stuff4restaurants

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Since Verona (yes I did find Juliet’s Balcony) we have shopped Milan, trained to Paris, visited the European gift and furniture fair (in Paris) that was bloody awesome in size and exciting content, revisited my favorite Galleries and discovered several more, survived a Paris Hotel room so small it was a joke (very unfunny) discovered the customer service of an American Airlines Trans-Atlantic flight (non existent, from a crew so lacking in self esteem, I felt sorry for them) and arrived in the world’s other (than Hong Kong) most exciting city New York.

I’m sure you can imagine, I’m just a tad tired, emotional and lagged, but who can rest when there are the art galleries and seductive neon still to be crammed in, in just a couple of short days. I’m starting to dream of home, summer, sailing on the rolling Pacific and warm summer breezes…

If you are one of the many waiting for an email response, all I can say is sorry… and I will catch up as soon as I return home to some normalcy again soon.

Wow it seems like years have passed since my last post. We have been traveling day and night and are now in Verona in northern Italy. (no sign of Juliet hanging out on a local balcony)

Since my last post from Hong Kong we have traveled back to Japan and on to Italy. We overnighted in Rome (so my son could catch up on some school friends who were also on a group visit there) which is always a tough and exciting city. It still excudes raw power and is rough, tough, and exciting. It feels more than a little strange to imagine all the historial figures that have walked the streets before you.

From Rome we traveled north to Florence to bury our brain cells in some of the best Renaisance art that never fails to astound the sences, then traveled on through the little villages and hillside fortresses this region is so famous for. Spent a very rainy day in Venice exploring contemporary art galleries then headed for the Dolomites for 4 days of the best snow skiing I have ever experienced.

We are now heading for Milan and Paris before crossing the pond to New York.

Yes, I’m sick of packing and unpacking bags, driving and staying in hotel rooms so small you have to step outside to change your mind.

This years travels have brought the additional challange of a maturing 15 year old, whos insatiable need for huge quantities of food and personal space have added a whole new dimension to the travel experience.

Sorry there are no photos to post but the facilities to upload are just a tad too difficult but when I finally get a decent access point I have GIGABITES of stuff.

Untill next time CHEERS! from a fast becoming weary traveler.

Again, at last, I find some time and Internet access to make a posting.

We have spent the last few days doing what everyone does in Hong Kong, exploring this exciting city until your feet and leg muscles scream and and resort to cramping to slow you down.

The retail in this city is astounding, in fact you can be forgiven for thinking that Hong Kong is one large shopping center.

We have trudged the back alleys and lane ways, attempted to avoid the touts extolling the virtues of their unique tailors and copy watches, bought every new Ipod and computer devise known to mankind, loaded up on enough DVD’s and software to force us to invest in terrabyte hard drives and eaten dim sum until it hurts… I love this city!

I have been coming to this city, regularly, for over twenty years and it just keeps getting better and better. I have watched it grow from wall to wall slum dwellings, to one of the most modern cities in the world, where it’s peoples average standard of living has improved out of site, with one of the worlds LOWEST TAX RATES!!!!

Just to give you an idea of how “Out There” this city can be in it’s constant quest to be bigger and better, the photo below is of the Wampoa Shopping Center. This huge ship is smack in the middle of a new housing, business and hotel precinct that replaced a major slum area of old Hong Kong. Inside are restaurants, shops, and a cinema complex.

At last I have been able to grab a few moments and some broadband access to make a posting from a busy internet cafe in Tokyo.

We have spent the last few days rediscovering the essentricities of Tokyo. We have been staying in a quant little Ryokan (traditional Japanese Hotel) right in the heart of Akihabara (the electronic shopping hub of Tokyo) much to the delight of my computer obsessed 16 year old son. From there we have explored Art Galleries, the Ginza and the myriad of enchanting back alleys that provide a glimpse of modern Japanese suburban life.

Japan remains one of the most unique travel experiences available and the snow skiing rates with the best in the world. Since their ongoing financial struggles, Japan’s prices have returned to normal, and today, are consderably less than those in most parts of Europe.

I spent a lot of time in Japan during the late 80′ early 90’s and the prices then were ridiculous and westerners constantly grimaced every time a wallet was required.

The really fun part of Japan, their eccentricity, is still, I’m happy to report, still alive and well.

I don’t know what they put in the water here, but I’m seriously thinking of botteling and exporting it… at every turn there is some strange sign, quirky fashion or fabulous fetish to entertain and challange your imagination.

Here’s a quick example to wet your appetite. I’ve got heaps more fun stuff to share but have to catch our plane to Hong Kong (My favorite Asian city).

The photo above is of the CEO of a Japanese company that manufactures sex dolls modeled on the stars of animated Japanese cartoons. Apart from the the rather provocative placement of the good gentlemans right hand, I am told that these silcon hussey’s are so ridiculously expensive that many of the huge client base choose to hire them on a monthly basis. Now call me old fashioned, but I just dont relish the thought of taking delivery of a second hand product of this type.

But maybe I’m just being prudish.

The next few weeks postings are all going to be bit fragmented.

Over the next five weeks my family and I are off on a bit of a global jaunt through Asia, Europe, and the U.S. to recharge our frazzled brain cells, do some business, snow ski, and explore art galleries. This means, at times, I will be unable or too lagged out to keep up daily postings, however, whenever I can manage to beg borrow or steal some precious bandwidth and internet access I will share some of the pics and ideas we find during our travels.

So, please don’t give up on me, keep checking in because I’m sure we will find lots of interesting stuff to share during our travels.

I’m not commenting on this…

I’m far too busy making apologies for my own New Years Eve indiscretions.