Brrr BEIJING!

This time in Beijing was a lot harder, but a lot more fun. I am not sure if it is because my Chinese is worse than before or because I was there longer and did more.

Starting with the fun. I continue to travel a lot and see very little. This trip I decided to get in a day early and see some of Beijing. It's a hard decision to add an extra day away from home, but one of my long time friends at the company, Catherine, was going to be in China too so we convinced each other.

I don't know when I have ever packed so much into a Sunday. After 17 hours in transit to Beijing - we did the Great Wall, Tian'amen Square, The Forbidden City and the Olympic Village - and none of those places are close to each other.

The hotel tried to convince us not to go to the Wall - saying the weather wasn't good. Well, we only had one day so it was good enough.

Did you know when you barter in China you are supposed to go down to 15-20% of the starting price? Yeah, me neither...I think we did alright. The morning started with the Great Wall. We had to negotiate with a taxi driver to take us there (2 hours), wait for us and bring us back - we were speaking English, he Chinese, the bell boy "translating" (you never really know do you?). I think we made the right choice, not only did we get a fair price ($650 RMB), but he shaved 30 minutes off the Lonely Planet estimated time, while providing a thrilling experience.

The Wall was spectacular. We chose to go to Badaling. Badaling is further from the city, but worth it. After being harassed by hawkers (they convinced Catherine to buy a hat and gloves with the promise that it would be very cold up there),

we took a cable car up to a section of the Wall. The sm/fog made the Wall look like it was suspended in the clouds. The climb is challenging and invigorating. One of the more surprising things was the lack of white people. It was crowded, and everyone was Asian. When we had seen enough, we took the cable car back down. Within a couple seconds of arriving in the car park, our taxi driver had spotted us (super impressive) and we were on our way back to Beijing and on to the Forbidden City/Tian a'men Square.

Upon arriving in Tian'amen Square (later we found out that what we thought was the square wasn't actually the square, it was in fact the one across the street!), we realised that everyone thought Catherine was Chinese (she is Korean). Throughout the whole trip people were approaching her and speaking Chinese. Then they were taken a back when I told them (in my very broken Chinese) that she didn't speak Chinese, followed by confusion that she wasn't actually Chinese. I am not saying it wouldn't have been helpful if she was.

We met up with the rest of the team for some Peking Duck at one of the most famous restaurants in Beijing. Fortunately, we had an actual Chinese colleague with us so it was ensured that we would actually get the duck.

Time to get to work...

We woke up Wednesday to about 4 inches of snow. Snow makes it impossible to get around!!Realising that my feet were still wet, my throat was getting sore, I wasn't going to get to Shanghai until midnight and I was meeting with one of the biggest, most important companies in the world the next morning (GE), I called the hotel and arranged a car to pick me up. Best decision ever!

Celebrating Denise!

It was so nice to be at home. It was the first time in 8 years of working, we took two weeks off of work. (In fact, when we moved to Australia, I didn't even take one day off.) We spent both of those weeks in NJ. It was wonderful to catch-up with friends and family. We got to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday with her; catch up with mom and dad; have lunch with Lauren; spend some time with Laura, Lee and Larry; see Maddie growing bigger; meet Nash; and be around long enough for RJ to know Aunt Liss and Uncle Sean.

Our last night we got to celebrate Denise! It was a celebration of 10 years cancer free. I can't think of a better reason to celebrate! It was such a special day of everyone coming together from all of the stages of her life.

Finishing in the top 3!

Our time at our new beach house culminated with the Brigantine Triathlon. Sean had set a goal for himself to break an hour and 10 minutes this year. Going into it, it was questionable whether or not his bike would make it. He brought his old bike back from Australia. While training that week he had gone through 3 tire tubes. Once he was down in Sea Isle and Dad and I had to bring the van down to pick him up. This triathlon, isn't like the Tour de France with your crew following you in case of a blowout - if your tire goes, you mind as well throw in the towel.

You'll see that he not only met his goal, but he slashed it and came in third! His fan club was very happy :)

Bahamavention

I kicked off my four weeks in the US with a Bahamavention with Sherry. How fun is that?! Sherry recently moved to Orlando so one of us was going to have to fly in order for us to get together. Neither of us were too psyched about spending the weekend with Mickey or Barack so we decided on Nassau. It was an inexpensive, direct flight for both of us and there was a Sheraton - which means hotel points.

