Today begins my journey back to the United States only to leave again in three weeks.
I love using the Great Circle Mapper to show the routing from where and I went and how I am getting home as well as how many miles I have flown. While this was not as long as my round the world trip that started last December and resumes in the end of July that went for 50,000 miles, it is still impressive to fly 26,000 miles in ten days.
Round the World in One Direction
Champagne Saturdays
Ever think you are “getting too old for this shit?” Then you find yourself at Cocoon Beach Day Club in Bali with a bottle of champagne, fresh strawberries, and a glass full of no worries.
Perhaps real world responsibilities are looming but somebody forgot to inform these partygoers of that reality. The sun champagne sanctuary immunized me and, from the looks of it, everyone else from giving a you know what about what comes Sunday, the day before Monday.
In keeping with the spirit of the day, I’m cutting this blog post short and focusing my energy on maintaining the euphoria.
And the Award for Best Foreign Film Goes to . . .
During down time on trips, I turn on the television and flip through the limited selection of channels hoping to come across anything in English. Our first night at the Bounty Hotel, the state of the art 12″ television didn’t even broadcast the damn World Cup. Even with an expanded selection of 30 channels at the Sheraton Kuta, there are only a few tolerable options apart from watching Richard Quest on CNN or the repetitive loop of BBC International.
The law of supply and demand is in full effect in these situations when I convince myself that the movie that is playing is worth watching. However, without fail, every movie I have seen while on vacation is followed by the words, “That was the worst movie in the world.”
This time around, I have more to add to the list. The first was at least funny but the second was indeed, the worst movie ever. Seriously, it was so bad that it is worth booking a trip somewhere and watching it yourself.
The Triple Play Parlay
As you all know by now, my book, Everyone’s Advice Is Wrong . . . Including Mine, is set to be released in early July. Part II of the book is a step by step guide detailing how to leave the cubicle once and for all and take control of your life which I have shown should be more like vacation, e.g., live life on your own terms.
Step 9 of the book is Execute the Triple Play Parlay and the underlying message is for the aspiring entrepreneur, against all odds, to go for it in spite of the naysayers. It further details how to complete each ‘out’ in succession in order to hit that grand payday parlay.
As a faithful subscriber to my own scribe, I am inching ever closer to successfully completing this step with three major developments that I would like to share:
1. The publication of my book that took two years and countless hours to write and perfect.
2. The invitation to join the largest travel/points blog on the Internet with ThePointsOfLife set to go live as part of the curation in only a matter of weeks.
3. The boldest move to Mongolia with all the unforeseen hurdles that come with moving to a remote part of the world.
In the meantime, I will just lounge in Bali and enjoy the calm before the curfew- Mongolian bars close at 11PM.
Platinum Points Paradise
I managed to escape the plebeian accommodations of the Bounty Hotel and check into the Sheraton Kuta.
I booked the hotel completely on points and in nerdy points fashion calculated that receiving a standard room would provide a value of over 3 cents for SPG point- a great deal indeed. Last year I managed with my SPG Amex personal and business along with stays all over the world to hit Platinum status. SPG Gold awards you with 4PM checkout, a god send for an aggressive traveler such as myself. Platinum ups the ante by providing a suite upgrade, when available.
In my experiences at the W Doha, St. Regis Mauritius, suites were available and they were amazing. So, upon checking into the Sheraton Kuta I was pleased to hear the sweet suite words, “You’ve been upgraded.” Avid readers may recall my experience at the W Scottsdale where, much to my chagrin, I was given a standard room with a view of nothing.
The room rate for a suite at this hotel goes for $400 a night, destroying the 2-3 cent precedent for SPG redemptions. Beyond being able to boast to my points colleagues about this stay, I have also garnered more evidence for my theorem that status not spending power is more is important.
