgE/s288/CIMG0693.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The first day I met up with Sam and we chatted over breakfast, a light fluffy salty mixture of pressed rice flakes, potatoes, and shredded carrots with lime. At Sam's place, she has an excellent cook who will prepare practically anything you like on demand. With Sam's and his efforts, I didn't get sick even once while I was there for the week. That afternoon we visited some local Delhi sights, which surprisingly were also new to Sam and her cousin Vikas. The next day we visited a Ba'hai temple and a Hindu temple too, where Sam showed me the local customs and I was blessed by a few priests.<br /><br />After being blessed in the Hindu temple:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919619916233906"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXfuJRfLI/AAAAAAAABgM/aVQyVXYXtqk/s400/CIMG0703.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Moselm Tomb site in Delhi:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919400872901314"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXS-JResI/AAAAAAAABeQ/F8OaqUf2P4M/s400/CIMG0662.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919405167868626"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXTOJRetI/AAAAAAAABeU/UVqfnWojOSA/s400/CIMG0663.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919465297410914"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXWuJRe2I/AAAAAAAACOU/n3oMBBypRtg/s400/CIMG0678.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Sam's niece, Shrishti, and nephew Shiveth:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919503952116658"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXY-JRe7I/AAAAAAAACOY/SJ3KviKZ-RE/s288/CIMG0684.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919508247083970"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXZOJRe8I/AAAAAAAACOc/g49hEY-SlsY/s288/CIMG0685.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Frankly though, driving through the streets of Delhi was interesting enough for me. I had heard of the people piled into small cars, beggar children on the street, and millions of small three-wheeled taxicabs, but there's nothing like seeing the real thing right next to you on the asphalt. The amount of trash around was less than I had anticipated, but I still thought rather had thoughts of CK's sachets of detergen/Bottom of the Pyramid business ideas with a tinge of disgust - instead of focusing on selling stuff to these people, it is probably more important to ensure the right to education, safety, food and shelter first. I was astonished by the lack of literacy and hunger, in particular.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919521131985874"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXZ-JRe9I/AAAAAAAABfU/JSvPDnCYwJA/s288/CIMG0687.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Here is where I learned to say "no", which I had been practicing in Israel. For Americans, "no" is practically unused - always cushioned with lots of softening phrases, like "no, not now" or "maybe later" or "not really" but in India, one has to learn to say "no" without anything else. For the first four days "no" was easy; I imagined myself a newsreporter just looking around and documenting things (mentally) without responsibility for anyone who may be suffering around me. But later in the week, it started to get to me - the vast expanse of wealth that lay between me and the rest of the people around me - and I started to get uncomfortable. "No" just didn't cut it anymore - I started to give food to those who were hungry and want to teach those who couldn't read. It was frustrating.<br /><br />A beggar in Jaipur - she just finished knocking at our window for 5 min until a policeman shushed her away:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919826074664514"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXruJRfkI/AAAAAAAABhw/j3yrWgt5Apw/s400/CIMG0737.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Since most of the population in India is so unskilled, the service industry booms. Here is a photo of a vegetable cart that comes right by Sam's house - one comes by every couple of hours - and the seller shouts his wares - you can buy right there on the spot. Another part of this service culture that I found peculiar is the utter dependence that one has on it. For instance, in order to ride in a car, you absolutely need a driver - a trained one - and so if the driver is off duty, you're pretty much stuck in the house. Also, it is not safe for women to travel alone, so we were always accompanied by a driver or Sam's cousin.<br /><br />Vegetable cart at Sam's apartment (view from the balcony)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919645686037730"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXhOJRfOI/AAAAAAAABgY/ox5dbPMtCUQ/s400/CIMG0706.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The service at Sam's apartment was phenomenal - particularly the food. Each item was made to our taste - with more or less salt, spice, oil, temperature etc. I ate like a princess and enjoyed every bite, which is good because here in China my system is having more difficulty. A couple of things that surprised me were 1) salty drinks, which are made with sulfur salt - the sulfur smelling a little of rotten eggs or hot springs, whichever you've experienced more 2) the lack of uncooked veggies, which may have been particular to Sam's house and 3) the sheer tastiness and variety of food that can be made with just vegetables.<br /><br />Midway through the week I went with Vikas and his son to Jaipur, part of the trifecta of cities in the Delhi area: Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra. Jaipur is the capital of Rajastan, with a rich cultural and military history. The four hour drive on the way there was very exciting for me as I have never experienced any sort of driving and traffic remotely as hectic as this; people, cows, dogs, camels, water buffalo, horses, motorscooters, three-wheel taxis, trucks, buses and other cars litter the highway for the entire span, some going in the wrong direction, or crossing at inconvenient times (especially the cows) so the driver has to be especially alert...for four hours. Not an easy task. Once in Jaipur we visited the local sights - the iconic Hawa Mahal (pronounced Mah-hehl, meaning: palace of the wind) with cloistered rooms for the 20-odd wives and concubines of local royalty, and Amber fort (Ah-mer), home to the Rajastani government with an active Hindu temple. We stayed over night at Sam's aunt's place, a large house with several rooms but (unfortunately) fewer working A/C's. <br /><br />Local traffic:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919684340743458"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXjeJRfSI/AAAAAAAABgo/LL0UyzZe7VI/s400/CIMG0711.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919838959566418"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXseJRflI/AAAAAAAABh0/xhRpAcJRbso/s400/CIMG0738.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Highly decorated trucks<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919688635710770"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXjuJRfTI/AAAAAAAABgs/GHXInSVS4wU/s400/CIMG0713.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076922742357458978"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTaVeJRgCI/AAAAAAAABjU/wI5eJZZeE8M/s400/CIMG0775.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Our tourguide at Hawa Mahel<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919731585383826"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXmOJRfZI/AAAAAAAABhE/vwxqcM8ZXS0/s400/CIMG0723.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Sam's cousin Adarsh at his house in Jaipur:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919808894795298"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXquJRfiI/AAAAAAAACOg/28TzW01j69w/s400/CIMG0733.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The elephant we rode - they actually kneel so you can get on, which is no easy task:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919860434402946"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXtuJRfoI/AAAAAAAABiA/J32dbwiid1g/s400/CIMG0746.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The ubiquitous me riding an elephant shot:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919869024337554"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXuOJRfpI/AAAAAAAABiE/ehrF9lmASL4/s400/CIMG0747.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Back in Delhi we visited Dilly Hat, a market of cultural handicrafts from states all over India. We did some great shopping there and I went a little crazy stocking up on beautifully embroidered shawls and interesting necklaces, among other things. I began to get a little homesick and made sure I caught the daily episodes of Friends and Seinfeld. Sam and I had some great talks about life and the future. That evening Mohit arrived, back from trekking in the Himalayas with just a small backpack and sunburned lips. We hung out with him until 4am that night (!) despite our trip the next day to Agra.<br /><br />Mohit having some of the fluffy stuff I liked but cannot remember the name of:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923519746539858"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTbCuJRgVI/AAAAAAAABkc/iElgnFytpFc/s400/CIMG0796.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Sam and Me in Dilly Hat:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919564081658898"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXceJRfBI/AAAAAAAABfk/9AgK8-mHYVU/s400/CIMG0691.JPG" /></a><br />Painting in Dilly Hat:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919521131985874"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXZ-JRe9I/AAAAAAAABfU/JSvPDnCYwJA/s288/CIMG0687.JPG" /></a><br />By the time we reached Agra, the temperature had reached about 50C (122F) and we couldn't leave the A/C of the car. We spent an hour or so in a local restaurant (called Indiana, which I found particularly entertaining), enjoyed ice cream and water before heading to the Taj Mahal (also pronounced Mah-hel). <br /><br />The beauty of the Taj is like nothing else I've ever seen - the proportions exquisite and the craftsmanship equally divine. It's too bad that it's just a tomb and that no one, in the history of time, has ever lived there. Even on this extremely hot day, there was a small crowd of tourists everywhere, and the Desis (Indians) do not treat the place with grace - many flagrantly disregard the signs to stay off the grass or take off your shoes, and inside, children shout unceremoniously with their parents looking on. The government has cordened off a ring around Agra where gas-guzzling vehicles cannot traverse, so we had to take a horse drawn cart to get close, and then walked the remainder of the way. <br /><br />Picture from the cart:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076930554902971234"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnThcOJRg2I/AAAAAAAACOk/3NvT7ZtWyV4/s400/CIMG0833.