The beaches on Nassau are some of the most beautiful I've been to. If you're an east coaster, it rivals Fiji, yet much closer and less expensive. Don't miss what's in your own back yard!

It was great to catch-up with Sherry and have a girls weekend. It's one thing I've missed being so far away from home!

A winter break

Not that we can complain about an Australian winter, but it was starting to get to us. So, we planned a trip up north to take a break from the grey days and get some sun. We decided on Noosa, a quaint little beach side town in Queensland. It is about an hour and a half plane ride from Melbourne, an easy weekend trip. Because the field hockey league I coach in thinks it's a funny joke to have all its games on Friday night, we took off early Saturday morning. Our friends from Sydney (you may remember Leela and Pete from an earlier post), met us up there. It was our first time going away with another couple - boy was it a blast!

Noosa was every bit as great we heard it would be. Beautiful beaches and no dramas. On Saturday we spent some time walking along the beaches and visiting the Surf Life Saving Club. Are you asking yourself, how fun can that be? Did someone get hurt? No mate, the SLSCs are one of the coolest things we have discovered in Australia. They are club houses right on the beach. Think Elk's Club, Night's of Columbus, etc... cheap beer, on a club house deck, overlooking some of the most amazing views you've seen in your life. What a find!

After the beach, Leela and Pete brought a couple of bottle of sparkling wine to our room in the evening and our night of fun began....

The next morning Sean and Pete got up for a run and Leela and I did some yoga on the beach followed by a beach front massage. Perfect! Brekky then a bike ride to the neighbouring beaches (and of course we had to try the beer at their Life Saving Clubs :)). Leela introduced me to shandies. Yum. What a refreshing way to enjoy an afternoon beer.

During the trip Sean and Pete decided we'd be back. Next time it would be to compete in the Noosa triathlon, one of the preeminent in Australia.

I guess there will be less Life Saving Club visits next time... for the boys that is!

Relaxing in Tasmania

I can be very impulsive. I was flying back from Sydney one evening and decided I had worked enough that week and I would reward myself by reading the Qantas magazine instead of getting my laptop out immediately (a window into the crazy). There was an article written directly to me. Are you tired? Stressed? Do you love nature? Yoga? YES! YES! YES! YES! Then you've got to come to this yoga retreat in the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. Done - I am there. I got home and booked it in.

Well, as I was on the plane to Tasmania it started to sink in. I was going to a yoga retreat in the middle of nowhere, alone. I had tried to convince my friend to come, but she thought it sounded too intense, hmm... that should have been my first clue. I got off the plane and saw a small group of ladies, looking very yoga like waiting for me. A round of introductions and then a three hour drive in the darkest dark. There is nothing in Tasmania. After the long drive we pulled over and got into a four wheel drive Land Rover to take us further into nothingness. After a half hour on the dirt road, we hiked up the mountain to the retreat. Whoa! This is serious. I didn't know the half of it. They showed us to the "bathroom" area. Where I learned this place didn't have electricity or running water and there were composting toilets. They weren't kidding when they said escape from the complexities of life.

I was getting a bit up tight about the whole thing - why didn't they tell me this? why didn't I ask? Then I laid down in my (very, very cold) bed (with all the clothes I had packed layered on) and looked up. Through the glass ceiling, the sky looked more amazing than I had ever seen it. That's what this weekend was about. Slowing down and enjoying the beauties of nature that we are too busy to notice in our daily lives.

Each morning started with 6:30 meditation over looking the crashing sea, followed by three hours of yoga, a midday hike and 3 more hours of yoga. There's nothing as refreshing as clearing your mind and being grateful for what you have and where you are in the present moment.

Malaysia, truly Asia

Malaysia, truly Asia - at least that's what it say on the Australian Rules Football players' jerseys who are sponsored by Malaysia Tourism. Random, I know. Well Malaysia is very much like the sign - closed to non-Muslim tourists. I flew from a meeting in Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. I took the train from the airport to the hotel. It seemed like the best option because it allowed me to see the beautiful country side.


