Author: Travels with Melinda

I want to share my passion for travel and empower you to see the world. I've traveled in more than 25+ countries, flown millions of miles and lived in China. A professional at both business and leisure travel, I can coach you to spread your wings and experience the best of what the world has to offer. I hope my blog posts help inspire you to take that first step and start planning your next adventure but, if you need more personalized help, please contact me directly.

Finding my smile again

On June 2, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Last week, I went to Hong Kong to find my smile. You see, I lost it when I arrived in Beijing from Boise, and experienced a very bad lonely “life really, really sucks” moment in my life. What happened to me???? I’m the one who always says “YES” and smiles and gets the job done. I’m the one who never complains because, really, no one wants to hear anyone whine…ever. Poor Thom had to listen to me whine BIG time. I’m the one who takes pride in supporting my family and values the great company I work for and the unique position I have been given to positively influence and impact lives.

Yet, this week, I found myself being very sad and frustrated. What kind of life is this? Why should I continue to work so hard when life is so short? I began to imagine what it would feel like to quit and move back home where everyone else is having a grand old time enjoying the clean air. It should be my turn to enjoy no responsibilities and have someone else take care of me before I die. Who needs money and medical insurance?? Forget that house I just bought in Boise or the business I want to launch with my daughter—other people get by on much less than I do and they have no stress whatsoever. They go for picnics, ride bikes, hang out endlessly at coffee houses and have friends. All of a sudden, it felt like everyone was having fun but me. I had lost my smile and it hurt.

So, taking a break to Hong Kong has been meaningful. Not only did I get to breathe in some badly needed clean air but I have had a chance to let go of the toxic self pity that infected my soul. I’ve always believed that no one can make you happy. You have to make yourself happy. I have to take better care of myself. No one makes me work as hard as I do-it’s self inflicted no doubt. My health and happiness needs to take a front seat, not a back seat, from now on.

I’ve often gone years without a vacation due to my hectic work schedule and that can’t happen again, especially living so far away from everyone. So, in July, I’ll take a few vacation days to introduce Mia to her Great Grandma Gene and enjoy some Chicago time with my sister. My best friend, Patty, will come to visit us in China for a month in the fall with her hubby, Larry. No matter how busy I am, I will take time off to show her around my new hometown. I so appreciate them coming to visit. I booked my son James to visit for two months this summer, thrilling him to pieces with a day layover in Tokyo on the trip over. He’s been dying to see Japan and this will satisfy that itch. We will go to Hong Kong for a long weekend to renew his Visa when he hits 30 days in China. Having James with us will be so wonderful. He will have wonderful adventures with Thom all over China. While Hannah with her asthma shouldn’t visit us in China, I look forward to taking the whole family to Hong Kong or Europe in the years ahead. Little Mia will use her passport often to visit us and be a world traveler. And, finally, Thom will return to China in July after being in the U.S. taking care of the purchase of our home in Boise. Being apart for two months, I realize even more how much I love him and depend on him to be happy. It has been a difficult separation and we’ll try not to let it happen again no matter what. We’re in this adventure together and without him, it’s definitely not as much fun.

Our Hyde Park cottage in Boise. — Our cottage in Boise, where we will be for Christmas this year.

And, yes, WE ARE GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! Just thinking of this in my future made me smile again. It was sad last year being apart from Hannah and Mike, though we enjoyed having James with us in Shanghai. So I will save up two weeks vacation and go home to Boise, to our new home, to spend time with my precious family because, really and truly, family is the only thing that matters in life. Thank you, Hong Kong, for giving me back my sense of humor. We all go through hills and valleys in life and it feels good to be back on top of the hill viewing life in a positive way again through the hazy (aka polluted) skies of China.

