Hong Kong vs USA

Reasons Hong Kong is better than the USA.

1. It is super efficient. Government processes, public transport, it's all so efficient. Except bank account opening. Banking sucks. 

2. It is super safe here. You can walk alone and not have to worry. You still take precautions obviously but there isn't the random crime here that there is elsewhere.

3. My commute to and from work is also my workout. 

Reasons the USA is better than Hong Kong.


1. Target

Enough said.....

Random Things Before Leaving Hong Kong

When Nerf team was here I took 2 members hiking to the Peak.

It was my mentee's birthday and Natascha was taking him to lunch so I crashed the party. 

One of my employee's received a Way to Go award so we did a team celebration! Sally in the middle with her manager Fanny. 

Christmas decorations are starting to go up. No issue with religious signage here. 

I went to Heyuan, China for vendor visits last week. For lunch they took me toBavarian  Manor which is a theme park like area which is decorated like a Norwegian village. 

12 Month Travel Check-In

So I have been in Hong Kong for 11 months. And it is time to be back to US for Christmas so my year of Asia travel is done and ready to be tabulated.
 
Done so far!

• Thailand 
• Phuket - Karon Beach (south west coast)
• Phuket - Pansea Beach (north west coast)
• Chiang Mai
• Jakarta, Indonesia (work-related)
• Seoul, South Korea
• Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Macau
• India (Goa and Mumbai)

Still to do...

• Singapore
• Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, etc) - booked for March!
• Bali, Indonesia
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Vietnam
• Laos
• Taiwan 
• Taipei

Goa, India

So this past week for work we have a management offsite in Mumbai. So before the offsite 4 of us went to Goa to visit a factory. Goa is a 50 minute flight from Mumbai. However, we asked how long to drive and they told us 12 hours because the roads are not built for long haul between the cities.

Goa is a state located in the South western region of India; it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. It is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Goa is one of India's richest states with a GDP per capita two and a half times that of the country as a whole.

Goa is highlighted in red below.

This is the interior of our hotel.

History lesson:
In 1510, the Portuguese defeated the ruling Bijapur sultan Yousuf Adil Shah with the help of a local ally, Timayya. They set up a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (or Old Goa). This was the beginning of Portuguese rule in Goa that would last for four and a half centuries, until 1961.

Goa used to be a Portuguese colony for many years so the architecture has a Spanish flair. 

 Goa has a high Catholic population which I did not know and the Pope recently visited there.

Before our factory tour we had lunch in the hotel with the vendor rep.

The vendor we visited is named Funskool!

 

It is tradition for some India vendors to give guests flowers. Here are mine!

The surrounding area around the factory. 

That night, the vendor took us to the beach in Goa to have dinner seaside. It was dark and hard to see and take pictures.  The beach area is supposed to be very popular with honeymooners. It did not seem as nice as some Thailand beach resort areas but hard to judge at night and from one quick visit.

Back in town, it was the last night of the International Film Festival in Goa. This was the place all lit up!

  
After dinner picture.

The next morning us 4 Hasbro group had a few hours in the morning before our flight back to Mumbai so we walked around Goa town. Below you see casino boats on the water which is the only place in India where gambling is legal.

These boys were marching and playing the drums.

Street in Goa. Crossing the major streets in Goa were challenging. We waited a while to cross or once a local helped us out by shepherding us across the busy street.

Edmond, me and Kenny hanging out. Nelson is taking the picture.

Then it was off to the airport to head back to Mumbai!

Mumbai, India

So we went to Mumbai, India for a workshop with US and Asia teams.
 
Mumbai (also known as Bombay, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, with an estimated city population of 18.4 million. Along with the neighbouring regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world and the seсond most populous metropolitan area in India, with a population of 20.7 million as of 2011. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour.

 

 This is the sunset along the beach on my drive to the hotel.

 Our hotel, the Trident.

The workshop was 2 full days in a hotel conference room and lots of work and discussion.

The first night of the workshop, our HK boss Amit (below), arranged for India music and dancing evening.

 
  Dancing!

The room's lighting was very red!

 
We all got these fancy Indian outfits to wear as well. Not that nice to look at but comfy.

My boss, Winston, and me.

Simon, Nelson, me and Irene.

We look like 3 Christmas elves!

 Thursday in Mumbai was Natascha's birthday. For lunch we got her a birthday cake!

Dinner was not planned for the larger group so I arranged a smaller birthday dinner outside of the hotel at this really cool restaurant and of course we ate curry.
 

 
The last day of the workshop we did a scavenger hunt around Mumbai to develop teamwork and also see some famous sites in Mumbai.

This was my team. Go Team 3. Carol, me, Richard, Robert and Michael.

Carol and I with the Haji Ali Dargah mosque in the background.

One of the scavanger hunt stops was for strawberries and creme.

Selfie with temple in the background (one of our challenges).

I found a cow! Not hard to do on the street actually.

 

Trying to get a group selfie. My form needs work. And yes, the hats were part of the challenge.

The new Mumbai international airport looks like a space ship.