I Have Wings

Making Mochi

This morning, Christine and I woke up early and went to her church where we participated in a annual tradition of mochi making. Mochi is a sweet rice that is cooked and then pounded until it is smooth and sticky. It is then formed into little cakes (about the size of a chocolate chip cookie) and filled with anything from a sweet bean mush to peanut butter. The mochi takes a long time to make and is physically intensive - we were there from 8:30 AM until about 2:30 PM and made close to 20 batches of mochi along with about 30 members of Christine's congregation.

I took a bunch of pictures that walk through the whole process, but basically you cook the rice and then pound it with wooden mallets until it is very sticky and smooth. It is VERY hard work, but definitely a fun activity and the final result is actually pretty good. Mochi is only made once a year (right around New Year's), but people freeze it and eat it throughout the year.

Although very worn out, I enjoyed being a part of the tradition and I think I did a decent job swinging the mallet. I didn't break anything or hit anyone's fingers, so I guess its possible I'll be invited back next year!

We are now back at Christine's house relaxing (but not before hitting up Mark's Place again for some more ono grub!) and later we are headed to dinner at a local Japanese restaurant to celebrate Christine's birthday.

Kauai Day One - Much Better...

This was me on Monday:

And now, this is me earlier today:

I think its safe to say things have improved drastically! I arrived last night in Kauai around 6:15 PM (local time). Christine picked me up at the airport and we headed to her home in Lihue (about a 5 minute drive). Unfortunately, it was already dark out so I couldn't take in the view, but at least the temperature was an improvement (it was probably high 70s - you know that perfect temperature, not too hot, not cold, not humid... just perfect).

Steve (Christine's brother) and Nao (his wife - married this past summer) cooked us a great dinner (sweet and sour chicken) and then we exchanged Christmas gifts. I now have full Hawaii gear, including board shorts, a Local Motion t-shirt, and a very nice Hawaiian flowered shirt (as Christine said, the real deal, not the "touristy" stuff). Now if I can just figure out a way to tan instead of burn and freckle, I should fit right in.

After dinner, Christine, her dad, and I settled in to watch the Red Sox "Faith Rewarded" DVD which I had brought him from home. Nothing like a little Red Sox talk to kick things off!

We went to bed pretty early (Hawaii is 5 hours behind Boston so I have a little bit of jet lag to work off). Early to bed turned out to be a good thing, because right about 5 AM the roosters decided to wake us up. They do this every morning here - apparently several years back some roosters and chickens got loose and now they are everywhere. Christine's neighbors are nice enough to feed them so they hang around. Interestingly, Old McDonald was wrong, roosters don't really "cock-a-doodle-do" - it sounds more like a muffled scream.

We got going around 9 AM, ran a bunch of errands, and then Christine and I went to Mark's Place for an lunch around noon. For those of you from Swampscott, Mark's Place sort of reminded me of their version of Cindy's. Its a small hole in the wall place, but it was packed and the food was unbelievable. I had Chicken Katsu (a japanese preparation) it was a lightly breaded chicken, served over chinese noodles and with white rice. Basically, the Hawaiian version of a steak and cheese sub.

After lunch, we decided to drive up to Waimea Canyon. It's called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and it actually does look like it - although definitely a lot more color (especially green). It was beautiful, a little bit cloudy, so I'm not sure the pictures really capture the full effect, but it was a nice way to be introduced to Kauai. Let's just say the area surrounding Christine's home is a bit nicer than Lynn and Revere.

After our drive, we came home and cooked dinner for Christine's family. Everyone said it was "ono" (which means delicious) so I guess we did a good job. We'll be relaxing the rest of the evening (it's raining pretty good outside) and preparing for another full day tomorrow - Christine's birthday!

Also, I uploaded my first batch of pictures - you should see a "Photo Albums" section to the right. From now on any new pictures I add will appear in this section.

More on the Tsunami in Southeast Asia...

