4 Weeks Down... 6 Weeks to Go!

I can't believe it has been 4 weeks! I vacillate between thinking that it has been 4 months and thinking that it has been 4 days since I left the U.S. Thinking back to my time in Prague, it seems like an eternity, but then I still remember packing my bag in Connecticut like it was yesterday. Funny how our perception of time is distorted.

Still in Mumbai, although I've taken to calling in Bombay, which you may say is perpetuating the terrible legacy of colonialism, but I would respond and say that all the Indians still call it Bombay. Plus, if not for colonialism, the entire outsourcing business would not exist here and would not be making its incredible contribution to Indian economic growth. Now, I am hardly endorsing colonialism (not touching that with a 30 foot pole), but if I've learned anything in my six days of research here, it is that the legacy of the British education, legal and commerce system made the outsourcing business feasible. It is the single biggest reason, bar none, that India has this industry and China does not. That said, one could easily conjure up a counterfactual where India was never under the yoke of colonialism and, thus, not so far behind in the race of economic development. But I don't like complex counterfactuals... especially not this late at night.

Another interesting fact that I learned today... Y2K may be the single most important event in the growth of Indian outsourcing. I hadn't heard this before but it makes perfect sense: American companies were overwhelmed by the amount of basic recoding needed to make their systems Y2K compliant, so they sent much of the work here to India. After the Indian companies proved themselves competent, the relationship flourished as companies realized they could send LOTS of stuff over here to be done. All because someone was too lazy to use 4 digits...

Let's see... other things that I've been pondering lately (sorry, I didn't do much today besides sit in a taxi and conference rooms, so this is a rambling post). This weekend I was down by the Taj Hotel, which you may remember was a target in the Mumbai terrorist attacks of last year. I was walking around when all of a sudden a crowd began to amass and 40-50 police / fire brigades showed up and surrounded the building. My first reaction... run (yes Mom and Dad, you trained me well), but when I didn't see anyone else in much of a hurry, I decided to ask a local. After trying three locals who were just touts looking to take me on a tour/sell me chai/sell me postcards, I found someone who said that the President of India was coming to the hotel and that there had been a short circuit in the kitchen, causing a small fire. He said this was all a big overreaction, but my paranoid "pretend I'm from New Zealand" side was kicking in so I decided to check out another part of town. As I was walking, the streets became empty (which NEVER happens), and a police officer yelled at me when I tried to cross the road. This was because 8 minutes later, a motorcade with no less than 40 cars went through, including the Indian President, in what appeared to be an armored bus. So, I've "seen" the Indian President, though the windows were tinted. Pretty intense though... so intense that I felt I deserved a treat and camped out at a pastry/dessert shop for the next hour.

Later that day, after going through a surprisingly awesome museum, I ended up at Leopolds, a bar famous for being the 3rd target of the Mumbai terrorist attack. Little naive me had no idea about this until the friendly bartender informed me and insisted on showing me the bullet holes. After a slight dip in attendance, the bar seemed to have rebounded and was packed with patrons mourning the passing of the King of Pop (the moonwalk really did transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries). I met two students who insisted that I visit their palatial estates in Jaipur, and while tempted, informed them that I was only in North India for 6 days. Saddened, they compromised by saying that my visit to the Taj was an acceptable glance at North India.

Sunday I rested a lot and then took a driving tour with the Misras. I reached an important self-realization on that tour: I'm a sucker for urban green spaces and good signage. A city can have all the history in the world, but those two things really can make or break a visit.

I'll upload some pictures when I have wifi on my own laptop. For now, my poetic descriptions will have to suffice.

Last full day in Mumbai tomorrow, complete with two different sets of interviews. Will try and post again before I head to Delhi.