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076930589262709666"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTheOJRg6I/AAAAAAAABnE/nMZcsFvF9JM/s400/CIMG0837.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076930572082840450"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnThdOJRg4I/AAAAAAAABm0/7iG-Eg0NjGY/s400/CIMG0835.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076930696636892306"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnThkeJRhJI/AAAAAAAABo8/pgm0FAstej8/s400/CIMG0852.JPG" /></a><br /><br />On the way back as we were nearing our car, a boy wanted to sell me a keychain with a small white plastic Taj in a globe of water with sparkles in it - he wanted 100 rupees but I offered 50 (the equivalent of about 11 cents), and he took it, then then proceeded to hand all 7 of his keychains over to me. (I had only intended to buy one). So much for bargaining. After pawning a couple off to Sam's niece and nephew, and their maid, I returned the remaining ones to him, and he was happy. I breathed a sigh of relief when we climbed into the car for the ride back to Delhi.<br /><br />The next morning I woke up, said goodbye to Sam, and departed for the Delhi airport at 6am. I flew to Bangkok with India Air, and met Ari (after some complications - I had to go through immigration to get my bag and then re-check-in to my China Southern flight, and we missed eachother for about 2.5 hours) and we flew together to Guangzhou.<br /><br />Sam's shop (MANAN) in Delhi:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919370808130178"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXROJReoI/AAAAAAAABeA/ovQyHhx8Z18/s400/CIMG0654.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919383693032098"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXR-JReqI/AAAAAAAABeI/Qkp0xXZboWI/s400/CIMG0657.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Yoga at Sam's house:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923395192488002"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTa7eJRgEI/AAAAAAAABjY/Ro5zuFJdcT0/s400/CIMG0779.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We made "poori" (fried bread with potatoes) and passed it out to some poor kids (note: there is no air conditioning in the kitchen, so it was about 100F in there)<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923416667324530"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTa8uJRgHI/AAAAAAAABjk/Bm9Lbf2KI6A/s400/CIMG0782.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923446732095682"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTa-eJRgMI/AAAAAAAABj4/GLrJHXcDiyI/s400/CIMG0787.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923468206932210"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTa_uJRgPI/AAAAAAAABkE/ExYoxmVKpMg/s400/CIMG0790.JPG" /></a><br /><br />some happy kids with lunch:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923472501899522"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTa_-JRgQI/AAAAAAAABkI/BYskbJ5roq4/s400/CIMG0791.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076923511156605250"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTbCOJRgUI/AAAAAAAABkY/0dcWOStemDU/s400/CIMG0795.JPG" /></a>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-15665796112962540092007-06-05T10:38:00.000-07:002007-06-17T01:18:07.433-07:00Flying over the warzone and my readershipHello dear readers! I'm in New Delhi right now at Samridhi's wonderful apartment and having a great time. India is hot, yet very interesting, car horns are cranked up a notch, cows are occasionally in the street (but amazingly don't stop the traffic from moving along a clip) and three wheel scooters packed with 4 people abound. Unfortunately I don't have the technological capability to post my photos - that will have to wait until China next week.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919319268522514"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXOOJRehI/AAAAAAAABdk/8M_Cxzj7Mdk/s400/CIMG0644.JPG" /></a><br /><br />On the way here I managed to fly over the most conflict-ridden areas in the world: Gaza, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. I flew with Royal Jordanian, which serves up pro-Arab-world propaganda with a smile and packs all the poor people in the back of the plane. About 60 poor Indian men with no carry ons (not a book, a magazine or even a wallet) were on the large plane with me but RJ chose to pack them in the back (with a few unlucky passengers) while I had an entire row of four seats to myself with the other white people. It sort of felt like the South (US) pre 1964 but I was happy to be able to pull out my iPod and take a nap while we soared over suicide bombers and religious strife.<br /><br />Sam was a great friend and arrived 30 seconds before I walked out into the mess of people at the Delhi airport. We spotted eachother quickly, which was a good thing because she said I looked pretty lost. Fortunately, I was the first out except for some hotshot and his family that flew business class and were escorted by an entourage of 15 people from the gate of the plane to pick up his priority, pre-selected luggage. This brash display of importance along with my fellow passengers on the plan really highlighted what a different world I am in here in India. I can't wait to upload the photos.<br /><br />I had a layover in Amman, Jordan, which is a gloomy little airport with lots of Western shopping. Since I am very ignorant of Arabic, it was titilating to hear new sounds over the loudspeaker - Ari taught me the word "thank you" (Shukran) so that's all I could recognize. I had to be careful not to speak Hebrew (say "Slicha" for excuse me, for example) because I got the feeling that the folks there don't like Israelis so much. Or Americans. Or poor Indian guys. Or anyone at all, actually.<br /><br />Starbucks is everywhere!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919340743359042"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXPeJRekI/AAAAAAAABdw/zOD00puu2wk/s400/CIMG0647.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919349333293650"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXP-JRelI/AAAAAAAABd0/jlERXXvbnIA/s144/CIMG0648.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And so are iPods!<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/IndiaChina/photo#5076919357923228258"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RnTXQeJRemI/AAAAAAAABd4/2xPj-6C4nV4/s288/CIMG0650.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, India has been great, much thanks to Sam's cook(s) and the effective airconditioning. Today we visited a Hindu and a Bahai temple, which were both very interesting, and visited a market where rural craftspeople sell their wares from all over India. Since I haven't used my shopping skills so far on this trip, I was ready to dive in and bargain and got some beautiful things for a song. Of course, I'm sure I paid 2x that of a local local, but with Sam's help, we did pretty darn well.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'm heading to Jaipur with Sam's brother for a look around and more shopping. Should be fun.<br /><br />Oh, I almost forgot - the point of this post: my geographically diverse readership! Check out this map of recent visitor activity:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS54dtjczi6_xDTZ82W_0c4Lj6rZiknukgFALlqP2NLrIt6lPXSJCVKRKOPd4CfMWHi_P0iasPxPKX63GVRTIGfwHxLX0zJ_vNiAe-BcK7_CczCiRUyvzO6QrPbWJ17CzdNSIpQ/s1600-h/visitor-map.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS54dtjczi6_xDTZ82W_0c4Lj6rZiknukgFALlqP2NLrIt6lPXSJCVKRKOPd4CfMWHi_P0iasPxPKX63GVRTIGfwHxLX0zJ_vNiAe-BcK7_CczCiRUyvzO6QrPbWJ17CzdNSIpQ/s400/visitor-map.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072640552589162962" /></a><br />Cool, huh! Hope you're having fun.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-2782695760208306012007-06-02T12:48:00.000-07:002007-06-02T13:00:11.861-07:00Summing up Israel, leaving tomorrow for IndiaTomorrow I leave Israel for New Delhi India via Amman, Jordan. I've had a great time here in Ha-aretz - this past week was particularly eventful because we traveled from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat - from tip to tip of the the entire long skinny expanse that makes up Israel.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071428881102226530"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFVsqHBRGI/AAAAAAAABBY/FqCYxUrl4IY/s400/CIMG0571.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2">June 2</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429014246212754"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFV0aHBRJI/AAAAAAAABBw/qwHDWKPs46I/s400/CIMG0574.JPG" /></a><br />Bahai gardens in Haifa.<br /><br />My stay began in Haifa, where Ari's family lives. In the first couple of days that we were here, we were Ross Ambassadors to around 50 prospective Israeli students - a reception was held at a Tel Aviv hotel that was hosted solely by Ross students. I think the Israeli nationalistic attitude bleeds into all aspects of life, including Ross, and it was very interesting to me that the allegiance is so strong amongst my fellow Ross alumni. It is true that Ross is severely under-represented in terms of brand here, so the point that Ross should be considered along with other school of equal caliber is well-taken. However, the difference here is that the Israeli Ross students are almost religiously supportive of the school and want to promote it with such gusto here. Since the presentation was 100% hebrew, I could only glean about 20% of the information, but one could hardly ignore the level of passion and commitment everyone had to the cause. David Pollock and I were the only non-Israelis there, but we still helped to answer questions after the talk. The next day there was a picnic in Tel Aviv that brought together current students and recent alumni at a park. Due to the jetlag and my general cynsism, I was not interested in socializing as usual given my recent schmoozing burn out. I am so glad that I have a job and don't need to do this anymore. Phew.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429237584512226"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWBaHBROI/AAAAAAAABCY/EEMYvt5YXiU/s400/CIMG0579.JPG" /></a><br />Sculpture gardens in Haifa.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429357843596546"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWIaHBRQI/AAAAAAAABCo/vUaUGrTl-pY/s400/CIMG0581.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429306303988978"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWFaHBRPI/AAAAAAAABCg/NTa-Vmc3dlk/s400/CIMG0580.JPG" /></a><br /><br />After this first whirlwind weekend, we headed back to Haifa. Here in Israel there are about 3x the number of holidays there are in the U.S. The spring holiday, Shavuot, fell during the second week of my stay. Shavuot, unfortunately for me, is completely about cheese and dairy, and Israelis loooove their cheese. The variagations on cottage cheese, cream cheese, soft cheese, hard cheese, salty cheese, etc. are endless, and any social visit is accompanied by cheesecake. In fact, an Israeli newspaper reported on Shavuot that around 90% of Israelis can digest lactose without a hitch, versus a world average of 60%. In Thailand, its 0%. Genetically, I fall somewhere in the middle, I think, digesting only about 50% or so. Finally, I broke down and bought the special pill that allowed me to eat cheesecakes and spreads with reckless abandon so that I could celebrate Shavuot with everyone else. Like most holidays, Shavuot is a family affair where everyone wears white and eats together. Ari's family is less religious than most, so the food is the focus. We ate outside on the patio, and were joined by Ari's sister and boyfriend, aunt and her family, and grandfather and his girlfriend.