I arrived on a Sunday so I was able to take a tour around the city. I did a hop on hop off bus tour. I wish they would have warned me before I got off at the Masques that I wouldn't be able to go into any of them. I ended up walking to the next location down a questionable highway. KL is an interesting place. Very East meets West. It seems that every city I have been to has British influence. The key sight in KL are the Petronas Twin Towers. The Petronas Twin Towers are Kuala Lumpur's most prominent landmark. At 452 meters-high, it is the world's second highest structure and was built in 1998. The towers' design and architecture are inspired by Islamic art with a modern outlook, reflected by its steel and glass façade. A sky bridge connects the two towers mid-way, and it is here that visitors can come up and catch a bird's eye view of the surrounding city.

It's hard to get around KL. They don't follow the typical methodology of street number, street name. Instead it's building name, city. Well, google maps can't handle that and the cab drivers can't handle my accent. Great combination. God was watching over me on one particular cab ride. One of my meetings was further than I had anticipated - a lot further. I was meeting with Malaysia Airlines. It was at the airport (obviously), so I asked the hotel concierge how many Ringgits it would be. Not so obviously, it was at a different airport. As I sat in the cab and watched the Ringitts tick up...I started to sweat. I was in the middle of nowhere, didn't have enough cash for the cab and they don't take credit card. What was I to do? Say excuse me, can you let me off? EEEK! As we pulled up to the office building - in the middle of nowhere - I was very relieved to see an ATM!!!!

16 bottles of wine for Easter!

You might remember from last year that Easter is a 4 day weekend in Australia. With 4 days off we were excited to set off on an adventure. Being a Murray, I never plan too far ahead. Being a first born, I at least plan a little bit ahead. We tried (again) for Ayers Rock. We were too late (again). So we decided on Perth and Southwestern Australia. Although Sean and I had a deal - no more Jetstar flights - I booked a Jetstar flight. It was just so much cheaper. I couldn't help myself. We paid for that choice - with time and sleep.

Day 1 - we took a ferry to Rottnest Island. Rottnest Island is an island getaway about 30 minutes from Perth. In it's earliest days it served as a gaol for Aboriginals and then an internment camp in WWII. In 1903 it was turned into a tourist attraction for swimming, sailing, golfing, hiking. Rottnest is all about enjoying natural beauty. There are not any cars on the island. Just bikes. The island was named for the small native marsupials - quokkas. When the island was first discovered they were mistaken for giant rats and it was referred to as rat nest island. We hired bikes and set off on the 26km ride around the island. I said let's go with the single gear bike (because it was cheaper) instead of inquiring why one might need a multi gear bike. If I had asked that someone might have said - because it is really mountainous terrain! The ride was challenging, exhilarating and the scenery was spectacular. The beaches are some of the best in the world! We wasted no time jumping into the Indian Ocean. Wow is it blue and clear. 4 oceans down - one to go! On Rottnest you are so remote. Nothing between you and India in one direction and nothing between you and Africa in another.

If you are looking for a beach vacation that is all about the simple pleasures, this is place. No five star resorts or restaurants here. Just understated shacks with unobstructed views of the ocean (and the quokkas).

Our first winery stop was Swings & Roundabouts. We chose that one because of the wood fire pizza and the pretty cool label. The wine was good too. After doing some tasting we couldn't decide on just one so we bought a case. Needless to say that was our hotel accommodation for the night so I guess we'd be sleeping in the Prius. No seriously, we never made a reservation and in the Murray tradition Easter is for camping. We drove up to the place where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet - or should I say collide - and camped out for the night. We watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean and started Easter with it rising over the Southern Ocean!
As we were packing up our gear - ie folding up the beach towels and putting the seats back up - we caught site of another couple doing the same. Hmmm....they look familiar. Wait. They are the German couple we were swimming in Geographe Bay with two days and 100km ago in search of dolphins.
Thanks to the catholictraveler.com we've been to churches through most of the world. This one had some very unique features: panoramic views of the ocean, holy water in a seashell, and a hymn board that read OH for everything. As we were preparing for the opening hymn we couldn't figure out what OH meant and then the word appeared before us on the wall. Ah yes, OH must stand for over head (projector). Why didn't I think of that?!