Hot Damn….Hong Kong Heaven

On June 1, 2014June 1, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Beijing, China, Hong Kong, Shopping, TravelLeave a comment

I LOVE HONG KONG! Seriously, it is clean, civilized and gorgeous. I was lucky to stay on the outskirts in Cyperport at the Le Meridien Hotel. Infinity pool. CHECK. Crazy bean bag lounge overlooking gorgeous water view. CHECK. Walking distance to mall and park on the water where dogs, really big ones, roam free. CHECK. International grocery that sells bagels and People magazine plus cheap wine. CHECK, CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK. Hot Damn Hong Kong Heaven! A Westerner’s paradise in Asia, Hong Kong is visually stunning with high rise luxury apartments seemingly everywhere and drivers actually following the rules of the road. What, what…what, what?? That’s crazy talk. No bikes/scooters and the buses are all charming double deckers whizzing around the curvy hilly roads. One safety reminder-they have British heritage so they drive on the wrong (at least to me) side of the road. Remember to look both ways or die when crossing the street. They actually have painted reminders on the pavement to remind folks like me to look both ways first. How thoughtful!

We took a cab to The Peak for dinner. About 90 Hong Kong $’s which is about $15 US. Our driver would definitely feel at home behind the wheel of a Porsche in a Grand Prix race. He took those steep curves with confidence and precision as we wound our way upward into the clouds. Though there were some guardrails, in general, it was frightening to look over the edge of the mountain as we raced by the steep and stunning vista’s below. Oh well, it did get the blood flowing as my heart pounded and I occasionally had to just shut my eyes in terror. I figure he knew what he was doing and, if he didn’t, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it so I just had to pray, hard, and trust.

Once at The Peak, there is a very western shopping mall with McD’s, Burger King, Starbucks, etc. but we ate at a lovely Thai restaurant with outside deck, enjoying shrimp, salad, spring rolls, etc. I am getting much better with the chopstick control and managed to eat quite well with them without launching food at my fellow diners. We literally were in the clouds and the wispy puffs were on the move with a strong breeze making the hot weather very lovely. The deck on the mall has an outstanding view of the Victoria Harbor. You can take the Tram down the mountain or cab it. The Tram does have a long line so be prepared to wait quite awhile for this scenic ride. At 9 p.m., one of the largest skyscrapers has a light show on the outside of the building. Quite beautiful so time dinner right and you get a show afterward for free.

Bean Bag Lounge at Le Meridien in Hong Kong...easy to get into and harder to get up, especially after a drink or two! — Bean Bag Lounge at Le Meridien in Hong Kong…easy to get into and harder to get up, especially after a drink or two!

Surrounded on one side by lush green mountains and water on the other side, I’ve so enjoyed watching the boats in the busy harbor. I’ve decided to be happy and content, I must live near both water and mountains. When we lived in Seattle, we were right on the water and loved seeing the ferries and cruise ships with mountains in the background. Now, in Shanghai, it’s a different experience watching the coal boats shoot up the Huangpu River but still, while not so scenic, it does provide an interesting and always different view.

So, back to Beijing and then on to Shanghai to enjoy a long Chinese Dragonboat Festival weekend. I do love all the Chinese holidays. I’ll be watching for the dragons and boats on local waterways-the ferries should have fun dodging those as they cross the river. It will be so good to get home and enjoy a respite from living in a Beijing hotel. I’ll be looking forward to another trip to Hong Kong this summer to share it’s excitement with Thom and James and do more exploring of this beautiful city. Bean Bag Lounge, here I come!

The Adventure that is Inner China Travel

On May 31, 2014May 31, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Beijing, China, Shanghai, Travel, Trips outside Shanghai1 Comment

Spoiled by flying Delta on all my international travels, I got to experience multiple inner country flights this week and may I say, Air China sucks. It is a throwback airline utilizing these teeny tiny pale blue fabric antique seats that recline into your lap. Seriously, the dude in front of me is laying in my lap on this four hour odyssey to get back to Beijing from Hong Kong. I am seriously fighting the urge to smack his head and tell him to kindly decline to recline! And the guy next to me not only snores but when he did wake up (okay, I poked him just a bit to make him stop-works on Thom after all), he’s now clacking away at some game on his iphone….thank God I have my serious headphones with me on this trip so I can plug in and tune out. A friendly seat mate I am not. I think I actually snarled and it wasn’t pretty. On a plus side, he must have taken a bath today because the body odormeter is low and he has kept his shoes on. Hallelujiah! Ahh, you appreciate the little things in life when you travel Inner China.