A Land of Contradictions

I'm sitting in the Indian equivalent of Starbucks (called the Coffee Bean) and making use of their free wifi, along with a charming window overlooking the street. Today was apparently the first day of the "actual" monsoon... prior days had just been warm-up runs. I awoke this morning to the sound of rustling palm fronds and a heavy deluge. Walking to the balcony, I looked down to see a quite a scene. There was a taxi (like Cairo, the taxis here are circa 1960, but do have functional meters, provided you can multiply by 13 in your head... yay Rapid Math Tricks!) sliding down the hill because the river of water prevented it from gaining traction. Three Indian men were trying to push it to the side of the road, but straining against the knee deep water, they didn't make much progress. Instead, it slid down to the bottom of the hill, where traffic proceeded to slowly go around it until a larger car pushed it out of the way (whether intentionally or not remains to be determined). The whole site was quite surreal as I stood sipping my tea and eating a biscuit in the comfort of my 5th floor balcony.

Today has been very much an extension of the scene this morning... moments of ridiculous chaos countered by extravagant comfort. My first meeting was with Actis, the global emerging market private equity firm. After taking an hour to go about 3/4 of a mile in the taxi, I arrived at their offices. They were located in a brand new glass office tower, but next door was a shanty village complete with blue tarps and discarded tires. It struck me that here I was in an office of a firm that controlled billions of dollars in capital, but right next door were people whose daily income is equivalent to what I just paid for an espresso. My second interview, with the Managing Director of BCG (Boston Consulting Group) India, struck a chord with this feeling. Dr. Sinha (a Woody Woo alum... go Princeton!) talked about the failure of the government to provide many of the most basic social services to huge swaths of the population. It was a great conversation that tempered my enthusiasm for India with a sharp dose of reality. The outsourcing and software industry get so much attention (from myself included) but they employ less than 1% of the Indian labor force. Even accounting for the spillover jobs that are created (in landscaping, security, transportation, dining services, etc.) there are still over 250 million people in agriculture. 40% of this labor force is illiterate and most are under the age of 25. He did share some bits of optimism, saying that the globalization, if truly embraced, could help solve the demographic crisis facing Japan, Western Europe, and, to a lesser extent, the U.S. But continually talking about winners and losers obscures the fact that unless something is done, huge portions of India will remain in destitute poverty, and much of the developed world will grow increasingly reliant on an ever-shrinking labor and tax base.

I walked out of his office, which overlooked the squalls rolling off the Arabian Sea, with many mixed emotions. There seems to be so much potential in the world, but it seems to be matched by increasing problems. Smart people all over the world are thinking about these things, and I'm comforted by that, but I worry that politicians and economists cannot understand each other. The politician says the economist only thinks of what should be happening, and ignores that people make decisions based on their own perspective, with whatever limited information they have available. Economists think that politicians are unable to make the long-term investment that is vital to development because they are too concerned with winning reelection. I'll be a fence-sitter and say the truth is in the middle. The world works in strange ways, India certainly is showing me that, but that does not mean that we should dismiss a good idea because it is inconvenient in the short-term. Big changes are happening around us, now I believe it is up to us to figure out how we make sure that we don't leave a few billion people behind as we charge ahead into the 21st century.

OK, enough deep musings. Now to find a cab home. I'll leave you with a quote from an Emerson essay that my Syrian couchsurfing host gave me (Housni, if you're reading this, hope all is well).

"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide..."

I think that sums up a lot of my thinking atm...

Day 25/82 (it feels like a lot longer right now)
Distance from NY JFK: 7798.93 miles
Current mood: pensive (obviously)
Current music: some Kenny G-esque jazz...
Only here moment: Having to pay an extra 100 rupees to my cabbie to turn on the A/C. While only 2USD, it seemed ridiculous since he stood to benefit from it also.