Through many of experiences with SPG, Hilton, and Hyatt, I have been upgraded to rooms that I would never pay for and would venture to guess that most money savvy travelers also would not splurge for. In Mauritius, my one bedroom suite was $1000 a night of which I stayed on points while status-less honeymooners were confined to the standard room overlooking the pool while shelling out $500 a night.
It is easy to sit back and criticize points travelers for reveling in their room upgrades, business class suites, and lounge access but who really is the smart one; the fool who travels for free in style or the fool who looks down his nose while spending half a year’s saving for half the privilege?
The Customs of the Chinese
Attending an international business school for my MBA, I was taught to appreciate the cultural customs of foreign countries. Certain behaviors that are commonplace in the United States are insulting abroad.
But, this isn’t a post about those customs. This is a post about Customs- the regulatory agency that permits or forbids foreigners from entering, and in this case, leaving the host country.
It has been well documented in this blog that visas are necessary to enter certain countries and the imperialist attitude “but I’m American” doesn’t fly at many foreign airports. With this knowledge, I was skeptical of China’s 72 hour no visa needed rule. Essentially, the rule says so long as you enter and leave one Chinese city, say Shanghai, and transit to a third country, you do not need a visa. That is very convenient because a Chinese visa costs upwards of $200.
My flight, also documented here, originated in New York, onto Dubai, then into Shanghai. My departure was from Shanghai, onto Singapore, arriving into Bali. All of it was within 72 hours and I went to and fro with no incident.
That was not the case for one, Michael Jeries. He was leaving Ho Chi Minh City, connecting in Hong Kong, then onto Shanghai. His departure, which I personally assisted in booking and providing points routed him through Hong Kong and onto Singapore. The product he would be flying would be Cathay Pacific, my favorite airline in the world (I will publish the gimmicky list of best airlines in the world at a later date).
Well, as Mikey learned and as I posted this ingenius routing was pretty stupid. The way the Chinese saw it Mikey was departing from Hong Kong and returning to Hong Kong, thereby violating the “3rd country, I’m in transit” rule. Initially, I thought the Chinese were abject to the idea that Hong Kong was not really a country and Mikey was inappropriately using the loophole that Hong Kong is China so he would need a visa.
No, that would’ve been acceptable had he went direct from Ho Chi to Shanghai. As it stood, he, on paper, had a round-trip to Hong Kong and would need to change his exit flight if he wanted to enter China.
Clever as he is, Mikey booked a flight from Shanghai to Macau (another SAR region of China thereby nullifying my original hypothesis that he was going into and out of China). From Macau, Mikey would catch the ferry to Hong Kong then bask in the service of Cathay Pacific.
A weekend of drama and hypotheticals ensued as Mikey and I played craps and another game, “What’s the worst Chinese customs will do to you.” Fearful of ending in a labor camp, Mikey decided to change his business class itinerary (formerly PVG to HKG to SIN) to fly to Kuala Lumpur then onto Singapore. That would not be in violation of the 72 hour rule and he would avoid all hassle.
Still slightly apprehensive, MJ left the glory of the Waldorf for the amnesty of the airport, just in case Customs would have something to say on the contrary.
Hours later, I met up with my fellow traveler to find that our ‘clever’ plan was not thought so by the Chinese. Perplexed, concerned, and perhaps pestered as to why MJ was no longer going to Macau, Chinese customs searched all of his belongings. They removed every single item from his luggage and ran it through the scanner.
Detained but not deterred, MJ finally made it to Singapore. Meanwhile, I was inconvenienced by the nonstop flow of fine Reds in Singapore business class.
For the Young at Heart
I don’t check into my points redemption Sheraton Kuta till tomorrow leaving me in need of a hotel for a night. Nostalgia set in and I booked one night at the Bounty Hotel whose slogan is “For the Young at Heart.”
It really should be, “For the drunk, economical, or otherwise insolvent by default.” This hotel has nice rooms, great food, and crippling drinks without the price premium to match.
Checking into a place like this puts things into perspective, to some degree while forcing the patron to question others.