I am in row 51F…yep, that far back and surrounded on all sides by hacking humanity. Yes, I am spoiled and get to travel in business class most times on international flights. Even on domestic in the US, I usually get upgraded so this trip is not as pleasant. Reminder to self-do not take upgraded seats for granted. It’s not the free booze or high quality food served on fine china, which is nice no doubt, but the extra personal space is what I crave. Next time I fly back to the US, it’s a special business trip so I have to fly coach not business class. As one guy put it who has to suffer a similar fate, Xanax and wine will be our friends and help us to obliviate and only wake up when we land on friendly soil. Having another blood vessel burst in my old ear drum when I landed in Hong Kong, I can’t believe I forgot my Sudafed and nose spray which I’m supposed to take to avoid this fate. OUCH! I looked to find such drugs in Hong Kong but no such luck, so I am furiously chewing gobs of gum and hoping I don’t scream out in pain when we land in Beijing. Yes, travelling is fun and adventure but it can be quite a bitch as well.

And speaking of bitching, the food served in tinfoil on Air China is an adventure in food poisoning. On the way over, I took it because it was very late and I was starved. At least there was a bun sealed in plastic that I hoped would not be too toxic. Turned out it had a red bean paste center which wasn’t too bad. The chicken entrée screamed, “Eat me and die” so I heeded the warning and shunned it. The breakfast on the flight to Beijing is noodles and shrimp. Yes, please give me shellfish prepared on a runway. The flight attendant looked super annoyed when I waved off the food she was peddling. Yes, I know you want to get rid of this shit but I am not that stupid. NO. THANK. YOU. Knowing better than to wait to eat on the plane, I stood in line at McD’s at the airport and got a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese. YUM! The memory of that tasty morsel will keep me going for awhile.

As we get ready to land, I try to make use of the facilities. OCCUPIED. Okay, I’ll wait…and wait…and wait until the surly flight attendant tells me that we are landing and I need to sit down. But what about the Occupant??? She does knock on the door but then buckles up for landing. Okay, what’s wrong with this picture? You got it. Some old guy fell asleep in the bathroom and landed there, poking his head out as we exited and looking around confused. What airline lets a passenger stay in the bathroom during landing??? Air China does. Enough said.

Meanwhile, seeing life from the cheap seats in the back, I did finally find time to write and enjoy my Macklemore playlist. I get a kick out of listening to him in China because I know his music is censored here. Same Love-not in China. I hit the ground in Beijing, running straight to work and then get to enjoy another “economy” flight back home to Shanghai on Saturday. I’ve been gone for two months so I’m hoping our Ayi hasn’t take up residence with her family/friends in our apartment and that the a/c has been turned on since it’s a blistering 100 degrees and humid here. Home Sweet Home!

Boise to Beijing-The Journey Begins

On May 17, 2014May 17, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Beijing, Boise, China, Dog, Fashion, Shanghai, Travel, Trips outside ShanghaiLeave a comment

Good bye blue skies and fresh air! Hello grey, chunk-filled air that causes me to cough..hard. So long family and friends! Hello insane work schedule though I love what I do. Tomorrow I will make the long, long journey from Boise, Idaho to Beijing, China. Leaving behind my new granddaughter Mia and my lovely family including my husband, who will stay to oversee the purchase of our new home here in Boise, our retreat from China but primarily a vacation rental till we expatriate. Though I have been busy working from Boise to get ready for my big project in China, I have been blessed to at least be able to see the baby and family every night. We take a walk around the neighborhood-the whole crazy crew: Baby Mia, Hannah & Mike, Thom and I plus the crazy canine duo pulling us along, Izaak and Ollie, plus Det. Stabler, the only cat I know who goes for walks too. Now, I really don’t favor cats, being a dog person, but I will acknowledge that Det. Stabler is an unusually loyal and smart cat. Not that I ever want to support a cat again. Ever. I prefer dogs who love you always and never give attitude.