Monsooning Mumbai

Greetings from the hot and humid subcontinent. I arrived yesterday afternoon, and yes, could smell Mumbai from the second the airplane doors opened. It was quite a startling scene to see shanty towns built up to the barbed-wire fence around the airoprt. I've learned Mumbai is very much like that though, extreme poverty with some middle class havens and a few islands of the megarich. As in Cairo, the tech companies like the one I visited today, are all located well outside the city because office space is cheaper. The Infotech park I visited was quite a sight to behold with 8 towers, all on top of rail complex, so workers could easily get to and from the office. Someone asked if I was going to take the train back to the city, and I considered it briefly before he said "let me show you first." So... trains in Mumbai don't have doors. According to my kind host (a 23 yr old software developer), that is a luxury the government only splurged on in the capital, New Delhi. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke with wonderment of a metro with doors. Oh the luxuries we take for granted.

Besides a great meeting with V2, a software outsourcing firm, I've been wandering around the area I'm staying, called Peddar Rd. It's one of the posh areas of town, just a few blocks down from the tower which will soon be the world's most expensive private residence http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mukesh_Ambanis_home_worlds_costliest/articleshow/3002586.cms

My hosts are the lovely Dr. and Mrs. Misra, who are the parents of one of my mother's neighbors. They have been so generous and have made the transition to India so much easier than if I had been staying in a hotel/hostel by myself. I'm probably eating more healthy food now than I have at any point in the past month.

Tomorrow I have two meetings and then the weekend to explore Mumbai. If the monsoon hasn't cancelled the boats to Elephant Island, I'm planning to go out there and see the famous caves. Other than that, I'm at the whim of my Lonely Planet guide that Nellie so kindly gave me.

Pictures to come this weekend.

Day 25/82
Distance from New York JFK: 7807 miles
Current mood: content, but drowsy, potentially from the Malarone?
Current music: the not-so-soft, but unbelievably wonderful, drone of my A/C
Only here moment: Passing thousands of billboards and posters advertising two things. First, mutual funds. Everywhere you look, they are advertising mutual funds with slogans of like "get your piece of Indian's infrastructure boom". The minimum investment requirement is quite low, so it certainly gives the middle class a chance to invest in their country's growth. Let's hope they do better than AIG. And the second, advertisements for English lessons. They are EVERYWHERE. And for software training. If you don't think there are hundreds of thousands of people gunning for "your" job, then you are terribly mistaken. They still have a long way to go, but it's going to be an incredible shift to watch.

Last thing, a sign for an English language academy called SpeakEasy that read "Learn English, improve your personality". I thought of a few people who could certainly use their services.

To Add Insult to Injury...

I had to share this because it was absolutely hysterical. The cologne that I paid 400% too much for in the market leaked all over my bag this morning. It's the mistake that I can never forget... I've certainly become a much better haggler. Oh Egypt...

And one more nice picture....

Another Side of Egypt

I just returned to Cairo after a weekend in Alexandria. The train up was 2 1/2 hours and I sprang for first class since it was only 9.50USD (much cheaper than one way on NJ Transit). On the ride up I got phone calls from two people I had messaged through CouchSurfing who offered to meet up and show me around. I met with one of them, a Syrian student studying law in Alexandria for a few months, and he offered me his couch (actually his couch cushions on the floor, but it was amazingly comfy). We had a fantastic time talking and his roommate's friend even cooked a Bahranian dish for dinner. The first night we just relaxed and had long debates about politics, philosophy, and many other topics. To my surprise, I found myself citing things I had learned in Democracy (the required Woody Woo class that everyone complains about). Although I was kind of disgusted with myself, I was happy to teach someone a few new words, such as barter (as in a barter economy), flamboyant, and onomatopoeia (which I had to rely on spell check to spell).

