A JAPANESE FIREDRILL

Posted on April 30, 2013 by michaelweening

A few weeks ago we were notified of a fire drill that would happen in our apartment building. In Canada (or anywhere else), a fire drill involves a bell ringing, walking outside and then back in.

Not in Tokyo. In Tokyo it is a major event. The fire department arrives with a fire truck and what looked like half of the fire department. They walk us through what to do during a fire or earthquake and then walk us through how to use the fire extinguishers. The little kids in the building JUMPED at the chance to try them out.

When it comes to process and preparation, no one matches the Japanese. After marvelling at their preparation, I could not help but feel better prepared. Although, I was disappointed that they didn’t bring the earthquake simulation truck.

A BABY ELEPHANT

Posted on April 29, 2013 by michaelweening

A few days before we had arrived at the Elephant Safari Park, a baby was born. She was shy.

I had to wait around for 5 minutes before she finally sneaked out for a few minutes from her mother’s protective care. She walked with a wobble (smile).

Took one look and trotted back to her mom.

AN ELEPHANTS EYES

Posted on April 25, 2013 by michaelweening

The elephant has the most beautiful eyes.

There is a soul piercing intelligence peering back, as you stare deep into their eyes.

Beautiful.

ELEPHANT SAFARI PARK

Posted on April 25, 2013 by michaelweening

There are two types of parks in Bali, the larger zoo-like park and the more remote Elephant Safari Park.

We chose the second. The notion of elephants in captivity is a tough one, but the facility covers their conservation focus throughout their brochures and website. For animals that would love to be free but are facing extinction and an ever shrinking habitat, this becomes a second best choice.

The facility is beautiful, clean and they clearly take good care of the elephants.

As with everything in this country, the North American notions of “behind the glass” and “at a safe distance” are not in play. At the restaurant you stand behind a waist high fence and get the opportunity to greet the elephants.

It was a moving experience to stand at the foot of such a huge, and majestic animal.

This shot pretty much say it all. I was in awe.

What a truly unique place. To stand beside such a beautiful creature is a true privilege.

SHARK FIN SOUP

Posted on April 24, 2013 by michaelweening

Different cultures have different traditions. I passed this sign the other day in Roppongi Hills and stopped short.

If you have not heard about the process of shark finning, read about it here. A terrible, cruel thing where they catch the shark, cut off it’s fins while it is still alive and then throw it back into the ocean to die a horrible, painful death.

If you are not convinced that this is truly barbaric, this 2 minute video should be enough to turn you off shark fin soup for good. Those big, bad, terrible sharks are disappearing at a rate of 250,000 a day through fishing, finning and as collateral damage from commercial fishing and face extinction if we don’t do something. How will the ocean ecosystem change if one of their top predators disappears?

Barbaric. But then so is tying a dog outside all year long and never giving it attention.

“Man is the cruellest animal.” Friedrich Nietzsche

I won’t be eating there .. ever.

Please.. Pass it on.

A TAXI IN ASIA

Posted on April 23, 2013 by michaelweening

This fellow had it all going on. He was driving barefoot, had things dangling everywhere in the taxi, 2 CB radios and no less than 10 cell phones; not a single one manufactured after 2007 or 2008.

I had gotten into quite an eclectic taxi.

I smiled when I looked over the seat. He had a lot of things plugged in.

A JAPANESE SENSE OF HONOUR

Posted on April 22, 2013 by michaelweening

As I have mentioned before, the Japanese culture is one of poles – the very ahead and the very behind.

The sense of honour in Japan is one for the “very good” column and last week I gained some first hand insight. To understand the business culture of Japan you need to understand what happened after World War II, as the US and Japan partnered to rebuild the country, companies came together to rebuild in the form of Keiretsu’s. Via.

Keiretsu are groups of companies that work together, trying not to compete with one another and cooperating in order to make more money together. After many years of this sort of collaboration, Toyota has become the world’s number one automobile company. Toyota’s lead is so strong it made five times more money in 2006 than the sum of the profits made by its eight most direct competitors.

Over the six big keiretsu (each of them controlled by one important bank) is the MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry). The MITI is considered the ministry with greatest direct influence over the country’s economy, because it has the standing to give direct orders to certain keiretsu, asking them to double their production for the following months or to help this or that sector come out of a crisis.

In practice, the Japanese companies work together and often talk about the greater good. They will compete, but at their core they think about their country and the success of all.

To illustrate, I was speaking with an executive from a large Japanese manufacturer and I mentioned that I owned many of their products but had also bought an “add-on” from one of their competitors. His response was surprising. He thanked me for buying their products and encouraged me to buy his competitors products.

