First Day in Mexico

My first trip to Mexico. Monterrey to be precise. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After one day my impressions are pretty much like most places...good and bad...beauty if you look for it.

My very first impression was not good. As I stepped off of the plane I was greeted by a really foul odor...smelled like a sewer. That was pretty much the smell in the whole area around the airport. Fortunately, as I approached the office and hotel area it was gone.

I began to look around, and I was struck with the beauty of this place. Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, very close jagged peaks, that form the horizen on all sides. The climate is tropical, lots of green, and also desert. Of course, this is not a rich country, and you can see run down buildings and poverty without looking too hard. As we were driving on the freeway we passed a horse drawn cart with people in it. Many cars passing them were BMW's. That is the dichomety of Mexico. Beauty, pollution, prosperity, poverty all rolled into one.

The people here are all very friendly and welcoming. Everyone smiles and makes an effort to speak English. I really like them. They are engaging and seem to care that you like Mexico and enjoy your stay.

Speaking with one of our employees here on assignment was intersting. She says that it is common to see things here that never quite get finished, that never quite get the final touches that make them high quality. After she said that, I notice it everywhere. The parking ramp at the office has cement floors that are so rough and bumpy you have to watch where you are walking...never got smoothed and leveled when they were poured. I am sitting in a high-rise office building, and the wall socket is hanging from from wires that just go through a jagged hole in the wall...never actually installed. I am in a new hotel with a very nice room...but seems they forgot to provide hot water, which made my shaving and shower experience into an ordeal this morning.

Oh well, most importantly the food here is outstanding, and since I absolutely love Mexican food I am in heaven. Waiting for chicken tacos with chilis and onions for lunch. MMMMM! Time for a pre-emptive antacid strike!

At Nazi Headquarters

I went out for a walk yesterday in Munich. I went to an area that I had never explored before. As I walked along, I started to encounter very interesting buildings. They were impressive, stark, and imposing. I was moved to take several picutres of them. Then I ended up in a large plaza with an arch at on end and huge buildings on each side. This was Konigsplatz, or kings place. I noticed a rather small information sign, with English on one side. There were images of book burning and Nazi party rally's.

I was stunned. I was standing in the middle of Nazi party headquarters. After Hitler came to power, the party kept it's headquarters in Munich. They built the huge buildings in the early 30's. While the government was in Berlin, here, right here, was the center of the Nazi movement. It gave me chills.

To my left was the Furher building, Hitler's home office. Here is a picture of it, now overgrown with vines and a graphic art museum.

Next I saw Konegsplatz, or King's plaza, where the main party buildings still stand. They were preserved by US troops to house government. Today they are art museums, and hold much of the art the Nazi's stole during their reign.

The broad area of the plaza is where the Nazi's held many rallies. Most chilling to me is that this is the exact spot of the book burning that you may have seen film of in the past. Right here intellectual culture died and the holocaust became a whirlwind. The deaths of over 6 million people is, in a way, centered in this plaza.

So what started as a relaxing walk became a moving step back into history. The fact that these buildings still stand interests me. There are many others, like the HQ for the Hitler Youth, as well. More instructive is the fact that the information plaque was not put up until 10 years ago. Until then the history of these buildings, and this spot, was a hidden mystery to visitors. That says something about the remaining guilt in German society and the sensitivity of this history.

DADEO

Twisted History

Did you ever wonder about historians and anthropologists? They find artifacts from past cultures, and with much confidence piece together what life was like in the past time. I suspect that if a person from that past time could travel to our time and see what the "experts" said their life was like, they would probably laugh and say "well, not quite".

I had a dining experience in Moscow Thursday that made me feel like one of those cultural time travelers. We went to a very exclusive restaurant that was a palacial home in the 1700's. It was immaculate, ornate, gaudy, and way way over the top, but in good original condition. Fourty foot ceilings, gilded chandeliers, gilded mirrors all over the walls, plush red carpet with gold inlay, and all furniture from the time with ornate decor. Lots of candelabras. All of the staff were dressed in period costumes with lots of frilly lace, women in bushy dresses, men with white knee socks and lacy cuffs. All wore white powdered wigs with pony tails. In the center was a period chamber orchestra playing Mozart. I felt like I had walked back into the mid-1700's. Obviously, we were in for a unique, and historically interesting, dining experience.