The second day, I woke up late and then walked around Alexandria. I ended up on the point at a restaurant called the Greek Club which overlooked the entire harbor. It was beautiful, but definitely lived up to its description as "Cannes with acne". That night, Egypt and the U.S. played in soccer to see who would go through to the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup in S. Africa. Needless to say, I was the only person cheering for America! During the game, my fellow viewers (who I met on CouchSurfing) turned out to be impromtu interview subjects. They talked to me about the impact of foreign investment on Egypt and gave me some perspectives that I had not yet encountered. While it was fun watching the game with them, I probably learned more from 2 hours with them then I could get in many interviews. They talked about how companies manipulate the tax incentives the government use and then declare bankruptcy after 5 years, only to reemerge as a different company but the same owners. While I took everything they said with a grain of salt, it was eye-opening to hear how the average Egyptian perceives the economic issues of their country. As one said "We have 70 million people, 2/3 of all the ancient monuments in the world, natural resources, the Suez canal, and much more. We should be as developed as Germany, or at least Spain/Italy, but corruption kills us." They also talked about how fear was instilled in the Egyptian population so that people were hesitant to take risks unless they had the inside connections to provide them with a safety net. Their perspectives brought a feeling to me that has been recurrent throughout this trip: pride in America and the strength of the rule of law in my country.

Now I'm back in Cairo, with one final interview with Microsoft's head of Corporate Social Responsibility tomorrow. I fly to Mumbai on Wednesday morning at 450a, arriving around noon. Will try and make one final post in Egypt, but if not, then the next you'll hear from me will be from monsooning Mumbai.

Day 21/82 (three weeks in... wooo!!!)
Distance from NY JFK: 5604.23 miles
Current mood: Sweating... it should be a mood here.
Current music: Go on and Make a Move, a euro-techno-pop song that was popular in Sydney 4 years ago... the Pottery Cafe is a bit behind the times.

and a new addition:
Crazy thing that would only happen here: I rode a minibus back from Alexandria to Cairo today because I missed my train. It was only 20EGP (or 3.50USD), for 3 1/2 hours. But, when were just leaving Alexandria, I was sitting in the van and all of a sudden about 10 men, including the driver, sprinted down the street, jumped in the van and we floored it. I have absolutely no idea what we were escaping, and I've decided it's probably one of those times when ignorance is bliss.

A few pics:

Alexandria, with the discus shaped library:

In Dire Need of Fresh Air

so I am taking off to Alexandria for the weekend. I have a noon train (9 dollars... gotta love Egypt) for the 3 hour ride. Will try and post when I get there, but my intention is to relax in a cafe, enjoy the breeze of the Med and maybe find a beach or two to do some reading. Hopefully I can recharge my batteries after the insanity of Cairo and before the likely greater insanity of Mumbai in the monsoon. My hotel is a bit of a shot in the dark, but I have my own sheets/pillowcase if necessary. It can't be worse than my ant filled freshmen year dorm right?

Today was a great day of sightseeing. Downtown Cairo verges on tolerable on Friday mornings because everyone is at Mosque. They even roll green carpets into the streets so the overflow worshipers can still pray. My friend Will and I ventured down to Islamic Cairo, the oldest part of the city, and proceeded to wander the streets looking at the different mosques. This was definitely the "real" Cairo. There were herds of goats, 10 year olds using a blowtorch at a chop shop, and a serious accident between a bus and and a car around which a crowd of angry Egyptians had gathered (we walked quickly through, though I don't think anyone even noticed us). We even found a local "guide" to show us around the mosques and palaces that aren't usually open to tourists. If I've learned anything in this city, it is that a little backsheesh (tip/bribe) really opens doors, both literal and metaphorical. I'll post some more pictures later, but we saw some awesome stuff.

After that we unwound in Cairo's jewel of urban planning, El Azhar Park. Talk about an urban oasis. This place was stunning. We sat at a cafe and sipped fresh lemon juice with mint while watching the Egyptian families picnic and the sun sink behind the Cairo skyline. After that, it was dinner at Cairo's finest Egyptian restaurant. It was a bit of a splurge, but absolutely worth it. All in all, a very "authentic" day, which was a nice contrast to the amazing, but very Americanized felucca ride of last night. I'll detail more on that later, but needless to say, 60 American students on a felucca listening to 50 cent is not true to the spirit of the Egyptian felucca. Alas.

Day 18/82
Distance from New York: same as last
Current Mood: excited for Alexandria and striking out on my own.
Current Music: None, I know boring.