Pop the Champagne!

Time for the formal introductions: friends, family, [random strangers trolling the internet] - meet our new beach house. Beach house, meet our friends and family. This house is the first Murray-Bailey business (ad)venture [Murray-Bailey Ventures - a good name. We're one 'Jameson' short of a good irish law firm]. Melissa and I together with her parents have joined forces to bring an Ocean City home back into the family.

It's a charming and cozy duplex on the north end of the island and within a stone's throw of the boardwalk/beach/water. We really lucked out. It's one of the last 'original' beach houses on the street, now dwarfed by mc-mansions on either side. Aside from the traditional bookcase and pillars separating the common rooms, there are some great architectural details including traditional hardwood floors, crown molding, and high ceilings. The second floor is a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom. The first floor is a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom. With off-street parking, outdoor shower, covered porch, and even a bit of grass, it's a gem! [Did it sound like a sales pitch ;-)]

If this news catches you a bit off-guard, then here's the quick back story. Last August, the house was recently listed and we informally checked it out. After initial discussions with the agent, the price was still a bit high and the sellers were not interested in negotiating. Before long, an offer was extended by another party and the house was off the market - so we thought. Fast forward to November when Melissa stumbled across the listing online - 870 3rd St was available again! Melissa reopened the line of communication with the agent. [Did I mention the sales agent just happened to be a long-time friend of Melissa's parents :-)] An intense cross-continental negotiation ensued, a middle ground was reached, and the house was ours.

Remember this address: 870 3rd St OCNJ. We've listed it for seasonal and weekly rental at the following website:

http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/51728.html

Be sure to enquire about mates' rates ;-)

Cheers to 3-0!

Time for a break... again.

Yes, we just had a vacation in SE Asia over the Christmas holiday. But that wasn't really a vacation, it was more of a discovery mission - uncovering the hidden gems in Cambodia, experiencing the craziness of Bangkok, and learning of the cultural differences Vietnam. We were up with the sun most mornings and didn't have any time to just relax.

Enter the Fiji excursion. A week of nothing but nothing. Enjoy the beach and pool; get back to work-out basics with yoga, meditation, and swimming; and don't leave the island unless absolutely necessary. Timed perfectly, we also celebrated in style the big 3-0 for Melissa.

Fiji is like the Bahamas for Australia and New Zealand. Its a five hour flight from Melbourne and located in the South Pacific, almost directly north of NZ. As we did nothing, there is nothing really to blog about. You may notice a few interesting pictures featuring Melissa. We discovered Fiji Bitter and Fiji Gold (both beers) and that our balcony had a great view of the sunset each evening. We also discovered that there are lots of bugs. We made the mistake of leaving our balcony door open one night - we had not yet discovered the screen door - and were awoken with many bug bites. One momento we would have preferred to leave in Fiji.

An interesting story... after a few drinks one evening, we headed out towards the beach and the hotel's hammocks. After laying peacefully, admiring the stars for a few minutes, we decided to head back to the room. As Melissa rolled one way - that way being towards my side - we were both dumped by the hammock onto the ground. Luckily, I broke Melissa's fall. Unfortunately, my foot took the brunt of the fall and my running days were limited the rest of the trip. My feedback to the Westin, add a sign above that reads, 'danger, beware of hammocks when drinking'.

A Dark Day for Australia

...and I'm not talking about the lack of Oscar nominations for the movie 'Australia'. Saturday, February 7th will forever be remembered as Black Saturday. Regarded as the worst natural disaster in the country's history, bush fires destroyed several towns outside of Melbourne. As my mom remembered, Healesville [where we visited the animal santuary and Big Steps Winery and not too far from Melbourne] is on the cusp of the fire line. Early Sunday, the death toll climbed above 50. Within the last week, over 200 people have been confirmed dead, and due to the circumstances of the tragedy, many remains are still left unidentified. Based on your emails, phone calls, Facebook messages, etc, its clear that the US media picked up the story and reported the countless personal tragedies. I can assure you that Melissa and I are just fine; we do, however, have friends who have been significantly affected by the fires.