Why? Because that company had a factory in the earthquake stricken Japanese north and had decided to keep their factory open to support the people of the region. It was a very honourable thing to do, with a great leader who make great products. He was very happy that I had bought their products.

In that way, we can learn much from the Japanese. Their sense of the group over the individual is admirable.

TOKYO SKYLINE

Posted on April 19, 2013 by michaelweening

A few shots of Tokyo a week ago. Spring is upon us but it cannot decide if it wants to be warm, cool, cloudy or raining. Handheld HDRs via Canon 5D Mark III with 70-200mm f/2.8.

Makes interesting viewing out the window.

It wasn’t raining, but it was foggy. I don’t know why I woke up, but I took this shot at 2AM.

The sunset against the clouds.

I work in that office .. for a few more months.

I threw my 2X extender on to get this shot (handheld).

Loved looking at this lonely cloud.

A few hours later, it was raining.

Thanks for dropping by.

THE FAKE WORDPRESS LIKE: A LIKE FOR THE WRONG REASONS

Posted on April 19, 2013 by michaelweening

I opened up my phone and it was flooded with “like” notices on my posts from a single person. The interesting thing was that each notice was milliseconds apart (20+) and finished with a single comment:

Nice reading about you

Thanks for visiting my blog xxxxx. Browse through the category sections, I feel you may definitely find something of your interest.

The irony of this comment/activity is it comes 24 hours after I read the article “How to become internet famous for $68”, a fascinating insight into fake twitter followers, fake Facebook pages and the dubious system of internet rankings. Follow that up with the old article “How to get 3 million blog views” and you are left with a dirty feeling.

I follow a bunch of bloggers and randomly browse through posts. I often click on those who leave a comment, curious.

I “like” what I “like”, with no other goal than to thank someone for a good post and acknowledge their photo or writing.

Those with dubious or self-promoting intentions are welcome to stay away. This blog isn’t for you and I can see you 1,000 miles away.

I deleted the comment and out of principle, did not go to the site.

A YOUNG MAN IN A BEIJING ELEVATOR

Posted on April 18, 2013 by michaelweening

I was in the elevator at the Westin in Beijing the other day and looked over to see this young man standing beside me.

It was clear he was right out of college (or a couple years out), Tumi bag in hand (Excellent choice, mine is 10 years old and still looks new despite 1M miles) and heading out for the day. I had to ask …

He was recruited by Boston Consulting out of University, lives in Shanghai and is working in China.

For the majority of people in this world they don’t achieve their full potential simply because they cannot see what is possible. I did not understand that fully until my mid-20s. The only guidance I was every given is “You must go to University”, nothing else.

So each time, the boundaries would be pushed and it was big, open territory. For many, it is like the elephant and the rope.

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

Anything is possible. You just have to envision it, build a plan and execute. Failure along the way is inevitable. Nothing worthwhile is easy.

But anything is possible in this world. Our world is flat; video conferencing via Skype, cheap flights to anywhere, Google Translate ….. It gets easier to connect globally every day.

Something our children have learned first hand. It will be interesting to see what they choose to do with that. Hopefully it involves an elevator in China.

I would be interested to hear the stories of others ….

KOPI LUWAK COFFEE, PT II: BEST COFFEE?

Posted on April 17, 2013 by michaelweening

Is it the best coffee?

The prices would indicate that it needs to be. At the plantation 200g of coffee is $100USD. In town, 50g of beans is $150USD.

It is a great experience on the farm, starting with a full tasting of their coffees, tea and cocoa. There is a pineapple coffee, and a host of others topped off with amazing cocoa.

They then ask if you would like to buy a cup of Civet coffee for $5USD a glass. It struck me as humorous that people pay $5 multi-times a day for a simple Starbucks. We ordered 3. They bring out a “made in Japan” coffee brewing system, that looks intriguing to me.

The water slowly moves up into the container above and then filters back down.

The pour.

I normally drink my coffee with a little cream and honey.

In this case, it seemed heresy to try it with something in it, so I drank the Civet coffee straight up. It was smooth, bold and surprisingly, without any bitter aftertaste.

Is it the best coffee in the world? It might just be.

I am curious what others think .. have you had it? Do you consider it the world’s best coffee bean? If not .. what is?

Thanks for dropping in.

KOPI LUWAK: THE MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE IN THE WORLD

Posted on April 16, 2013 by michaelweening

One of our stops in Bali was a coffee plantation that serves Civet coffee, or Kopi Luwak coffee.

The coffee is made from coffee berries that have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet, excreted and processed.

Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection and digestion. Selection occurs if the civets choose to eat coffee cherries containing better beans. Digestive mechanisms may improve the flavour profile of the coffee beans that have been eaten. The civet eats the berries for the beans’ fleshy pulp, then in the digestive tract, fermentation occurs. The civet’s proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids.^[2] Passing through a civet’s intestines the beans are then defecated with other fecal matter and collected.

I love coffee. I am on my 2nd Jura and I start each day by making cappuccinos for myself and Narda. On Saturday and Sundays I usually follow that up with an espresso.

We arrived at Luwak Civet Coffee Farm in the rain. It really isn’t a farm, it is retail establishment with a tour, coffee tasting and the opportunity to buy Civet coffee. I had my Canon 5D Mark III with the 28-70mm for the tour.

The grounds are beautiful. Coffee berries enjoying the rain.

Oh durian, you sweet smelling fruit … and acquired taste. They clearly enjoy it on the plantation.

There were a couple of these around the farm; they are bee hives made of animal hair.

Looking out on the jungle, I was amazed at how thick it is. My son hypothesized that the lack of farmable land was a key contributor to the economic differentiation between Europe/NA and countries such as Bali … The AP history class is going well.

The plantation had displays of the coffee as it progresses through the processing stages. I did not see the Civet excrement separation stage.

Is it the world’s best coffee? Next post …. And thanks for dropping by!

NOT THE BIRDS, BALI BIRD PARK

Posted on April 15, 2013 by michaelweening

The Bali Bird Park is also filled with flowers and a few very interesting animals. The only Komodo Dragon I have ever seen is through a very, very thick glass at a zoo.

This fellow was a few meters away. Amazing that they are so fast that they can catch and eat a deer.

Everyone else had moved on so I was the only one standing there. He just slowly turned his head and stared at me … not blinking. I wonder what he was thinking?

Scattered through the park are beautiful bushes and flowers. Sharing a few photos of a beautiful, sunny day.

In Canada it is so hard to grow flowers like this. They are often cut and only stay beautiful for a few days. In the jungle, they are everywhere.

The commonly beautiful.

BIRDS OF BALI

Posted on April 12, 2013 by michaelweening

We had to see the birds in Bali, therefore the Bali Bird Park was on our “to-do” list.

Like the other wildlife, you get to interact with the birds and they are very close. A few shots to enjoy. This outings configuration was the Canon 5D Mark III with the 70-200mm f/2.8.

I love the colors of tropical birds, like these Wreathed Hornbills.

This Australian fellow is a bit homely. Sorry buddy.

Lots of water birds.

Vibrant.

This bird can kill you. Dead. Meet the Cassowary.

He/she (I cannot tell) was unimpressed by my camera.

I found the red .. intestine looking markings on the back of their necks rather disturbing.

At the entrance to the park are a few parrots. I was watching this fellow and it is almost like he looked at me and decided to show off. He slowly maneuvered upside down and then flipped his legs into this position. This is not a natural parrot position.

And of course, a tourist experience isn’t complete without a “birds hanging on me” photo. The bright red parrot pooped on my shoulder (smile).

Worth visiting. Thanks for dropping by.

DURIAN, THE SMELLIEST FRUIT

Posted on April 10, 2013 by michaelweening

Meet one of the most highly debated fruits. Is it good? Is it awful? Does it smell? (no contest).

For those outside of Asia … Durian:

Regarded by many people in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”, the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour that is strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as pleasantly fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and revolting. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine, raw sewage, and gym socks. The persistence of its odour has led to the fruit’s banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia.

Before we started our rice field hike we stopped at a little restaurant at the top. They cracked a few fresh coconuts, cut up some pineapple and offered durian. We had to try it.

This fruit is so smelly that in Singapore they have signs on public transit that say “No hazardous chemicals, explosives, food or durian”. I have been told that if you bring a durian into a government building there is a $5,000 fine.

I have also been told that the “pungency” varies highly between countries and that if left to ferment, it makes a strong alcohol drink. We had to try it.

Verdict: I didn’t spit it up.

It tasted keroseney to me (is that a word?). Not a favourite, but I can mark it off the list .. tried. I do think that it is one of the coolest looking fruits, and it may even look like “the King of the fruits”.

BALI RICE FIELDS

Posted on April 9, 2013 by michaelweening

Bali is a lush and beautiful country and one of the “must do’s” is to stop at a small town with the rice fields new Ubud. You look out on the river flowing through the terraced fields .. and all you see is green. As viewed through a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-70mm f/2.8, mostly shot in handheld HDR.