Fool Me Once...

So I learned something important about myself today. I'm really, really bad at haggling. So bad in fact, that I believe a merchant in Khan Al-Khalali felt so bad for ripping me off he gave me a bit of money back. That's a bad sign. Needless to say, I learned my lesson. Walking through market further, I was so upset with myself for wasting 25USD that I haggled with a small girl selling me a bottle of water. Perhaps I took it too far. I did get a damn good deal on that water though... 3 pounds for 1.5L... that's 50 cents.

Besides my adventures in the market, I had an interesting day. I went to the Egyptian Museum and saw more sarcophagi than one could possibly need to see in a single day. It was an unbelievable place though. It really gave me an appreciation of how old this culture really is and why Egyptians are so proud of their heritage. King Tut's funeral mask was definitely the highlight... I stared straight into the eyes of the mask and was blown away by the idea that the mask had been around for thousands of years. More than that, I was amazed by the sheer amount of stuff that was placed in the tombs to accompany the pharaohs into the afterlife. There were full wardrobes, hundreds of miniature statues of servants, funeral couches, and much more.

I also went through Coptic Cairo, where the old Christian sect resides. Saw a few beautiful churches and bought some cool old postcards.

Now I'm back at my hostel, debating on what to do for dinner. 2 meetings tomorrow, and then have to figure out what to do for the weekend (which is Friday/Saturday here).

Day 16/82
Current distance from New York JFK: same as before, give or take 5 meters.
Current mood: Hungry... ok, not a mood but whatever.
Current music: None, background noise is hostel people playing FIFA on the playstation.

Pyramid Pic!

Standing on the Great Pyramid looking up

Walk Like an Egyptian

and by that, I mean dart across 5 "lanes" of traffic that may or may not include the following: a taxi with no mirrors or seat belts and a ridiculous "meter" that hasn't functioned in 25 years (because you SHOULD know the price... and if not, be ready to negotiate), a camel, a horse-drawn wagon, and an exhaust-spewing bus with Egyptian men hanging on to the side. Needless to say, moving around this city is interesting. Driving is madness, but as one of my interviewees described, it's "ordered chaos." Apparently there is an unwritten code that minimizes the number of fatalities. My outsider perspective has deemed this about the code: hand signals out the window are crucial, the horn is absolutely invaluable (3 quick burst honks is a polite move, then there is the "get the f*%$ out of the way" honk), and the headlights are only used to indicate aggravation or that you are about to pass someone (leaving them on at other times wastes battery power, which is in short supply on a 1976 Peugeot. The rest of the code remains indecipherable, perhaps to be lost to the sands of time like the hieroglyphics on a temple wall.


But enough about the driving and walking in Cairo. I arrived on Sunday night and my is Africa a change from Europe. My ride from the airport showed up an hour late because EgyptAir switched its flights to a new terminal that day and didn't let anyone know. Once we found each other, we had a good ride from the airport into Zamalek, an island in the Nile that is known as one of Cairo's posh suburbs. The hotel I was at was on a nice tree-lined street just down from the main drag. I asked for the cheapest room, and yes, you get what you pay for. I had no A/C (it was 83 at midnight), a single bed, a towel (a nice luxury), and a shared bathroom in which the shower was a faucet over the toilet. I can't complain TOO much because there was hot water, it was just kind of odd to see it warmed next to your head by two open bunsen burner-like contraptions. But then again, I didn't even really need hot water because I was sweating so much! I went to bed after buying a big water bottle to brush my teeth... luckily, I squeezed the bottle I got out of the fridge because it had been slit and probably filled with tap water. I kindly grabbed another intact bottle and the shopkeeper looked at me sheepishly.