<br /><br />Ari's grandmother lives in a modest nursing home here in Haifa, and we went to visit her three times during our stay. Despite being 30 years out of practice, she spoke perfect English with me during our visit. Unfortunately, her hearing is not as lucid, so she couldn't really understand me, but it was nice to be able to make a connection. She is a weathered Holocaust survivor, and sees the world from a completely different perspective from my own. Our visits seemed to cheer her up a bit, so that was nice.<br /><br />We also visited Hertzeliyya Pituach, a wealthy suburb between Tel Aviv and Haifa on the beach, to visit our friend Ohad from Michigan. We had dinner and drinks in Tel Aviv, and then stayed with him for the night. Ohad promised that he would host us well after we helped him out a bit in Ann Arbor, and he certainly did; we were put up in our own private apartment for the night, walked to the beautiful pristine beach in the morning, and had a lovely breakfast under some quaint shade right near the water. Hertzeliyya Pituach also has a great mall, complete with European chains like TopShop (first introduced to me by Damhnait) and great boutiques. We came back to this mall later in the trip to spend some time with Nir and Inbar (other friends from Michigan) and watched a movie and shopped.<br /><br />This past week was full of traveling and seeing friends. We visited our friend David (Pollock) in his old haunting grounds of Jerusalem, going through the 'shuk' (market) where he bought his weekly groceries and the yeshiva where he studied Torah for a couple of years after college. Pollock also came up to Haifa to visit and traveled with us up north to meet with Karen Putterman and Mike Weir. We had a great day, strolling through archeologically important Tel Dan and rafting down the Jordan river. All five of us piled into one impenetrable rubber raft and began attempting to navigate through the small rapids. Rapidly, we realized that we were short on paddles (2 for 5 of us) and skill. Pollock did his best to steer our cumbersome sloop but we were cheerfully uncooperative and content with ducking beneath the heavy weeds on the edges of the river when we repeatedly bumped again and again and again. We encountered a big group of soldiers (men and women) on a rare day off from service and told them with stern seniority not to tip us over. Parts of the river were deep enough for a swim, and most of it was fast-moving, so Pollock, Karen and I took a dip. Pollock was by far the most adventurous, inventing a butt-swimming device (lifejacket wrapped around your bum as to construct a semi-buoyant and protective seat) that he used to go about 1km. We all had a great time.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429813110130018"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWi6HBRWI/AAAAAAAABDY/iGtXfuDgW9c/s400/CIMG0587.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071429576886928690"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWVKHBRTI/AAAAAAAABDA/l8Cs1s8wnfw/s400/CIMG0584.JPG" /></a> Tel Dan, rumored to be the site of the Garden of Eden<br /><br />After rafting we ventured up into cherry orchards near the Druze (safe Arab) towns on the northern edges of the country. We ate laffa, labaneh and zatar (flatbread, goat cheese and dried spice, predominantly thyme) and a couple of cherries that we poached straight from the tree. That night we left Pollock, Karen and Mike up in a Tzimmer (B&B) in the North, while Ari and I headed down to Haifa.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430032153462178"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWvqHBRaI/AAAAAAAABD4/C7QczJO8Bu8/s400/CIMG0591.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430066513200562"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFWxqHBRbI/AAAAAAAABEA/700ZrkJny98/s400/CIMG0592.JPG" /></a> <br />Ari driving through the narrow roads in the terraced Cherry orchards.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430225426990562"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFW66HBReI/AAAAAAAABEY/yKvZeSGk51I/s400/CIMG0595.JPG" /></a><br />Goat herding through town.<br /><br />The next day we drove down to Yam Hamelach (Dead Sea) in a dense dirty gray haze. The visibility was so bad that the desert seemed even more ominous than usual - I expected to see vast expanses of Star Wars sand but instead found myself in the middle of unimpressive rocky troughs with small bushes dotting the edges of the road. We arrived at the Sheraton Moriah around 1pm in the 40c (105F) heat and heavy air of 1300 ft below sea level and opted to enjoy some air conditioning before venturing down to the strange lifeless sea. Floating in the Dead Sea is an otherworldly experience, made even more bizzare because of all the elderly psoriasis-ridden visitors in the oily water. The water is thick with minerals, and beads completely off the skin. And, it is hot - hot as the surrounding air - so it feels even more strange. The required lifeguard was extremely comical given that it is completely impossible to drown in this stuff. Ari and I went in twice, getting out quickly the second time because the salt began to creep a little deeper into our cuts than we were ok with. That night an eerie thunderstorm took over the night, with intense lightening that rarely cut through the dense sky and distant lightning. The desert only receives an average of 200mm (8in) of rain each year, and it actually rained the night were there, at least a couple of milimeters. Even the rain couldn't avoid the haze, and with it came a dust that blanketed the car with dirt.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430427290453522"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXGqHBRhI/AAAAAAAABEw/vJ-rfiX6cWk/s400/CIMG0598.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430255491761650"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFW8qHBRfI/AAAAAAAABEg/Lh_uzwPxRGw/s400/CIMG0596.JPG" /></a><br />People in the dead sea.<br /><br />After deciding to skip a sunrise hike up Matzada, we headed to the site around 8am to catch the first run of the cable car that ascends the impressive desert mesa. Long been a site heralded by Israelis as a symbol of nationalism and religious fervor, I was pleased to find that our audio tours took an even-handed historical approach to describing the site. Now, let me just emphasize that this place is compltetly in the middle of nowhere, with little water and no natural plants or animals. But Herod, a Jewish king with a tyrannical twitch, made it a center of commerce and community, replete with multiple pools and storage rooms, receiving rooms, frescoed halls and mosaiced floors. In full use, it must have been a beautiful place. The reason for its historical significance is also because of the pristine preservation of items from Herod and successors' time periods. Delicate items like hairnets, baskets, even fruit nuts have been found that tell a rich story in layers.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430461650191906"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXIqHBRiI/AAAAAAAABE4/uf-tOEWbEVY/s400/CIMG0599.JPG" /></a><br />Dry Matzada.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430650628753058"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXTqHBRqI/AAAAAAAABF4/w6CpFxbs3wg/s400/CIMG0607.JPG" /></a><br />Oasis in the middle of the desert!<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430547549537906"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXNqHBRnI/AAAAAAAABFg/XJjVrDnHyds/s400/CIMG0604.JPG" /></a><br />Camel Xing<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430706463327938"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXW6HBRsI/AAAAAAAABGI/kcO-41DNa8M/s400/CIMG0609.JPG" /></a><br />All-you-can-eat house salads for $7 each in Eilat.<br /><br />Next we headed down to Eilat for a stay in real luxury at the Sheraton Herods Palace hotel - the newest hotel in Eilat. I didn't understand what people found so special about Eilat until we arrived and I could see plainly that it is because it sits cradled between Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, and it is a peaceful place - a bit Vegasy - but a beautiful nonetheless. Our friends Roy and Zahit met us there and we joined them that afternoon for some time at a gem-like private beach with a "swim with the dolphins" area, lush green landscaping and a bohemian feel. That night we ate some great Thai food and then Ari and I headed back to the beach for a romantic evening in three mineral pools with "Wet-su", some alternative form of massage.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071430835312346866"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXeaHBRvI/AAAAAAAABGg/25wV3kTYL-M/s400/CIMG0612.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431067240580946"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFXr6HBR1I/AAAAAAAABHQ/7aoMOMNXjzs/s400/CIMG0618.JPG" /></a><br />On the beach in Eilat.<br /><br />The next day we ate a proper Israeli breakfast, which is basically a huge spread of fruits, cheeses, egg dishes, pastries, smoked fish, breads, juices, all done carefully. My favorite item was a shot glass layered with honey, apple juice, minced apples, yogurt, and granola spiked with cinnamon. We snorkeled at the beach, and drank fruit smoothies near the pool. That night we had dinner in an underwater restaurant - grilled whole fish which were pretty tasty. The next morning we headed back to Haifa, on the way stopping by Moriah's kibbutz (Ketura) for an hour, visiting Mitzpeh Ramon, the world's largest geological crater, and driving through the IDF's practice grounds where Ari did officer training.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431367888291778"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFX9aHBR8I/AAAAAAAABII/4It5VPxwKwA/s400/CIMG0625.JPG" /></a><br />Visiting Kibbutz Ketura and Moriah :-)<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431320643651506"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFX6qHBR7I/AAAAAAAABIA/STwrQPcy09s/s400/CIMG0624.JPG" /></a><br />Moriah's entire kibbutz from the road.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431501032277986"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFYFKHBR-I/AAAAAAAABIY/582Fiy4_5ss/s400/CIMG0627.JPG" /></a><br />In Mitzpeh Ramon crater.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431900464236690"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFYcaHBSJI/AAAAAAAABJw/E3nENnOmbJE/s400/CIMG0638.JPG" /></a><br />Reading about wild asses in the desert!