Thom enjoying some puppy love from our Izaak. I miss him so much!

Det. Stabler coming along for the walk sans leash

For the next month or two, I will be all alone in Beijing working hard. More days in a hotel than I want to think about, not that it is a bad hotel but I miss being home. Our Ayi Pink probably thinks we bailed on her. I wonder what she does all day in the apartment with really nothing to do except dust the ever present dirt that is spewing out of the vents and hopefully watering our plants so they are not all dead by the time we return. The wave pool with sandy beach will be open for the summer by the time I return to Shanghai in late June. I’ve been watching the feral cats use this sandy beach as their own private litter box all winter while working out in the gym overlooking it. Wonder if they’ll clean up all the cat poop before the season starts? Oh, right, I live in China. Note to self–wear shoes in sand.

What do I miss from Shanghai? I miss the daily adventures walking the streets with Thom. Experiencing the unusual and crazy life in China. I don’t miss the pollution AT ALL. My lung scare is still top of mind and I don’t look forward to wearing my mask more to protect myself but I will because I value living and breathing. My CT scan showed lung damage caused by remote exposure to TB but thank God, I was tested and it’s not active TB. Did I get “exposed” to TB in China. Yep. Damn Subways. Oh well.

Three generations enjoying lunch on a sunny, clear day in Boise.

Packing today was an experience in futility. Due to the lure of low, low prices in the U.S., I may have overdone the shopping a bit. Well, maybe more like 20 or 30 pounds worth. Don’t judge me–the top size in China is a small 4 so I loaded up on the generous US sizing to help my self confidence. Now, I am forced to make my son bring over some of my clothes when he comes. Sorry dude but you’re Momma’s mule! (He doesn’t ever read my blog so I’m safe) He’ll come over with Thom at the first of July with an extra bag or two to have adventures all summer exploring the China that I’m too afraid to see. Yes, until you live outside the U.S. you never consider that your travel plans will be heavily influenced by the reality of “are there are toilets or not?” In pretty much all of rural China, it’s a definite “NOT”. No toilets, no go -just my policy. Men can go anywhere, anytime–females are challenged in that regard especially if you don’t like to squat by the side of the road. So, Thom and James will take the trains here and there and see lots of crazy shit I am sure. I will stay home and work where there are heated TOTO toilets close by–my new office is AMAZING!

So, on my last day in lovely Boise, we went to a great lunch, sat outside on the patio and soaked in the clean air. I will never, ever take for granted the simple things in life like being able to drink a margarita on the rocks with no worries that the “rocks” will be made of toxic water that will induce projectile vomiting. Ahhhhh….I will miss those little things….Beijing, watch out, here I come!

Holy Crap-I’m a Nai Nai

On May 12, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn Boise, China, Shanghai, TravelLeave a comment

Living in China, I wasn’t able to see my daughter Hannah progress in her pregnancy except through social media and two brief visits. Arriving in Boise from Manhattan last week and walking her around Target at 10 p.m. to try and induce labor made it all real. Holy Crap-I’m a Nai Nai now! But I’m too young to be the “G.. word” and I live so far away–how can this possibly work? As Hannah often tells me, “Mom, it’s not all about you!” Really? I thought it was..

Taking the assignment far, far away from family would be tough, sure, but I never expected that there would be a little Mia coming this quickly. Hannah and Mike have been married almost two years but she’s only just turned 23. I thought I would get away with a few years working overseas before I would enjoy this wonderful experience. Why didn’t they consult me first before beginning a family?? Oh, right, it’s not about me and my work schedule. Okay, I get it. Maybe.

Luckily, work brought me closer and allowed me to be here for Mia’s arrival. So at least I didn’t have to miss all of her life like I will after I return to China. Damn. After all the visitors in the hospital monopolizing little Mia and Thom was the worst by far, hardly sharing at all, I finally got to spend some quality time holding her once we got them all home. Our little one has slightly red hair in keeping with her Irish lineage of the O’Dwyers on Thom’s side plus her daddy’s coloring as well. The ginger runs strong in her. That she will be spoiled is an understatement. Her nursery already bursts with everything and more that any baby could every wish for or desire. Her Mama is a fashionista and so shall Mia be. Her substantial feet will be shod in the most trendy shoes with outfits to match. Hannah is a master of finding bargains online at various sites.