Day 1 in Cairo was spent wandering Zamalek and getting my bearings. I bought a massive map (what better way to advertise my tourist-ness) and had some drama getting an Egyptian SIM card. I also found a new hostel to stay at because I was tired of being overcharged for staying in a nice suburb when I was melting and having terribly unsatisfying showers. That night, I met up with a bunch of Princeton and AUC kids who are studying here for the summer. We went to a cafe/bar that serves Egypt's finest brew... Stella. No, not Artois. Just Stella. At 9.50EGP for 0.5L, one can't complain, but it did make me miss the nice Czech brews of a few weeks ago. The AUC kids were a bit late to arrive so I sat down and made friends with two Egyptian guys: Mohammad and Mohammad (easy enough). We had a very interesting conversation about politics and why Americans don't like Arabs. I told them that they don't understand the differences in the Arab world, but that many people don't understand the differences in America either. The ignorance goes both ways. It was a conversation that would have made my anti-Americanism professor proud!

Today I had a meeting outside of Cairo at Microsoft. It's located in a place called SmartVillage, which is one of the nicest office parks I've ever seen! It had glass pyramids (the Lourve is probably upset about that) and manicured lawns. Apparently the Egyptian government subsidized development in the hopes of creating a huge IT/telecom cluster. Very interesting just to walk around and appreciate the steps taken by policymakers to invest in their future competitiveness.

After my meeting, my gracious host even dropped me at the Pyramids. Upon stepping foot outside the car I was immediately assailed by men who posed as workers and were going to sell me a ticket. Luckily, my host warned me of this, and I kept my head low, waved my hands and repeated "La Shukran" (no thank you in Arabic). I didn't have to bust out "imshi" which apparently is a much more forceful way of saying back off (to those Arabic speakers out there, I apologize if that is a rude word). After buying my ticket, I walked through the gates and was greeted by the MASSIVE pyramids. Everyone probably says this, but they are freaking enormous. One brick comes up to about my chest/shoulders. I climbed up a bit of the way, but it was about 105 degrees out so climbing wasn't the best activity in my interview attire. After strolling around the pyramids and dodging offers for camel rides (though I was tempted), postcards, and other made-in-China trinkets, I got to the Sphinx. Now, it is gorgeous, but a lot smaller than I expected. It was kind of link the Mona Lisa; you admire the artistic feat but are still feeling underwhelmed. Regardless, it was an awesome site to behold. To the first Europeans to set eyes on them, I can't imagine what they thought. They really do rise out of nowhere.

Dinner was with a friend from Princeton who is working for the American Embassy in Egypt (which is the largest permanently staffed American embassy in the world... who knew). It's so nice to hang out with people who speak Arabic! I've learned a few words, but realize that my European mantra (know how to say thank you and cheers) is insufficient.

Off to sleep for me. I've never appreciated air conditioning so much. Hopefully my clothes are dry by tomorrow morning otherwise the day could prove a bit of an adventure.

Oh and I wanted to start doing this in all of my posts:
Day: 15/72
Distance from New York JFK: 5603.96 miles
Current mood: exhausted but exhilarated
Current music: Royksopp

Goodbye Europe...

My flight is in 3 1/2 hours and my bag is packed. I've had an absolutely incredible time in Budapest. The people I met through interviews were fascinating, and I only wish I could stay longer since there are so many more people to meet! The hostel I stayed in was fantastic, and the people I met were all so fun. It's weird to stay in one hostel for a week. I think I went through about 3 distinct sets of friends. Imagine how it is for the owners! Social interactions are funny when you're only around people for 48 hours. Luckily, with the proliferation of Facebook and such, it is much easier to stay in touch. Still, it's very odd to think that I will probably never see the people I have spent so much time with in the last 48 hours.

Budapest highlights included the Turkish baths, the Terror House (dedicated to the memory of the suffering under the Hungarian Nazis and the Communists), and sunrise from the Citadel. I'll try and post pictures of the sunrise when my hostel mate sends me the pictures. Let me say, it was probably one of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. The Blue Danube was glistening and a few stray clouds turned gradually from purple to red to orange to white. We walked home and even caught the opening of Budapest's massive farmer's market. Picked up some fresh produce and pastries, which made the sleep deprivation much more tolerable.