<br /><br />Right now I am typing as Ari and his dad are watching the Israeli national team beat Macedonia (2-1). After this, we'll head to a bar in Haifa, or just watch more soccer. And I need to pack for my flight tomorrow! Ok, better get going on that! More later, from India, and China.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431960593778866"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFYf6HBSLI/AAAAAAAABKA/CbuHj2QU5tc/s400/CIMG0640.JPG" /></a><br />Lone visitors at the Mitzpeh Ramon visitor center on a Friday afternoon.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/June2/photo#5071431921939073186"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RmFYdqHBSKI/AAAAAAAABJ4/SUEY9nJRoYQ/s400/CIMG0639.JPG" /></a>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-58252464712030824922007-05-20T01:11:00.001-07:002007-05-20T01:26:46.472-07:00Around the World in 60 Days - IsraelWhile the rest of the world reports of Fatah and Hamas rivaling over tiny portions of land, here is the local news from Haifa the other day:<br /><br />- Last night, a driver was caught driving down a road the wrong way. The police pulled the car over and found that the driver was drunk. He was arrested and brought to jail.<br /><br />- Yesterday, 8 men impersonating electrical engineers went to the headquarters of the power plant and stole four transformers. They were caught and brought to jail.<br /><br />- The weather will be sunny and warm this week with no chance of rain.<br /><br />The news here runs once an hour, on the hour, for 15 minutes, and the news culture is completely different from that in the U.S. As you can see from above, everything is news, no matter how small. If they're reporting the weather conditions, its a good sign.<br /><br />Last week we arrived on Tuesday and spent the week adjusting to the sizeable time change. On Friday, we went to a Michigan reception with over 50 potential Ross MBAs organized by Ohad, a current MBA at Ross. Since Ross has absolutely no brand name in Israel, the Israeli Ross MBA crowd is trying to change the tide and show how Ross is also a top class school. <br /><br />Roy presented first before the slide presentation, and did the hard part - convincing the audience why they should be there, listen, and consider Ross. Despite the fact that I could probably understand only about 10% of the Hebrew, it was really interesting to see the cultural difference here - instead of smiles and nods, the audience responded with critical looks and furrowed eyebrows. Instead of slowing the momentum, this seemed to fuel Roy's talk and make him more emphatic. Here, argument nourishes discussion rather than quashing it. Photos of the event are at: www.israelatross.com<br /><br />The next day we had a picnic with Ross MBA from three classes: those who just graduated, those who will be MBA2s this year, and the incoming class. There are seven Israelis, all men, who will be joining Ross in the fall, four of whom are married with small kids (under 2). Kids are the best at getting around the language barrier, so I like hanging out with them. At one point, I found myself trying to play with two kids who spoke no English (one only Russian, and the other only Hebrew), but nevertheless were interested in interacting. Very cute. <br />http://www.israelatross.com/Home/WebAlbums/Tel%20Aviv%20Picnic%20-%20May%202007/index.html<br /><br />More later from me, and next time, with photos!margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-26066352149862759062007-05-16T09:18:00.000-07:002007-05-16T15:24:01.796-07:00Around the World in 60 Days - Stops 2 & 3: Puerto Rico and NYCOK, so I just have to put this out there: I have been a bad blogger and I don't have any photos from NYC. Sometimes I feel like such an idiot but I am not the natural picture-taking type and I run out of photographing steam...then I look at the photos and I think, wow, that was a great idea! I should do that more often. Doh. Next time I should listen to my own advice.<br /><br />So, we spent a great 8 days in Puerto Rico. The first four were with my parents and the last couple of days it was just Ari and me. My parents just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last Tuesday (cheers for Mom and Dad!) so this was part of the party. We started our trip in Ponce, which is in the Southern, unvisited, sleepy part of the island, and then headed up to San Juan. We visited Arecibo, the bioluminescent bay, beaches, El Yunque (the only tropical rainforest in the U.S.), and historic Old San Juan. We were disappointed by the food and the prices (a shocking $25 min per meal, anywhere you go!) and delighted by the deeply rooted culture and the beautiful lush rainforest.<br /><br />Instead of commenting about precisely everything we did, here are some pictoral highlights from the trip, with comments:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060916411701352050"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv8qZ1nVnI/AAAAAAAAA1E/N5lywD3aZko/s400/CIMG0420.JPG" /></a><br />Me and Mom and Dad in Puerto Rico, in the Ocean<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065214003295371250"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktBTKHBP_I/AAAAAAAAA4A/tAYOakWMv-c/s400/CIMG0477.JPG" /></a><br />Ari and I on the grassy knoll near El Morro, Old San Juan<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065214394137395314"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktBp6HBQHI/AAAAAAAAA5A/dkV2atqGRgg/s288/CIMG0485.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065215605318173154"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktCwaHBQeI/AAAAAAAAA74/seAsOLxLxD4/s288/CIMG0509.JPG" /></a><br />Those of you who know Ollie well will know why I had to take a picture of this cat...notice the paws...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065214931008307474"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktCJKHBQRI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/tPuAeFg6SOc/s400/CIMG0495.JPG" /></a><br />Ann and Arun dancing salsa in Old San Juan<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065216064879673954"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktDLKHBQmI/AAAAAAAAA84/Jfgk5hyd7PY/s400/CIMG0519.JPG" /></a><br />Ari and I at the top of El Yunque peak<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065223469403292354"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktJ6KHBQsI/AAAAAAAABAE/5-oZN4FFius/s400/CIMG0527.JPG" /></a><br />Rainforest beauty<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060916519075534530"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv8wp1nVsI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/z5HgIbhtnvg/s400/CIMG0427.JPG" /></a><br />My parents at the edge of Arecibo Observatory (where Contact was filmed!)...<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065215356210069954"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktCh6HBQcI/AAAAAAAAA7o/gERh3Aeubzg/s288/CIMG0507.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065215390569808338"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktCj6HBQdI/AAAAAAAAA7w/nYmy_lwbjdo/s288/CIMG0508.JPG" /></a> <br />A parallel parking victory in Old San Juan!<br /><br />in NY:<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065224650519298994"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktK-6HBQ7I/AAAAAAAAA_k/psq2IYm-YWU/s400/CIMG0542.JPG" /></a> <br />Me and Phil in his front yard, Westchester County (Somers) NY<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5065224452950803346"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RktKzaHBQ5I/AAAAAAAAA_U/5MEy6h-RbDY/s400/CIMG0540.JPG" /></a><br />Me and Ari, in the same spot. By the way, the Guerci's have 5-star accomodations!! :-)margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-9925470570765531862007-05-11T13:42:00.000-07:002007-05-11T14:48:35.945-07:00Around the World in 60 Days - Stop 1: Chicago!<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060915174750769538"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv7iZ1nUYI/AAAAAAAAAeg/40DEmqKxn9s/s400/CIMG0314.JPG" /></a><br />It was a real whirlwind at graduation and I wasn't quite satiated with friend hugs as we left for Chicago early on Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago. Ari rented a car in Ann Arbor and we used it to transport us (including his parents) to Chicago for a couple of nights. After a smooth trip we arrived at the Chicago Hilton on the edge of Lake Michigan and Michigan Ave.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060915256355148210"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv7nJ1nUbI/AAAAAAAAAe4/I1mUNurS-5I/s288/CIMG0317.JPG" /></a><br />We spent the day walking Chicago on the first warm day of spring, which, unfortunately for us, turned out to be very hot. We meandered across the downtown to Navy Pier for a much needed lunch/snack, and then to the river for an architectural boat tour. <br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060915380909199938"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv7uZ1nUkI/AAAAAAAAAgA/dp_slO4z-t8/s288/CIMG0328.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060915479693447858"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv70J1nUrI/AAAAAAAAAg4/e_TxKlCTQnE/s400/CIMG0337.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060915333664559634"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv7rp1nUhI/AAAAAAAAAfo/_Qk3cQKQF14/s400/CIMG0323.JPG" /></a> That evening we visited <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/4wJCtchC3WfWZkx230mReA" > Spring </a> a nouveau American restaurant with heavy Asian influences. You can read my review about it in the link above.<br /><br />The next day after a great night's sleep we headed out in cooler windier weather to the John Hancock tower, the world's second tallest building (that you can actually walk around on). Now, for those of you that may not know me so well, I am extremely afraid of heights so this experience was a bit more thrilling than I would have liked. Thank god the structural elements are on the interior, since it's very windy up there. Here is the southern view:<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Spring2007/photo#5060916248492594642"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rjv8g51nVdI/AAAAAAAAAnM/4ooa0GVFnew/s400/CIMG0410.JPG" /></a> After an unfortunately unremarkable meal at Bistrot Margot, we headed back to the hotel and said bon voyage to Ari's parents. The next morning, we headed to Puerto Rico.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-67117966503454023952007-05-11T05:24:00.000-07:002007-05-11T05:30:19.307-07:00Around the World in 60 Days - Introductory PostDear Reader,<br /><br />I failed you. I promised to carefully chronicle my traipsing about the world, let you in on all the little adventures and secrets of this trip, but so far, not a peep from my fingertips! I hope you can forgive me. So, here goes the first of hopefully many entries that will keep everything straight and set for the history books. This is:<br /><br />Margot & Ari's Trip Around the World in 60 days!