We will be launching an online business soon (more to come) and guess who will be the one and only model and namesake for our venture? Thank goodness she is so pretty! Yes, obviously I’m prejudiced but let’s face it, there are not so pretty babies out there that eventually grow into their looks but come out of the womb needing some time to adjust before they face the world.

So, on this Mother’s Day, I am now a Nai Nai. I helped my gorgeous, smart, talented daughter and her equally wonderful husband take Baby Mia home from the hospital to meet her animal siblings, Ollie the Great Dane and Izaak the Vizsla plus the ridiculously hairy cat, Detective Stabler. This brood went from being the “babies” of the family to just animals. Sorry, lady and gents but you are no longer the sole object of your parents affections. Move aside because that little bundle with a bow in her hair just took priority though you will all still be loved. Loving and protecting Mia is now your primary job vs. running after squirrels and chewing bones. Ollie & Izaak may get a little more variety in their diet as Mia starts eating solid food in the years to come, which will inevitably fall to the floor or into open mouths as they quickly learn where to position themselves to take advantage of feeding time. Yum–Cheerios and other delicious finger food flying your way soon! Puppies–please try to keep Mia out of your food bowl. Unlike Thom, who not only let Hannah eat dog food but staged it to take a picture because he thought it was so funny, Ollie and Izaak need to guard their food well because I am pretty sure that dog food can’t be good for babies and must taste horrible.

While we’re visiting this week, I’ll be working hard as my schedule is overwhelming right now but I’ll find time to hold Mia and help with the dogs, who need to run daily to be happy. Taking them out to frolic on the hills around Boise off leash, we hiked for miles on Mother’s Day enjoying the fresh air and blue skies. Boy, it will be so hard to leave here and go to Beijing on Saturday but go I will because I have a family to support and responsibilities to fulfill. Quite frankly I’m not sure how but I will find a way to make it work and be a good Nai Nai to Mia. One day I hope she will enjoy listening to stories about her crazy Nai Nai’s adventures in China, which will inspire her to see the world. Your Nai Nai loves you, Mia.

My Destiny-Manhattan & Me

On May 2, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Dog, New York City, Parks, Seattle, Shanghai, Travel, Trips outside Shanghai4 Comments

NY Post. Bagel Shops. $1 Pizza. Dog parks. Broadway. Interesting people-EVERYWHERE. Why do I love NYC so much? All that & more. You can never be bored here. I hate being bored. I want to be able to walk for miles and see something new and different, whether it be a store or people or a park, every day I am alive. I’m a walker and NYC is a walking paradise. Even in the downpour last night, we had fun dodging under scaffolding and running across broad avenues to reach the historic and wonderful theater where we saw Kinky Boots.

Broadway Baby-Kinky Boots Amazingly Fabulous!

Enriching my colleague’s life with a night on Broadway, he was even more amazed when I leaned over and told him that those gorgeous ladies doing the high kicks in the skimpy outfits and kinky boots were all men. Priceless. He was still talking about it the next day and really appreciated the story line and talent displayed on stage. But never, ever would you or could you experience something like that in China. I’m glad we could share that with him. And, yes, those were Kinky Cocktails in sippy cups. When I die and the grandkids are going through our crap, they’ll see my collection of sippy cups from all the Broadway plays we have gone to and think their Nai Nai was pretty cool and drank ALOT. Oh, the stories they will tell but hopefully we will inspire them to see our big, wonderful world.

Today, after work we walked around the UN area between 49th and 55th and 2nd Avenue, wandering aimlessly with no destination in mind as we do everywhere we go. Manhattan, we love you! When we stumbled upon the Peter Detmold dog park by the East River and 51st Street we just felt like it was home.