Since a few people had emailed me to ask, I just wanted to let everyone know that 1) Marc is fine, 2) I am still heading to Thailand because 3) the tsunamis didn't really hit where I will be. Bangkok is on the other side of Thailand from where the tsunamis hit. Although Thailand is a lot narrower than the US, its sort of like if a tsunami hit in California, you probably would still go to New York.

I also wanted to pass along a couple links I have found that talk more about the tsunami (beyond the basic stuff you are seeing on CNN and elsewhere) and also how to help if you are so inclined (they are saying it may be the costliest disaster ever).

WorldChanging.com Summary Report
One of the best write-ups I've seen. Includes links to solid news coverage and also personal accounts - some of which are unbelievable.

Architecture for Humanity Tsunami Reconstruction Appeal
This is a fund that is being collected specifically to deal with rebuilding issues.

International Red Cross / UNICEF
All of the above organizations have set up relief funds specific to the disaster.

In more personal news, it looks like I'll finally be able to leave Boston tomorrow morning - all things considered, a one day delay isn't so bad.

Stay safe...

A False Start

I haven't even left yet and things are already getting crazy!

First, my mom wakes me up this morning with news of the earthquake and tsunamis in Southeast Asia (more and pictures)- I was expecting some grief, but she was actually very cool about it. Guess the drinking water in Thailand (which I've been hearing about for a couple months) is way scarier than a 9.7 magnitude earthquake and 40 foot waves... In all seriousness, it all sounds pretty horrible and I'm glad Marc was stuck up in Bangkok (not hit at all) working on his b-school essays and no one else I know from Fuqua had arrived yet.

I also woke up to a whole bunch of snow and it didn't really stop all day long.

I got a call about an hour ago from American Airlines saying that all flights out of Boston had been canceled for tomorrow. I'm trying to get everything rescheduled for Tuesday -- so it looks like my trip has been delayed at least a day. C'est la vie.

The Schedule

Since I am about to send out the link to this site, I thought I should post a bit more about what I will be doing over the next couple of months. Next Monday (December 27th) I leave on a 2.5 month trip that will take me to Hawaii, Thailand, Cambodia and <possibly> Vietnam. All places that I have never been before.

I'm hoping that this journal will serve as a means to update my friends and family about my travels. Perhaps not as personal as postcards/letters, but hopefully my writing and photos will be a bit more timely and I can include more than would fit on your normal postcard... ultimately, I'm hoping that will be a good thing.

In any event, for those who want to follow along, here's the schedule as it currently stands:

December 27th: Depart for Hawaii
December 27th - January 3rd: Kauai'i with Christine's family
January 3rd - January 7th: O'ahu with Christine

January 7th: Travel to Bangkok (via Tokyo)
January 8th - February 18th: In and around Thailand (based in Bangkok and taking classes at Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration - i.e. Bangkok Business School)

February 18th - 21st: Angkor Wat (Cambodia) with Mom & Dad

February 18th - March 9th: Further travels in Southeast Asia (most likely Vietnam)

When I arrive in Thailand, I will be with 6 other students from Fuqua (as well as a number of UNC and Kellogg students) and meeting up with Marc Lefkowitz (who is living Bangkok for the next couple of months). My parents will be in Thailand for ten days starting February 11th and I will travel with them to Cambodia once my classes end. If anyone else happens to be cruising through Southeast Asia, be sure to drop me a line!

More soon...

Lefty in Thailand

For those who know Marc Lefkowitz, he is already in Thailand, living in Bangkok. He said he will be laying out the red carpet for me when I arrive, though I imagine it will be a bit frayed and dirty by the time I get there in January. In any event, Marc has already started writing a bit about his adventures and posting some pictures - you can check out his site here: Off To The East.

Checking out the weather while stuck in the snow...

I'm exactly one week away from the start of my trip and very much looking forward to getting out of the snow! Speaking of snow, check out this weather:

 

The fog in Thailand was a little disconcerting until I remembered that it is only 4 AM there right now. I checked out the forecast for tomorrow and it will be 92 F AND SUNNY! Good times...

The Destination

More to come <hopefully>, but this is where I am heading...