<br /><br />Our destinations:<br /><br />Chicago (April 29 - May 1)<br />Puerto Rico (May 1 - May 9)<br />NYC/Westchester County (May 9 - 14)<br />Haifa, Eilat, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Israel (May 14 - June 3)<br />New Delhi, India (June 3 - 10)<br />Southwestern China, Kunming, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Toisan, Hong Kong (June 10 - 27)<br /><br />We've already blown through two destinations! More in the next entry, on Chicago, home of modern architecture.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-17428436427856227812007-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:002007-03-30T18:56:12.753-07:00It's almost the last time to procrastinate!Hello Everybody,<br /><br />So, it was a very exciting night last night - P-Hat played our best 1990's rock n' roll in front of a very very drunk MBA crowd. The reasons: upcoming marriages and fundraising. Last night 12 MBA women had their bachelorette party - a mob of tank top clad women with flashing lights, crowns, leis, the whole bit. These are the times when I am very very thankful that I am not engaged (phew!). The fundraising bit added some excitement as well because about 30% of the male MBA2s are sporting mustaches. Like the gross Burt Reynolds kind. So they're feeling a little more self-conscious than usual, and this equals more drinking too. Yippee. (http://rosstache2007.blogspot.com)<br /><br />Anyway, P-Hat had a blast and we really rocked the crowd. This was our first full-length set (about 17 songs) and I was completely exhausted after screaming my head off after song #3.<br /><br />Today we had a leadership workshop meant to usher us proudly into the real world with some great leadership skills. The result was an ego maniac speaker who named dropped like nobody's business. I was unimpressed.<br /><br />Tomorrow I have my very last final of my MBA career: World Economy. Wish me luck!margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-38198894763697077342007-03-07T04:03:00.000-08:002007-03-08T06:34:25.948-08:00Home Again Home Again, Jiggity JigOkay, so I was sort of slacker with the blog at the end of my trip. I can make up all sorts of excuses but really I was just lazy and the writing kick wasn't in me. Now that it's 6:30 in the morning, it's back in full-force. So I thought I'd catch ya'll up on how the rest of the trip transpired.<br /><br />We went to beaches in Haifa and Tel Aviv:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883386788190194"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReaawPSTl_I/AAAAAAAAAKM/vQhnl68OjdU/s288/CIMG0132.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883623011391570"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Reaa9_STmFI/AAAAAAAAAK8/EZo1Bvk1Tfo/s288/CIMG0143.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We descended down centuries-traveled oceanside cliffs and into water borne caves at Nikra. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037382748330727762"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rehg65_vGVI/AAAAAAAAAL4/ZWQMhIMAKS0/s288/CIMG0151.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037383341036214706"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehhdZ_vGbI/AAAAAAAAAMo/t0-MJmrNX9Y/s288/CIMG0160.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037383525719808450"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehhoJ_vGcI/AAAAAAAAAMw/EbFE-qNOfAQ/s288/CIMG0161.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We went up North to the green rocky hills and Yam Kinneret (Sea of Galilee for you Jesus loving folks). <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037383847842355762"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rehh65_vGjI/AAAAAAAAANo/oXTFGIKeKVo/s288/CIMG0169.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037383925151767122"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rehh_Z_vGlI/AAAAAAAAAN4/FUVnofx83IU/s288/CIMG0171.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We wandered around Sfat, a small old city built on a steep hillside with four ancient synagogues rumored to be the home of some of the first Kabbalist practices.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384174259870354"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehiN5_vGpI/AAAAAAAAAOY/o2vdiEh1Q0k/s288/CIMG0175.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384315993791154"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehiWJ_vGrI/AAAAAAAAAOo/zO5pnUEgwK8/s288/CIMG0177.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Up north, we stayed in Amirim, a collective of B&B's that are all vegetarian. As you can imagine, it's all very utopian - dogs and cats live amongst people and know that the two-legged ones won't leave them out in the street at night. Our spacious suite was complete with a jacuzzi that overlooked the Kinneret and it was lovely.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384423367973586"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehicZ_vGtI/AAAAAAAAAO4/XycEvfkhaok/s288/CIMG0183.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384509267319538"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehihZ_vGvI/AAAAAAAAAPI/zYrth6ikNyw/s288/CIMG0186.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We saw a 1-week old foal and went horseback riding on lush green hillsides and waded through tall wildflowers. <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384762670390082"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehiwJ_vG0I/AAAAAAAAAPw/V5jkPLAdcLs/s288/CIMG0192.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037384951648951138"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rehi7J_vG2I/AAAAAAAAAQA/qgcrlYgmV50/s288/CIMG0194.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037385041843264370"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehjAZ_vG3I/AAAAAAAAAQI/WPY3I1Ck55E/s288/CIMG0195.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037385127742610306"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehjFZ_vG4I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/uc7dkSQlrMY/s288/CIMG0196.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037385973851167762"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rehj2p_vHBI/AAAAAAAAARY/NgLv5_UPtFU/s288/CIMG0208.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1/photo#5037386497837178034"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/RehkVJ_vHLI/AAAAAAAAASo/1st1aQGkFcE/s288/CIMG0224.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar1">Mar 1</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We drove around a lot and looked into Lebanon, which is really shockingly lovely. We saw the Hezbollah flag standing tall next to the Lebanese one, and hypothesized about another possible conflict. We reminisced about Ari's military days, stopping by the small concrete soccer field high up on a lookout point where he played on the weekends. We tried to get into one...two...three national parks but because it was Friday afternoon, we were turned away.<br /><br />Then we headed back to Haifa. We spent more time with Ari's family. We went out with his sister and friend, Nadav. Then, it was time to go.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar2/photo#5037652510931623154"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/RelWRJ_vHPI/AAAAAAAAATE/pO9nPSeEAFU/s288/CIMG0227.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar2">Mar 2</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar2/photo#5037652583946067218"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/RelWVZ_vHRI/AAAAAAAAATU/CSoJK3ZvX7A/s288/CIMG0229.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Mar2">Mar 2</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Purim Carnival in Haifa:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4/photo#5038157736524586578"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReshxJ_vHlI/AAAAAAAAAVw/bgvoePOPRvw/s288/CIMG0249.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4">March 4</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4/photo#5038155348522769970"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ResfmJ_vHjI/AAAAAAAAAVg/tWD6RwF--8k/s288/CIMG0246.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4">March 4</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4/photo#5038157989927657090"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/Resh_5_vHoI/AAAAAAAAAWI/e-nRNncAhyI/s288/CIMG0252.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/March4">March 4</a></td></tr></table>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-13149911001898339812007-03-01T00:50:00.000-08:002007-03-01T01:28:21.064-08:00Enjoying the Beach in Haifa and Tel Aviv - Photos OnlyHere are some photos - this morning we're off to the north to stay at a B&B...more in a few days...<br /><br />Beaches in Haifa and Tel Aviv:<br /><br />Giant Jellyfish:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883318068713426"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReaasPSTl9I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/9c7rfk-DDl0/s288/CIMG0129.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Student's Beach in Haifa:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883361018386402"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReaauvSTl-I/AAAAAAAAAKE/OCiNnoGW20E/s288/CIMG0131.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Haifa: <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883386788190194"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReaawPSTl_I/AAAAAAAAAKM/vQhnl68OjdU/s288/CIMG0132.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />The Road down from Haifa/Mt. Carmel:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883476982503442"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Reaa1fSTmBI/AAAAAAAAAKc/6ivQV8yKzqM/s288/CIMG0136.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Ari's Father's Quarry:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883502752307234"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Reaa2_STmCI/AAAAAAAAAKk/oVv_CJftHoE/s288/CIMG0139.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Billboards:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883532817078322"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Reaa4vSTmDI/AAAAAAAAAKs/v23INanq28Q/s288/CIMG0140.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Beach Promenade in Tel Aviv:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883623011391570"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Reaa9_STmFI/AAAAAAAAAK8/EZo1Bvk1Tfo/s288/CIMG0143.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Juice stand in Tel Aviv (yesterday I had pomegranate and carrot juice!)<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28/photo#5036883678845966434"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReabBPSTmGI/AAAAAAAAALM/GZaDNiXDcPQ/s288/CIMG0145.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb28">Feb 28</a></td></tr></table>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-26045023034081197362007-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:002007-02-27T12:51:56.982-08:00Whirlwind through Tel Aviv and JerusalemYesterday morning at 9 sharp, Ari and I took to the road for the short (in American terms!) 