Puppies galore! I miss my Izaak so much!

There were even Vizla’s playing among the many dogs with their owners chatting and enjoying the warm sunny day. Ahhhhhhh….this is where we belong. While there were no coal barges running up and down the river like in Shanghai, an apartment here would be awesome. We favor a river view always, though whether we could afford one here is still to be determined.

Many of the buildings were very historic with beautiful stonework and rich details. Doormen in their uniforms guarding the residences doesn’t bode well for affordability but does speak to feeling secure and pampered. Many restaurants including Il Positino and other international restaurants due to the UN being so close made for a diverse atmosphere. How can we make this happen? Well, I have been known to be a planner and stubborn in my resolve to make things happen–it took me almost 4 years to get an international job, taking on the challenge of many different assignments to get to where we are now, so it’s in my wheelhouse to make this happen in the future for us as well.

We have no intention of cutting our current adventure short but we are restless vagabonds who long to have Manhattan as our base of operation some day, along with a nice abode in Boise, Idaho to visit often with the soon-to-be arriving Mia and her superb parents, Mike & Hannah, along with our son James who will probably stay in the damp, grey Seattle he favors. When he graduates next year, I just may go back and get my MBA in China which could serve me well as a consultant in my future years should I go in that direction. In the meantime, I will dream of living in the Big Apple with Thom and start saving to make the dream become a reality. EVERYONE NEEDS TO DREAM BIG!! That doesn’t mean, of course, that I’m giving up our VIP Membership at Dragonfly Massage in Shanghai. A girl has to have her weekly foot massages. I’m not a savage.

View from the dog park. How do you beat this?

My New York Day

On April 28, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, New York City, TravelLeave a comment

Back in Manhattan after having lived here a year ago, I am soaking up every moment of the Big Apple. We love it here so much. Whether it is Times Square or Madison Square Park, there is no place like this on Earth. You never know what you will stumble upon like this dude in Union Square park just killing it with his violin-I’ve never seen people give money so freely to a street musician and, yes, I added to his pile of well deserved cash. Play on!

Today, after going to the nearest UrgentCare for a TB test (results to come Tuesday), I decided to hit all my favorite places while Thom went to a Mets game with his high school friends. Baseball game-why, no, I’d rather go to the dentist or pump gas or fill in the blank of whatever you hate to do. Sleeping in till 1 p.m. (combination of Eastern Time and staying up till 2 a.m. after a delayed flight), I took off south on Lexington Avenue from the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central-a really great hotel centrally located to walk everywhere. My diet today will consist of: .99 cent Pizza, bagel with butter and black/white cookie with some wine and coffee thrown in for much needed hydration. Delicious AND nutritious!

On a beautiful sunny day in NYC, everyone was out walking. Lots of gorgeous people and interesting characters to see. Dirtier than China with trash bags in heaps everywhere, at least the bathrooms are slightly nicer here. Now, you know you’re a true New Yorker when you know where to score a bathroom–yes, Barnes & Noble is your best bet for a decent public facility. Checking out their book signings coming up, I was thrilled to see Diane Keaton is signing her new book Thursday night so we’ll probably check it out. Love her! Then I shopped with the masses at Nordstrom Rack–everyone was standing in line for the cashiers but I was Seattle-smart and knew that all the employees carry mobile POS–they were just not advertising that fact as they were picking all the shit off the floor that the slobs had thrown down. Really people–that’s just rude. I think everyone should work apparel retail for at least a week and then they wouldn’t be so quick to trash the floor and fitting rooms.

Fish Eddy-where else can you buy ceramic hands??

After buying up all the necessities I can’t find in China, I was off to Fish Eddy, a quirky dish store selling lots of eclectic fun stuff . Then I had to get a bagel to sustain me on my 2 mile walk back to the hotel. Strolling through Madison Square Park by the Flatiron Building, our old neighborhood, the lines were long at the Shake Shack, a really popular burger joint I never made it to when I lived here–maybe this week we’ll find time.