1. Is it worth it to stay at a premium points property for free with the tradeoff of being gouged for basic amenities including food and drink?
1a. If yes, then should one stay at said premium property if he is concerned about those prices?
2. When are you too old for the hostel lifestyle, even if the glorified hostel comes in the name of hotel and boasts the slogan, “For the Young at Heart.”
As much I would like to speculate as to the answers of these significant questions, I have to get to work on this FGD drink.
Any guesses what FGD stands for?
Xiao Long Bao: A Tutorial
A trip to Shanghai would be all for naught if you do not have authentic, street inspired xiao long bao. They aren’t your local Chinese restaurant’s takeout dumplings and they aren’t made better anywhere in the entire planet. Trust me, I’ve gone to ChinaTowns all across the world and none of them compare. A close second may be Taipei but those still fall short.
First, let’s define what xiao long bao is by saying that aren’t a prototypical dumpling. These little bundles of joy have something that dumplings do not, steamy hot delicious soup trapped inside.
It is, no doubt, one of the great wonders of the world how they inject the soup into the dumpling and how, even with this amazing soup trapped inside, the dumpling can preserve its structural integrity. I’ve watched them construct xiao long bao at many a restaurant and I’m still baffled by the process.
From the soup you have the meat, usually pork that’s oh so tender. From there you have the outside of the dumpling. Xiao long bao is steamed and sheng jian bao is pan fried. Both are delicious.
Now for the ordering:
If you’re meandering through Shanghai and find a street where they make xiao long bao (this is becoming increasingly elusive because of the commercialization of the city center) how do you know which vendor to select? Go with the obvious choice, the one with the longest line. The battle of xiao long bao creators has been going on since the beginning of time and the level of pride from producing perfection is passed on from one generation to the next.
Step up and point to the dumplings, signal the number 1 with your hand, and prepare your coins. The cost is a laughable 45 to 90 cents for half a dozen dumplings.
From there, find a seat on the street or an impromptu table while grabbing a bottle of vinegar and adding in chili paste for dipping.
Your required utensils are a sturdy pair of kuazi (chopsticks) and a spoon. Lift the dumpling with the chopsticks while holding the spoon below. Dip the dumpling into the vinegar and prepare to be wowed.
But xiaoxin (be careful), before you sink your teeth into this savory morsel whose translation means “little basket dumpling” remember the soup is scalding hot!
Poke a small hole into the dumpling, suck out the soup, then devour the rest.
It’s pointless to look for napkins so keep eating and don’t be bashful about the mess that you have created.
It’s an Institution Sir
“It’s an institution sir.” Words quoted by a the best lobby boy of all time.
Days after leaving the Grand Budapest Hotel, I have found myself at another first rate institution known as the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai. The hotel is immaculate and the service is impeccable, such is to be expected from a hotel that boasts the iconic name Waldorf.
From the junior suite upgrade, I ventured forth to the esteemed Long Bar that has been in operation since 1911. The bar has undergone many changes throughout the years, most notably as the kitchen for the first American fast food restaurant in Shanghai- a KFC.
Since then, the grease has been scrubbed away and the glamour has been restored. The cocktails are one of a kind and the service mirrors the grandiosity of the hotel as a whole.
I am enjoying my third drink as I write this post, an appropriate Waldorf Express Martini, “a twist on the classic Espresso Martini,” artfully created by the mixologist Nelson. (Though he hails from Portugal, the team surely to lose to the United States today, that does not detract from his abilities.)
But due to my current state, I must bid adieu to my readers and say cheers to the red, white, and blue!
A View from the Top
The Park Hyatt is located in the World Financial Center, the 6th tallest building in the world. Next to it is the Jin Mao tower which ranks 15th. Obstructing my view of the Huangpu River is the Shanghai Tower which is the second tallest. From there you have the rest of the Shanghai skyline which, in my opinion, is the best in the world.