1 hour drive to Tel Aviv - Ari had to visit the U.S. Embassy to renew his student visa, which he did successfully after waiting in a very inefficient line for 3 hours. I, on the other hand, had the luxury of venturing out into the streets of Tel Aviv for a stroll and some shopping. Keen shopper that I am, I ended up heading right up towards Dizengoff Street, home of punky, creative, and elegant boutiques. <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036306963522360834"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSOf_STlgI/AAAAAAAAAGY/zIdaCAQEITU/s288/CIMG0052.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />It was a little intimidating finding my way around, but this feeling only lasted about 2 minutes until I discovered that shopping is a universal skill and not culturally bound. Also, here I could practice my newfound negotiation skills that I just learned about last term. In about an hour, I bargained my way through two rings, a couple pairs of jeans, and a shirt and belt. The shopping service style is much more aggressive here - I was handed nearly one thing in every shop - and unfortunately I was not adept enough at Hebrew to make anyone consider that I might be a local, which meant higher prices (most likely). Fortunately there were marked prices on the items so I anchored low and held on for dear life. I even almost walked out a couple of times and this seemed to work well since it was a rainy day and the shops were starved for some business.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036316498349758354"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSXK_STl5I/AAAAAAAAAJg/gInLs6JhXh4/s288/CIMG0128.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />Ari and I successfully met at the designated coffee shop around 1pm, and then we headed to Jerusalem to our hotel on Har HaTsofim (a hill that overlooks Jerusalem). We had a lovely dinner at Rivlin, right near the old city, and then headed to the Western Wall (Ha Kotel) for our tour at 9pm. I actually drove this part, since Ari and I both agreed that I was a better driver and he navigator, since the maps were all in Hebrew.<br /><br />The old city at night is very beautiful - the walls seem even more solid and protective than I imagined. We ambled through narrow passageways and streets that one could barely imagine a car squeezing through. It had just stopped raining, and everything was damp and quiet so that our footsteps were the only audible sound within the yellow-lit walls. We descended toward Ha Kotel, went through the security station (checking your bag as you would in an airport) and walked out onto the broad plaza bordered by Ha Kotel. <br /><<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036307079486477858"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSOmvSTliI/AAAAAAAAAGo/m8C35dwXNfo/s288/CIMG0054.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />I was surprised to find that while the place certainly seemed sanctified by the people there, there was nothing particularly compelling about the wall, and in fact I began to feel foolish as I stood facing the giant pieces of stone that have been in the same place since before 86BC. It seems strange to me that a people freed from idolatry choose to stand facing a wall to feel holy. Of all the places that I have been in my life, I have felt greater holiness in nature, during a sunrise, or watching an act of kindness and compassion. <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036307655012095698"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSPIPSTltI/AAAAAAAAAIA/U35LZN25btw/s288/CIMG0085.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />That is not to say that the Western Wall could be taken lightly; the emotional energy of the women was completely overwhelming. Women of all ages from all places were deep in prayer - most with a book - women about 20 taking photos of eachother at the wall with their cellphones (which made an oinking noise that I found highly disrespectful) - women with their daugthers, snapping photos and encouraging them to pray, women bowed over with eyes closed weeping, women rocking back and forth and singing prayers. As I have seen in photos, cracks were jam packed with handwritten notes - Ari even saw one note with a phone number.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036307165385823810"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSOrvSTlkI/AAAAAAAAAG4/5vDBiVXUurE/s288/CIMG0066.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />We lined up in the cold for our tour through the tunnels and visited the wall from underground, under the Arab quarter, and saw the greater extent of the extraordinary workmanship of the temple mount structure: a wall that extended all along the Old City, built using stones that would challenge the limits of modern-day technology. Our tour guide was informative but frustrating for me because she kept making very insidious comments about Arabs. There were a number of children on our tour - American Jews - and they all accepted the Anti-Arab rhetoric without question.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036307972839675666"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSPavSTlxI/AAAAAAAAAIg/yP5Oq0yvTeY/s288/CIMG0099.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />The next morning after breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Yad VaShem (Holocaust Memorial Museum) for the first part of the day. <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036316657263548322"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSXUPSTl6I/AAAAAAAAAJo/4uXNs-isRmo/s288/yadvashem.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />It is a beautifully-designed stark landscape of concrete and glass, and every effort has been spent on making the place somber and trustworthy as a monument to the Holocaust. As you can imagine the museum is very very very sad. My favorite piece was a poem written by a 14 year old names Abraham who died at Auschwitz:<br /><br />A Dream<br />By Avraham Koplowicz<br /><br />When I grow up and reach the age of 20,<br />I'll set out to see the enchanting world.<br />I'll take a seat in a bird with a motor;<br />I'll rise and soar high into space.<br /><br />I'll fly, sail, hover<br />Over the lovely faraway world.<br />I'll soar over rivers and ocean<br />Skyward shall I ascend and blossom,<br />A cloud my sister, the wind my brother.<br /><br />I wish that this museum was more about hope and less about death. I understand that remembering will make this never happen again, but hope is what kept people alive, and I feel like they too would want a place dedicated to hope that remembered them as thoroughly as Yad VaShem.<br /><br />Needless to say, I was completely exhausted after this experience. We headed out of Jerusalem and took one stop at Mini-Israel, which is a complte replica of over 350 famous sites in Israel made in perfect in 1:25 scale. I found some humor in the cats lying about (see photos) and the "giant" birds hanging out on the buildings. Plexiglass surrounding the Arab figurines was an uncomfortable reminder of the current situation.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036316867716945842"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSXgfSTl7I/AAAAAAAAAJw/gWIGqPLceWs/s288/CIMG0114.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br />We came back to Haifa to Ari's Mom (Aviva)'s delicious bolognese, and watched Million Dollar Baby. More news tomorrow!<br /><br />Re-enactment of Ari's Officer ceremony:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036308582725031810"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSP-PSTl4I/AAAAAAAAAJY/05TBWIB04w4/s288/CIMG0110.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Giant Cat!<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036308419516274546"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSP0vSTl3I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/Q9Rilq32uOw/s288/CIMG0109.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Replica of Western Wall:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036308355091765090"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSPw_STl2I/AAAAAAAAAJI/MtQ33Iu9ruE/s288/CIMG0108.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Does Southwest Airlines really fly to Israel?<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036308148933334866"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSPk_STl1I/AAAAAAAAAJA/cuRt88WHNQU/s288/CIMG0107.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Before Yad VaShem:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627/photo#5036308020084315938"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReSPdfSTlyI/AAAAAAAAAIo/iK5K5l408uk/s288/CIMG0101.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb2627">Feb 26-27</a></td></tr></table>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-74751242514600587602007-02-25T14:36:00.000-08:002007-02-25T22:40:10.888-08:00Up at 5am/Druze Towns/Poker in KarmielThis morning I rudely woke Ari up at 5am to go for a walk. I am not sure if it was the naps or jetlag that got to me but there I was, lying awake, listening to a lone bird chirping away at 4:30. Fortunately, Ari was a good sport and we walked to see the sunrise - in the haze, it was impossible, but it worked to catch a couple more winks of sleep. <br /><br />Had a chocolate and plain croissant and some o.j. at 10am and went straight to the nearby Druze villages for some market shopping. We drove through Isfiya and then to Daliat el Carmel, a large Druze town. The Druze come from a long departed arm of Ismailism, the derrivative of Islamism, and they are considered Arab Israelis. Most Arab Israelis are exempt from serving in the army, but the Druze proudly distinguish themselves as part of the team and many have served throughout the years, demonstrating their patriotism toward Israel. Unfortunately, though, it is clear that the Druze are also subject to more poverty, downtrodden infrastructure, and religious segregation compared to the Jews living in Haifa. The result: a place that made me feel like I was in Mexico. Lots of shops with various toys and trinkets: leather elephants, faux Native American dreamcatchers, sparkling fabric of all colors, copper tins, spice jars, ood (guitars)...the list goes on. I was able to get a great pair of sweatpants for 20 shekles (about $4.50US) and also picked up some canvas art reproductions.<br /><br />Daliat el Carmel:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25/photo#5035604010519991730"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReIPKvSTlbI/AAAAAAAAAFw/9V8vlquFv70/s288/CIMG0048.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25">Feb 25</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25/photo#5035604092124370370"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReIPPfSTlcI/AAAAAAAAAF4/oRQ6oU6HgEQ/s288/CIMG0049.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25">Feb 25</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Shwarma:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25/photo#5035604135074043346"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReIPR_STldI/AAAAAAAAAGA/qmTnqivqr9g/s288/CIMG0050.