Izaak's favorite place-Madison Square Dog Park — Izaak’s favorite place-Madison Square Dog Park

Izaak went to the Madison Square dog park every day when we lived here and Thom made lots of friends there while the dogs played. Ahh, the memories! Nearby, I stopped by Toshi’s Living Room, a cool club where the house dog is front and center greeting customers. Talking to Toshi himself, he advised me to stop by Monday night when the Broadway singers stop by on their night off and take to the mic. I’m there! Later in the evening, hooking back up with Thom after his much needed nap after the ball game (Thom has SUCH a tough life–Go Mets 4-0), we went to Rockefeller Center to hang out. I can’t believe the ice skating rink was still going strong in late April. Several times, uber-friendly Thom took photos for tourists, who were astonished that anyone would be so friendly in NYC. Some day, we will find a way to live here again.

Atlas at Rockefeller Center. Always impressive.

Where’s the Ayi???

On April 26, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn Seattle, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Using the Hyatt gym in Seattle to try and stay healthy on the road, we aren’t feeling the love. At home, we are used to being greeted by an Ayi, who hands you a towel and makes sure the minute you finish your bottled water, another is handed to you while you are on the treadmill. In the US, you are on your own–no greet, no water bottles and get your own damn towel. WHAT?? No pool shoes provided, no bathing suit “squeeze out the water” machine in the locker room and where the HELL is my personal hot tub to relax in after a swim?? Oh yes, you might say we are spoiled rotten by the higher level of service found in hotels in China that we are lucky enough to stay at when travelling. I acknowledge that and feel a great level of appreciation for those perks I have become accustomed to. It makes up for the polluted water, air and food. Small trade offs.

Thom's looking for the Ayi and bottled water...keep looking! — Thom’s looking for the Ayi and bottled water…keep looking!

One other bitch about the gym here–you have to walk by the ballroom through a maze of stairs and hallways to get to it in an attached building. Last night, there was a big shindig going on and since it was from my company, I was afraid to walk by in my gym clothes dare I walk into the CEO or someone I know so we had to find an alternative way to get there by going outside in the rain. Again, first world problems but still….

Being a Diamond level member of Hyatt loyalty program, I get to visit the Regency Club wherever we stay so we can get treats and beverages. The Beijing Grand Hyatt Club is huge and puts on a feast every day for every meal with unlimited adult beverages. Oh Yaaaahhh Baby! The Seattle Hyatt is being very judgmental and must think I don’t need unlimited wine because when we tried to get in around 9 p.m., it was locked and closed for the night. Obviously they don’t understand how hard I work. Room service please!

I will say the room service is better in the US having lived through the Nanjing incident where it took 4 attempts to get milk for my cereal. Being hermits, we love room service so we have feasted on lobster mac & cheese, crab bisque and Cobb salad, and were mighty impressed at the yumminess factor. I almost licked the bowl after finishing the cheesy crab bowl of heaven. After that meal, we need to go back to the gym and work out a little more. On to NYC tomorrow so we’ll be walking all over town from Central Park to Madison Square Park, checking out all our favorite haunts. HELLO MANHATTAN!!! HERE WE COME!!

Happy Day!!

On April 26, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn Uncategorized1 Comment

My stomach turned over as I saw I had missed a call from Dr. K. You know in the movies that they only take the time to call their patients personally to deliver bad news. After a quick prayer, I called him back hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. “Not lung cancer” was all I heard and let out a big sigh of relief. Hallelujah! I appreciate everyone’s concern and wanted to update you as soon as I heard. I will need further tests to see if the nodules seen on my lungs are from either having TB in the past unbeknownst to me or possibly still having active TB, which can be treated with a 9 month round of meds and is NOT contagious. I will test soon and take care of myself. Dr. K. was happy that we caught this when we did so I can treat as needed to be healthy and live a long, long life with my family and friends. I love you all. Have a HAPPY DAY-I certainly will!

Day of the Doctors

On April 25, 2014 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Seattle, TravelLeave a comment

Stop and smell the Seattle flowers! Life is short-enjoy it!