Sitting in my high backed ornate chair, I opened the menu with anticipation. I was sure this would be a real travel memory for me. It took me a minute to comprehend the menu...and then it sunk in. My choices were either Japanese sushi and tempura (deep fried stuff), or chinese dishes. Huh? This is a chinese restaurant? Are you kidding me? Of course, all of my Russian colleagues were glowing with pride, utterly clueless to the bizarre combination. They were thrilled that they could take me to this exclusive place. To them, this was a wonderful cultural experience. But a chinese restaurant???? I had sweet and sour shrimp with fried rice and it was actually pretty good. Thank god they didn't have chop sticks. I could not have handled that in such a setting.

As I exited to strains of Hayden, I wondered just what were they thinking? Was it smart business..."no other chinese restaurants around here so let's open one!" Was it practical..."my brother knows a great su chef so let's go asian!" Or was it just a really messed up result of decades of cultural repression and abuse from the soviet system? Regardless, it was indeed a memorable travel experience, and without a doubt the most strange and surreal dining experience I have ever had.

DADEO

Moscow Day 2

When I saw Bill Clinton speak last year, he said something that stuck with me. He said that mapping the human genome shows that we all have 99.99% of our genes in common, and we kill each other over the 0.01% that is different.

Today in Moscow I had an experience that reminded me how much we all have in common. It made me remember what Clinton said. I got into the cab to go back to the hotel. The cabbie was a pretty rough looking character. Late 40's, muscular, a little shabbily dressed. After a few hundreds yards of silence he blurted out "what country you?"

USA.

Ya, USA. What from?

I figure GR is a lost cause...Detroit.

Detroit. I know Detroit. Autos.

More silence. Then ubznstmnnn?

What?

ubbssszznstmnnn? Louder this time.

Sorry, I can't understand you.

You bees nest man?

Yes, I am a businessman.

I physics teached at university. English learn.

Wow. Physics.

Physics. No living. Drive cab.

More silence. I think we've exhausted our ability to communicate. Then we drive up to the hotel.

Your bees nest good luck.

I offer my hand. I am returned a big smile and a cruching hand shake.

Thank you. It was very nice to meet you.

Da.

And we went on with our lives. It reminded me of all that we have in common, and how we can connect with each other if we just make the effort. We all want basically the same things...success for ourselves and our families...freedom to live as we choose...basic happiness. Our governments are once again fighting. The news in the states says Russia is the aggressor in Georgia. Here the media says the US is blaming Russia for political gain. Both are probably true. Both are probably false. Basically, I think governments usually act in self interest, with policies based upon partial facts and biased perspectives.

But people are bigger than that. Maybe that cabbie will understand that there are a lot of good people in the USA. I got reminded of how people here aren't much different than people back home. Which all brings me back to one of my favorite rock songs, Dire Straights "Brothers in Arms", a Viet Nam war ballad..."but it's written in the starlight, and every line in your palm, we are fools to make war on our brothers in arms..."

Dadeo

Moscow

Rainy and dreary here today. Fits the place. Traffic here is the worst in the world. Going to the office this moring took 10 minutes by cab. Returning took 1 hour of puke inducing stop and go. Thought I was going to lose my lunch.

I didn't work out today because I was so sleepy this morning after an overnight flight. Tomorrow I will be sure to do it. Pretty good facilities here. Meetings went pretty well. Great team here now. Business is great and customers are happy.

Moscow is a very interesting mix of old communist mentality and dynamic capitalism that wants to be western. Everything is extremely expensive. Crime and corruption is rampant. Still, hearing stories from the past of people who lived through rationed food, restricted travel, restricted speech, and predetermined careers makes me understand how much better it is here, even with all the problems. I am lucky to see places like this. Most people never will.

Well, that's not very complelling for my first blog, but at least now I am in the game! Time for bed and a good nights sleep.

Dadeo