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb25">Feb 25</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Ari and I picked up Idan from school and took him to lunch. We ate hoummos and meat, and I tried the hot peppers, which made the meal 2x better. Then I went shopping with Elinor at the local mall while Ari visited his grandmother. I was saddened to find a mall that looked just like it could have been in Edina, minus the security guards who check your purse at each entrance. Picked up some great shoes and a sweater for a steal (prices here are 1) on sale and 2) about 30% cheaper than U.S.) and then headed back to Ari's place. Saw his parents and grandfather, who was over for a bit, and then headed to Karmiel for a poker game with some of his Intel friends. <br /><br />The game was with two of Ari's friends from Intel, and I can completely understand why the three of them got along - all three are very grounded, smart, content engineers. One, Miki, is getting married on Weds and we will go to the weddding, and the other Avi, showed off his adorable 6 month old daughter. We had some pizza with spices on it (similar to hot peppers in the U.S.) and put the latest soccer game on.<br /><br />Traffic lights here represent Israeli driving - at any moment, anyone could honk at you for practically no reason. Similarly ridiculous is the fact that before the light turns green here, there is a yellow "warning" to start - just feeding Israeli's impatience with lights and waiting. Also, Israelis are always striking. Ari cannot remember one single year in school when there was not a strike. In fact, there might be a strike at the airport on Monday - the day when we're supposed to fly out! Stay tuned.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-83590526841669024782007-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:002007-02-24T10:13:49.958-08:00Mixed up in the Middle East - Old AkkoAfter a series of drinks and beer last night in Haifa, we came home at around 3 a.m. and hit the sack. In Israel, closing time is when the customers leave, and people are out all night - the difference is that since there is no rush to drink, the booze goes down much more slowly and the general atmosphere is less frenetic. "Packed" here is equivalent to a busy but not hopping night in the U.S. It's nice.<br /><br />We woke up at 12:10pm, suprised at the time, and hurried off to lunch with Ari's family (minus Elinor) in Akko. We had a superb lunch at Uri-Buri, a seafood place specializing in just-caught, fresh small plates. Everything hearkened the simple, pure mediterranean sea and was very delicate. My favorite dish was shrimp with artichoke hearts and lemon with a saffron thyme olive oil dressing. Artichoke hearts were fresh and rich, and the bright yellow sauce seeped into every nook and cranny of some fresh bread at the table. We also had a very meaty white fish encrusted in black pepper that most closely resembled beef steak, ceviche, a spinach strawberry salad, and calamari (see photo). For dessert we had an assortment of truffles and a baked pear filled with marzipan (almond paste) encrusted in pie pastry, with homemade cinnamon ice cream. Marvelous.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144160323613074"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBs77z4sZI/AAAAAAAAAEE/J4rAodY8Ml4/s288/CIMG0037.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Old Akko is an Arab town also on the Mediterranean sea north of Haifa. The hazy day made views difficult but it was still very picturesque and fascinating in its history. The site has been inhabited by various groups for about 5,000 years - everyone from ancient Canaanites to Napoleon. Large stone walls and "chan" (village squares) structure the maize of passegeways and streets. Walking around it feels as if walls were built, and then walls connecting those walls, making it cloistered and somewhat clausterphobic, yet impenetrably safe. We went to the "shuk" (market) and saw bins and bins of fresh gleaming fish, sacks of fragrant spices, and bought some fresh pita (made on the spot) and hummus to bring back for dinner. <br /><br />I think I overestimated the warm weather and have been feeling ill-equipped (cold) because of the cool, slightly damp weather here - unfortunately tomorrow it will rain, and we are planning to find some indoor things to do, including seeing a couple of museums in Haifa.<br /><br />Idan in Akko:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144748734132786"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBteLz4sjI/AAAAAAAAAFU/KtJkAafqZOk/s288/CIMG0047.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />A car in an impossibly small passageway:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144714374394402"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtcLz4siI/AAAAAAAAAFo/yoMG5uCutLo/s288/CIMG0046.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Ood, sheshbesh (backgammon) and drums in the shuk:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144649949884946"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtYbz4shI/AAAAAAAAAFE/kRPTsKtxmuo/s288/CIMG0045.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Me with a shark in the shuk!<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144564050539010"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtTbz4sgI/AAAAAAAAAE8/i4WNdO99QSY/s288/CIMG0044.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Ari and Idan with the shark<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144521100866034"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtQ7z4sfI/AAAAAAAAAE0/TZqhCMres-U/s288/CIMG0043.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />Akko<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144409431716322"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtKbz4seI/AAAAAAAAAFk/UDHhXmaiV7g/s288/CIMG0042.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144336417272258"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtGLz4scI/AAAAAAAAAFc/AsfhcLsn6aE/s288/CIMG0040.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144297762566578"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtD7z4sbI/AAAAAAAAAEU/uORUaJrTQTA/s288/CIMG0039.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table><br />"chan" in Akko:<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24/photo#5035144375071977938"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/ReBtIbz4sdI/AAAAAAAAAFg/6XrR_r_oA14/s288/CIMG0041.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb24">Feb 24</a></td></tr></table>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-15081260108227246722007-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:002007-02-23T11:09:21.251-08:00I've landed...in Israel....but where am I?<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034791822681485362"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8sfLz4sDI/AAAAAAAAABE/wZf4V4J2Qsk/s288/CIMG0015.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br />International travel, fortunately, is still exciting for me. Ari and I left cold Ann Arbor on Weds night on a flight to a very foggy Frankfurt, where we landed in extreme fog that demonstrated just how sophisticated auto-pilot can be. Once landed in disciplined German fashion, we were hurried to our next flight to Tel Aviv. The flight is where the "Israel" part starts.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034805871519510866"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd85Q7z4sVI/AAAAAAAAADk/rm4-JDl3fyw/s288/CIMG0034.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034806064793039202"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd85cLz4sWI/AAAAAAAAADo/qGHvUb5q3ic/s288/CIMG0035.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br />The contrast between the people on our first and second flight was dramatic. The first: clean, quiet, polite, organized, efficient. The second: noisy, hectic, no one following directions, people seeming confused, dirty bathrooms, etc. Ari said that this was Israel "lite" - I guess on El Al everything is much more "Israeli" - I am sure I will experience this more later in the trip. Fortunately, Ari and I were both so tired at this point that it didn't matter and were both able to catch some shuteye. We arrived in Tel Aviv and took an extremely convenient train to Haifa, where Ari's father picked us up at the train station. One thing happened that I hate, which is that awkward first meeting and gesture - I, like most, usually go through the motions (hopefully without error), metaphorically closing my eyes until its over because inevitably, it's weird. Ok, so this time it was weird. Me, being a huggy American, and Ari's dad, who's European, didn't really mesh. He went in for the kiss and me the hug, and well, you know what happens. Awkwardness. And I was already feeling pretty awkward. Its ok, though. We've since smoothed things over.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034792299422855250"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8s67z4sFI/AAAAAAAAABU/xxkyCHq-O6s/s288/CIMG0017.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br />Ari's house is on a curving quiet dead end street in the hills of Haifa - still close the urban areas but certainly out of the noisiness. The house (like most, I think) has all hard flooring - granite, wood, tile. No carpet. It is built into the hillside with two levels facing the sea view and a tiled courtyard on the back. There are other housese right nearby and in terms of square footage, the houses seem to be about the same size as my house in Minneapolis. Ari has a large room in the lower level which is sort of like an efficiency apartment with a fridge and its own bathroom. The style inside the house is a mix of mediterranean/jewish - lots of artwork and whiteness everywhere. <br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034792346667495522"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8s9rz4sGI/AAAAAAAAABc/nII0rnS-Bno/s288/CIMG0018.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br />We watched Maccabe Haifa win last night to a team from Russia, and then went to sleep at the reasonable hour of 10pm. I think there's something wrong with me because I just don't get jet lagged - but I'm not complaining. We woke up around 9, but I was pretty stressed out because Ari had closed all the windows to complete darkness, so I was very disoriented. We discovered that my brain has "boot sequence" (you IT folks might know what I mean) where I need to know where I am, what direction I'm facing, what time is it, etc. in the morning, otherwise I get very grumpy. Crisis was averted when we opened the window.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn_LVwxSeAH51mPo25dxkpSgsnMFfsk720I7vinhewYbAKFZuHagvQTJYw86olfCSWAVzpE37-WZc8D3q7LaacYqD6Ik1U-ex7LA_4ouPWB3jeNypqKHzIHvaHMTIoHoWT9OT0w/s1600-h/CIMG0014.