Today was Doctor Day. After experiencing the China Medical System first hand and being sufficiently appalled and flat out frightened at their completely outdated facilities/medical equipment, I decided to take advantage of being in the U.S. for a work trip and knock out every medical check up I could think of. So today, I got injected, poked, prodded, radiated and burned. Good times!

First up, Dr. Ken entered the examination room and saw Thom and I both sitting there. “OMG, don’t think I can take both of you two at once!!!” We love Dr. Ken and he did the ” Double Trouble” George exam providing valuable strong meds for Thom’s chronic back pain (his past youthful indiscretions catching up to him) and reassuring me that it probably wasn’t lung cancer that the China radiology saw on the X-Ray but the CT scan today would tell us for sure. Damn you China pollution-you suck! We should know more tomorrow–cross your fingers!! Upon entering the clinic, Thom gleefully stepped on the scale announcing “160 without clothes” and sure enough (thankfully he left his clothes on for the nurse) but he came in at 166 fully dressed. Damn that skinny dude! No one should really enjoy getting weighed. He didn’t even take off any clothes while I started stripping and kicked off the shoes (no socks because they weigh too much) AND my jacket AND my scarf and still was so depressed to see the numbers keep rolling upward. WTF! I’m skipping dinner tonite and probably every night until I shed some poundage. Of course, $1 pizza and bagels will be allowed on this new diet once we get to Manhattan Saturday and wine is always allowed. Just saying!

Then, it was race time to get to the skin doctor downtown on time. Gravity sucks. Yes, it does dear Dr. T so since you froze that skin cancer off my lip and it hurts like bloody hell, let’s go ahead and stick some needles all over my face and eliminate those wrinkles while we’re at it. Wine please! Stay out of the sun always is my advice-get some of that bronzing lotion and you’ll live longer. Dr. T. did share with me a skin cancer fun fact-Bob Marley died of melanoma skin cancer under his toenail-he thought the streaking under his nail was from stubbing it against his microphone stand while performing. Learn from Bob and check under that red nail polish for skin cancer! So, with white numbing gel on my burned lip and red needle marks on my forehead, we raced off to the eye doctor. I did feel like people moved out of my way quicker with my new truly ugly look going on–should this be my new look when I get back to congested Shanghai so I can get me a seat on the crowded subway??? Probably not.

Dr. G. was quick in determining that my eye “freckle” was not going to blind me any time soon and gave me some free contacts so that stop was a happy one with no pain at all. Score! Now I need to go shopping for some cute non-prescription sunglasses to wear with my contacts. I have Graves Disease with my eyes so I am very sun sensitive and have to wear sunglasses even on cloudy days. No reason to not look trendy though–I’m going for leopard print ones. Animal prints never go out of fashion. I’ve been referred to many times (mainly by my bosses) as a bull dog but I would prefer to resemble a somewhat prettier animal. Roarrrrrrrr!!!!

Finally, the CT scan was our last stop of the day and Thom decided to get a hip/back X-ray to keep me company–got to love our awesome all inclusive, no limit insurance. I wish everyone could have this type of medical care and not have to worry about bills. We are blessed. As the cheery tech put in my IV and ran the machine over me, I said my prayers and looked forward to eating something. They do give you warm blankies while you’re laid out getting radiated so that was cozy on a rainy day. Take the comfort where you can get it.

Bagels with James came afterwards since we were so close to Seattle U. James was busy studying but reluctantly joined us for a little while. We begged.

James joining us for a bagel after the Day of Doctors.

Oh to be a college student with no cares in the world other than learning! I do hope he appreciates this special time in his life. I would love to go to school full time again–what fun to just learn and dream of your whole life ahead of you. Me, I just want to NOT have lung cancer and enjoy my new super cute sunglasses! Simple wishes.

Not to get all preachy or anything but most people worry about all the little crappy stuff happening in their lives and can’t see the big picture–we get very little time here to make a difference and enjoy all the wonders of this world. Lighten up and be happy. Make someone’s day, which will in turn make your day. My motto is: Expect nothing and appreciate everything. Cheers!

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