All in all, Europe has been a delight. It's going to be a huge change to get to Egypt (and then India, etc.), and I'm sure it will be much more difficult. Besides the language, Prague and Budapest are not all that different from Western Europe and America for tourists. I'll post when I get to Egypt (the hotel/hostel has wifi... always critical), and enjoy my single room. As fun as dormitory style sleeping is, I'm excited to have my own room and just catch up on sleep.

And so I bid you farewell and I'll catch you in 8 hours.

Hungry for more Hungary

OK, I know, that pun has probably been used about 10000x by various backpackers, but I could not help myself. I apologize for the delay since my last post, but things have been very busy here in Budapest. I arrived on Sunday after an 8 hour train ride from Prague. There was apparently air conditioning, but I certainly did not feel it. Along with 60 kids from Miami University (in Ohio), I went through Bratislava and then finally on to Budapest. It was rainy and dark when I arrived and someone on the street tried to exchange my currency, saying Western Union was ripping me off. While he was certainly right about Western Union, I didn't have too much faith in him not just taking my remaining Czech crowns and taking off into the darkness. I also faced my first Hungarian geography challenge as my printed directions had been cut off and it didn't say which metro stop to get off at. Luckily, the hostel I'm at is on one of the busiest streets in Budapest, so it was easy to find. Upon arriving at Tiger Tim's place in Budapest I met a bunch of Americans, Danes, Australians and other backpackers. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and my stay here has been extended from 2 days to probably the entirety of my visit to Budapest.

The next morning I woke up to a beautiful day in Budapest. I grabbed a langos (a pastry, fried with sour cream, cheese and ham... aka heart attack for 3USD) and while waiting met a group of Americans from University of Georgia. I proceeded to hang out with them for the next few hours. Some had been in town for over a month so we wandered around Margaret Island (thought of you mom) and I had people to take pictures for me! I've attached one here that was taken from the Margaret Bridge looking north towards the Parliament building (on the left) and Castle District (on the right). After that, I returned to the hostel to join a group of people going caving under Budapest. Best 18USD I've ever spent! We explored the caves for 3 hours, including some intense crawling sections and even saw a few seashell fossils. I didn't have my camera down there, but will upload some pictures when they are tagged on facebook.

Tuesday I had my first interview, with a venture capitalist. We had a great discussion of the business environment in Hungary and he put me in touch with quite a few other contacts. After that, I met up with someone from Couchsurfing and had a pleasant evening listening to a gypsy band and sipping local beer on an outdoor terrace.

Today I woke up and did a few errands (bought sunglasses, bought more phone credit, etc.) and then went to my 2nd interview, with the chief editor of HVG Online (the Hungarian equivalent of the Economist). He had some great views on the situation in Hungary and gave me some insight into the political parties here. Apparently, the Socialists are like the American Republicans and Young Democrats are more like America's Democrats. I chuckled to myself that Socialists and American Republicans were being equated... what would Rush Limbaugh say! Conveniently, his brother also worked for the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency. I had tried to get in touch with them a few months ago, but had no luck. Amazing how much easier it is when you're actually in the city!

For now, I'm off to a cafe to listen to some jazz and then meet up with the crowd from Georgia. The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse at some point, but that'll give me a good excuse to explore all the museums that I've been neglecting.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Riding the Rails

So it's 4am here and I'm pining for the industrial strength clothes dryers that America has in such abundance. I washed my clothes earlier today and they still aren't dry after hanging outside (it's been raining which probably didn't help). Regardless of my clothes debacle, the weekend in Prague has been great. Met up with a bunch of expats through couchsurfing and had a great dinner. Amazing how such different people can come together through a few shared ideals.

Anyway, I should get a few winks of sleep before heading off to Budapest. The train goes via Bratislava and I can't help but think of the movie Eurotrip. Unfortunately, the exchanges rates haven't been that favorable.

The hostel I'm staying at has wifi, so I'll post when I get there tomorrow evening!