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgn_LVwxSeAH51mPo25dxkpSgsnMFfsk720I7vinhewYbAKFZuHagvQTJYw86olfCSWAVzpE37-WZc8D3q7LaacYqD6Ik1U-ex7LA_4ouPWB3jeNypqKHzIHvaHMTIoHoWT9OT0w/s200/CIMG0014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034782472537681890" /></a><br /><br />After a light breakfast, we headed out for a 3-hr walk into the Mt. Carmel forest. Now, I wouldn't classify this necessarily as a forest, more as a park with trees and picnic areas and a view of the sea. The wildflowers were out, which made things quiet beautiful, and I took a bunch of pics.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034792505581285490"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8tG7z4sHI/AAAAAAAAABk/B8B3pTWK__8/s288/CIMG0019.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034792724624617602"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8tTrz4sII/AAAAAAAAABs/RQ1xVHo4IGQ/s288/CIMG0020.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034792823408865426"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8tZbz4sJI/AAAAAAAAAB0/Gz87uCV-Plc/s288/CIMG0021.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br /><br />We also explored some ancient Roman olive oil presses that were still remarkably in tact (some of the vats had small tiles in them that you could still see color on) and saw the view of Haifa port. I guess on clear days you can also see Lebanon, but today was hazy so the views of the sea were unimpressive. We had a big lunch (the main meal of the day) with Ari's grandfather. Since he does not speak English (but does speak Hebrew, German, Russian, and Yiddish), we had to rely on Ari as interpreter. We got along well anyways, and the photo is enclosed to prove it.<br /><br />The day before I left I had the sudden realization that I was going to Israel. I had been so focused on meeting Ari's family that I completely forgot that I was to arrive in one of the most culturally rich places in the world....so I did what any sensible Nudell family member would do - promptly went to the bookstore and bought a couple of books - one for travel, and one on the culture. The culture book turned out to be about 25% ethnocentric b.s. and I plan on returning it to Borders upon my return. <br /><br />As a Jew, I'm supposed to care a lot about being here. As Margot, I realize that my "Jewishness", while fortified by the cultural heritage of Israel, is not founded here. Being Chinese lets me "pass" as practically anyone - no one here thinks that I am Jewish (let alone Ashkenazi!), so I have the privilege of being the ultimate observer. Sometimes I feel left out, as if the Jews have disowned me because of this, but then I realize that each person's religion is truly their own - an fabric of faith, culture, heritage, family values - and then I realize I have a lot of that to work with. So, in short, things are just peachy.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034796152008519906"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8wbLz4sOI/AAAAAAAAACc/cXMt8JgE8mU/s288/CIMG0027.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table><br />Tonight we'll go to dinner with Ari's family and a friend. More updates tomorrow!<br /><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23/photo#5034795692447019218"><img src="http://lh5.google.com/image/margotnlee/Rd8wAbz4sNI/AAAAAAAAACU/pPOaZE8KyV0/s288/CIMG0026.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:66%; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/margotnlee/Feb23">Feb 23</a></td></tr></table>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-63398988538597213742007-01-27T22:27:00.000-08:002007-01-27T22:34:14.992-08:00Tips for the Good Guys on Asking a Girl Out (by request)So, it has come to my attention that I am capable of giving some advice on the aforementioned subject. Listen carefully.<br /><br />Expressing interest in someone else is one of the most ballsy things to do in life. You could get rejected. You could be misunderstood.<br /><br />But, worse yet, you could never find out what's going on. The next couple of blog entries will be completely dedicated to this subject.<br /><br />Here is the first tip that might help you Good Guys out there:<br /><br />First of all, express your interest directly. Do not say "I was wondering if you want to have lunch sometime". This can be confused with the completely platonic: "Let's have lunch sometime" - in which you'll find yourself finagling over schedules and locations, times, what's best on the menu, etc.<br /><br />Instead, say: "I would really like to take you to lunch sometime. Will you come?" There, the intent is out there. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work in either of your schedules or you can't find the perfect place to go. It matters that you asked, and that you intended to ask. I can think of very few times when someone could say no to this, unless they absolutely do not like you. And if that's the case, you're better off knowing now than later when you've spent the extra $15 and your ego trying to figure it out over a meal.<br /><br />Another tip coming next time! Cheers.margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-16580582059409285572007-01-07T22:06:00.000-08:002007-01-07T22:21:51.767-08:00bow down, Margot Lees, to my blog, which is now top-listed on Google!<a href="http://www.cookingforengineers.com/pics/640/DSC_8897_crop.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.cookingforengineers.com/pics/640/DSC_8897_crop.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />So it's back to the procrastination again. It's amazing how school inspires, invigorates, and pushes me enthusiastically towards successful utter procrastination. Work doesn't do the trick, even hard work. But working hard in classes and not getting paid for another six months? Now, that's something to procrastinate for. Hence my blog entry at 1am.<br /><br />Not to say that I don't have some good courses lined up. This semester, it's all about Strategery and I'm emersing myself in the topic save some silly requirements left over. Thank god I have a job, that's all I can say. And, thank god I'm leaving this place too. I'm getting sick of it.<br /><br />We (MBAs) just finished a 3-4 wk break from classes - most left Ann Arbor for home or sunnier locations, while I remained and really enjoyed the peace and quiet. I learned to play backgammon (also called "shesh besh") with skill, spent some good time with my cat, and made gravlax for the first time. For those of you unfamiliar with this phenomenon, think of it as a poor man's lox that you make with fresh salmon. It only takes two days. My quick recipe:<br /><br />Get a thick piece of high quality salmon from the market<br />Trim off any thin pieces- you want it to be the same thickness <br />Drown it in 1.5 parts salt: 2 parts sugar<br />Drizzle some vodka over the top, and you can add lemon and dill if you feel so inclined<br />Flip it every 12 hours or so<br />In two days: GRAVLAX! <br /><br /><br />It will look something like this, and hopefully you can cut it with such a high quality knife as this one. It will certainly make things easier.<br /><br />In other news...<br /><br />I recently bought some expensive plane tickets to fly to Israel. In preparation for my trip I've been searching out maps and stuff for reference. This one is pretty cool (Google: eye on israel) and it is interactive. You can't see it, but the train moves and airplanes fly overhead so everything looks "alive"... I wonder when rockets were falling on Haifa if they included those too - little cute explosions on their little cute map. Awww.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYfdKdV_7wARZxOJbwRlk1xEER484DOxKu_kSV6HH3_R0gM8ctWt4-3KZ2kLJ_yETCJgP5X87QI1RVxKD4N7k1mWpsJkcuPYf-fiG5IAHnxjwBgAI57V2emDqt2K48UOGlf6BSQ/s1600-h/Picture+1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYfdKdV_7wARZxOJbwRlk1xEER484DOxKu_kSV6HH3_R0gM8ctWt4-3KZ2kLJ_yETCJgP5X87QI1RVxKD4N7k1mWpsJkcuPYf-fiG5IAHnxjwBgAI57V2emDqt2K48UOGlf6BSQ/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5017540371972310322" /></a>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-68799806386532967572007-01-03T11:06:00.000-08:002007-01-03T11:24:37.393-08:00Fresh Sounds for a Happy New Year!Hello Readers of my Long-Dormant Blog! <br /><br />It's been a long time since I've enjoyed pop music - I've recently discovered a brit chick who definitely has some style. Check her out: <a href="http://www.lilyallenmusic.com/"> Lily Allen's Website </a><br /><br />Best,<br />Margotmargothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-67866994671684400692006-12-07T21:55:00.000-08:002006-12-07T22:08:05.896-08:00What's up with Margots taking Lee as their middle name?Okay, let's all admit - we've done the inevitable at some point - Googled ourselves. I will also admit that I have Googled potential boyfriends, old boyfriends, people I am creeped out by, people I like, etc. etc. It's an easy quick check. Well - in my Googling "Margot Lee" I have discovered the inordinately large number of Margots with Lee as their middle name! What imposters! They ought to just choose it for a surname, cause everyone knows Margot Lee just sounds...right.<br /><br />Onwards and upwards - it's been a very crazy couple of weeks what with school and all. For the MBA Blog searchers out there, here's a neat list of things I've done:<br /><br />- Auditioned for Follies, the Ross variety show in the spring, which included reading lines and singing "Hail to the Victors" a la Tony Bennett<br />- Took the writing exam for the second time using the B.S. "persuasive adaptiveness tool" - basically succumbing to the "Man"<br />- Wrote a paper about a dysfunctional team and even drew some cool diagrams about it<br />- Created a final presentation and presented to "investors" who will allocate their "money" based on the presentation<br />- Played a gig with P-Hat at Scorekeepers (that was tonight)<br />- Learned a new song to play with P-Hat<br />- Saved 30% off of $100 at CVS courtesy of a friend giving back a favor<br />- Made Thanksgiving for 10, moved the meal twice<br />- Almost finished eating the turkey<br />- Played a fierce game of Monopoly that came to a stalemate <br />- Finished the last assignments for the most difficult class ever: FIN637 (real options, options & futures, valuation, and sustainability, all rolled into one)<br />- Considered getting a kitten over winter break<br /><br />Those first four items were in the last two days. Needless to say, it's been hectic.<br /><br />Tomorrow morning I am flying to San Fran with boyfriend Ari to chill out on McKinsey's dime for a nice lil' offeree weekend. We're staying at the Omni, which looks decent, and taking some cooking classes on Saturday. Also will try to explore the city a bit and pretend like we don't have tons of work to do. Best of luck to ya'll doing your finals!margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25760177.post-1164134293767091212006-11-21T10:37:00.000-08:002006-11-21T10:38:13.786-08:00A little shameless self-promotion...I recently co-directed a video for a variety show by MBAs for MBAs. It's about our band, P-hat.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2v69nvdbIIQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2v69nvdbIIQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>margothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06468795610042556414noreply@blogger.com0