Its hard to comprehend until you put it into perspective: Marysville, a small town just beyond Healesville, where friends have said to visit as its a quaint country town in the mountain foothills, is no more. It just doesn't exist on the map. No more library, police station, post office, school, gas station, and definitely, no homes. On that Saturday, Melbourne was one of the hottest places on earth! You can see from the screen shot of the weather station below, the temperature in the late afternoon topped 115F. Yikes! Add to that hurricane force winds - yep, winds that were knocking us over as we walked through the neighborhood - and it was like being in a convection oven. Imagine the feeling when you put your cold hands on the baseboard heating to warm-up during the winter - you know how its hot but the warm feels good - until you have to pull your hands away from the heat. Now imagine the air surrounding you is giving you that same feeling over your entire body. Yeah, its that hot!

The good story following this tragedy is how Australians have banded together to support those most affected. Not known for their charitable giving, nearly every large Australian corporation - including Accenture, CEB, and Australia Post - have made considerable donations to the bushfire appeal. Clothing and other donationed items were being turned away from shelters because of the overwhelming response. If you'd like to help out, please donate here. http://www.redcross.org.au/

A funny footnote on the day... Melissa and I had to run an errand across town in the middle of the afternoon using the un-airconditioned trams. That's one hour each way. We had to pick up Melissa's laptop... the laptop she left at the Sydney airport a day earlier... the laptop that a friend picked up from security but couldn't get it beyond her mother's house in Kew... the laptop that couldn't be picked up on Sunday when it was 20 degrees cooler. I know, I know... I'm a great husband.

It's Summer!!!

After a stormy December and cool start to January, the last few weeks have reminded us of the real Melbourne summer. With three straight days above 40C (110F), even the players at the Australian Open were feelin' it! With the extreme heat, the rail system collapsed, rolling blackouts hit the city suburbs, and city office buildings' A/Cs were put to the test. Good thing Melissa was working from Sydney where the weather always seems to be perfect. Add to the mix no substantial rain for 40+ days and our gardens are looking great ;-)

Since the trip to SE Asia, I've turned my focus to the Gatorade Triathlon Series. I competed in my first Olympic distance event in Sandringham (beach just 20mins south). I was very happy with my result; I finished in under 2:30 and in the middle of my age group. A few weeks later, I competed in a sprint distance event in Portarlington (1.5 hrs from Melbourne near Geelong) and was within striking distance coming out of the water - I think I went alittle too fast in the water because the bike and run suffered. Rookie mistake. My next race will be the final race in the Series in St Kilda at the end of March.

In the meantime, we have more travel planned. We head to Fiji for a week to celebrate Melissa's big 3-0 next week. Upon return, Melissa gets back on a plane and heads for Beijing. She's been asked to help launch the CEB programs in China, and this is her first trip to meet with current members and assess new opportunities.

The Shock of Vietnam

With passports in hand (phew), we made it to Vietnam on Wednesday. When we arrived at our hotel, our luggage felt a little lite...after much negotiation with a cab driver and an agreement we would ride with a pair of Aussie girls, we settled on what we considered a fair price. hmmm...our luggage felt a little lite...where are my sunglasses and Sean's blackberry?! The cab driver must have pinched them when we let the girls off and he was in the trunk getting their luggage out. UGH!

The streets of Ho Chi Minh are crazy! Everyone on motor cycles and I am not quite sure if there are any traffic laws. It is a funny site when it starts to rain (which is several times a day). Everyone pulls their motorcycles over and gets out their ponchos.

We did a walking tour of the major sites of the city - a tour of the palace, museums, the post office, and a beautiful cathedral. All that walking and we barely made it out for New Year's Eve. We managed to find an Aussie dive bar - the Blue Gecko - in true Aussie fashion, it was a night filled with Abba!

The first day of 2009 we spent at the War Remembrance Museum. What an eye-opening experience?! In the spirit of peace and harmony among our readers, I try to refrain from controversial or politically charged postings HOWEVER I just have to comment here. This was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. How did I miss everything that happened in the Vietnam War. Boy did I get an American view! On several occasions, I felt sick to my stomach and was brought to tears on one occasion. I ended up buying McNamar's book, In Retrospect, from a man without any arms (a victim of the land mines left in Vietnam). I highly recommend it. It was very enlightening - and disturbing. Makes you think...