Oh Communism!

Friday around noon here in Prague. I've returned to my go-to wifi location, the Malastrana Starbucks, after an early morning meeting with an American developer in Prague who happens to be a Princeton alum. With a bit of luck, I think I will be able to meet a Princeton alum in every city visit!

Had two interviews yesterday, both of which came back to the interesting topic of the legacy of Communism in the Czech Republic. Both my interviewees agreed that it may take 50 years of capitalism to recover from the damage of communism. While that sounded a bit pessimistic to me, they have lived through both and are likely in a better position to judge. One of my favorite lines was the Czech proverb that "Success is never forgiven." It really captured how suspicious the Czech people are of those who gain wealth, whether through their own business or through a lucrative job with a big company.

We also had an interesting debate about what the Czech Republic's comparative advantage would be in the future (Econ 101: comparative advantage is the economic activity that is most efficient for you/your country to do in relation to others. Example: America's comparative advantage is usually thought to be its design/development/distribution of new products and new business processes. We design and market the iPhone, but it gets produced in China). Everyone I've talked with agreed that it will be hard to rely on the basic manufacturing that was so widespread under communism because Poland/Ukraine and much of Asia do it for cheaper. This was a great example of a "race to the bottom". While the discussion focused on the Czechs, I couldn't help but think how the same debate was applicable to America, particularly after the GM debacle.

In non-research news, I visited the oldest active synagogue in the world yesterday. It was built in 1270! They talked about the "recent fires" which occurred in the 17th century. This part of the world is definitely on an entirely different time scale than America. After that, I attended a fashion exhibition with my gracious host, Petra. It was by students from the Prague school of Design and Architecture. Apparently the top student gets to go to Fashion Week in NYC. Someone was there with a camera, so perhaps I will get a cameo on the Czech version of "Project Runway".

Still cold out, but it is supposed to be warm in Budapest. I'm off to find some lunch.

The Golden City and First Meeting

My first full day in Prague has been very interesting. To begin, it's freezing! I packed for this trip with the expectation that everywhere would be at least 60 degrees, but today it's 58 (12 Celsius, but don't quote me on that) and windy! Luckily, it's very pretty outside.

Had a meeting with CzechInvest, the investment promotion agency of the Czech Republic. They were very helpful, even providing me with a goody bag of slide decks and promotional material. I think I'll have to scan the important stuff because I don't have enough room to carry it all!

After the meeting I wandered through Prague, occasionally mingling with tour groups to get some free info on the countless sites. The architecture is beautiful. There are some streets that are so quintessentially European that it looks like a movie set.

So far I've been very good about conserving cash, but I had to spend 50K (roughly 2.75USD) to climb the Charles Bridge tower. The view was awesome. Below is a picture that I had some Italian tourists take for me (amazing how much you can communicate with grunts and gestures).

I'm off to check out the Prague castle... the people at Starbucks are giving me nasty glares for abusing their free wi-fi.

In Prague!

You´ll have to excuse the poor grammar of the next few days. Czech keyboards are very difficult to familiarize myself with.

After a long flight I arrived in Prague. First meeting tomorrow.

For now, the goal is to stay awake until 9p or so.

Pictures and such to follow...

And I'm off!

This post comes to you from Swiss Air 23, where I begin my journey. Flight 1 of 18!!

Next stop.. Geneva and then on to Prague!

Last Day Stateside!

I learned an interesting paradox of travel today... the less you are packing, the longer it takes to pack. For going carry-on only for 10 weeks, it is amazing how long it has taken me to get all my stuff together. Notable purchases today:

Good shoe insoles (I decided I could be budget on just about everything but my shoe insoles)
A box of ImmuneBooster Emergen-C... the guy at the health food store said take 1 everyday and 2 if I start to feel sick.
Some Clif bars... for those times in India/Egypt when you can't find a hot cooked meal.

Still to come... laptop lock, which I will have to get on the way to the airport.

Flight in 6 hours... wow time flies.