You hike down one side, cross a bridge and hike back up to the other side. Along the way there are a few farmers collecting “donations” .. donation 1 was at the bridge.

It is quite steep.

Row upon row of rice, with carefully crafted ledges around each terrace to keep the water in.

And a simple mode of getting the water from level A to level B.

What is at the top of the hill?

Nothing but a great view of this spider, who is almost impossible to spot .. even after I edited the photo to bring out highlights and confirm that she/he was the focus point.

A great hike.

LIVE LIFE

Posted on April 5, 2013 by michaelweening

I just read this quote:

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page”. Saint Augustine

I never grew up thinking this way. I never dreamed of living in Tokyo or London. It was not an aspiration.

I never left Canada until 23.

It isn’t that I didn’t think it was possible, it just wasn’t how I was brought up. Make money, buy a house. That is how I thought.

Granted, we didn’t grow up with the money to take trips beyond a camping trip or the occasional trip to a close city so experiences did not show me what was possible. Spark imagination.

I am lucky to have married someone who opened my eyes to what is possible and why. The rich tapestry of other cultures, foreign foods and people. Of taking a risk and living through the good and bad of the experience.

Smart dude that Augustine.

BALI ART

Posted on April 5, 2013 by michaelweening

We stopped at an Art shop while touring in Bali. We bought a piece (a rice field), and I am sure that we overpaid. You always leave wondering how much should I have paid? But we loved the piece so such is life. The price of art is all relative.

The good thing is that we were first in and their culture is all about making sure that the first people buy as they believe that it influences the day. If you buy, they will have a good day. If you don’t buy, it will be a bad day.

As I bought, he let me take a few photos of the shop. As Galungan was quickly approaching, they we decorating everything.

A distinctly Balinese form of art (that we did not buy, but was interesting to look at) below. Reminds me of a “where is Waldo?”

In Bali, temples are everywhere and people who have the wealth, invest in family temples within their homes. At the art shop, they were decorating their temple for the festival.

Parasols are a common decoration.

The Balinese go all out.

A wonderful time of the year.

EATING AT MT BATUR, BALI

Posted on April 3, 2013 by michaelweening

For the Mt. Batur part of our Bali trip we did not hike the volcano (another time), but we had lunch at the base. It is a beautiful sight.

The view from the restaurant.

Glad we didn’t hike it. We would have gotten soaked. A storm was on the way in.

The rain hit just was we stopped for fruit at this stand.

The colors were spectacular, even under a very grey and growing black sky.

If you are in Bali, make sure that you try all of the different fruits. Some will surprise you and you probably won’t see them again.

PLANNING TWO DAYS OF TOURING IN BALI

Posted on April 3, 2013 by michaelweening

It is hard to plan a trip to a country that you have never been to when you live in a country where no one speaks English. We asked questions, read reviews and researched through Tripadvisor and Lonely Planet .. with a final itinerary as follows …

We booked a car with Sila Tours (Highly recommended. They are not tour guides, but $55 a day for a new van and a driver is fantastic) and set out a rough goal of seeing these things:

Mt. Batur, the volcano.
Rice fields
Bird Sanctuary near Ubud
The Monkey Forest
A few temples, with Gung Kawi and the Water Palace being the two options
An Elephant reserve

This is more than we normally do as we definitely do not subscribe to the “as much as you can” philosophy. We like to do less, but really enjoy where we are. As most of these were nature trips, the learning/history element (which is time consuming) was not as big a factor.

Many people stay in Ubud, we stayed in Nusa Dua which meant driving through the traffic laden streets. In other countries that would be an issue, but not in Bali as the countryside is fascinating. I was enthralled looking out the window as we went from town to town. The people, the shops, the never ending temples on every street corner and at every house. Fascinating. I would have loved to spend more time wandering through small village streets.

My only mistake was that I should not have relied on the driver to help us order the trip over the 2 days that we toured as their sense of time and directions is a little deceiving. When I would ask “how far to the next place” I always got the answer “30 minutes”. 30 minutes later I would ask for an update and get “20 more minutes”.

If you are heading there, enjoy. Great place.

GETTING OUT TO SEE THE SAKURA, TOKYO

Posted on April 3, 2013 by michaelweening

This has been an odd winter. A couple weeks of warm weather meant that the trees began to blossom 2 weeks early. With our family heading to Bali for March break, we were essentially missing the season.

Plus the temperature has dropped again. But we did get out on Sunday to Yoyogi park in an attempt to see the blossoms before they are gone. Sure enough, the park was filled with young revellers enjoying a picnic and drink below the blossoms. A lot of revellers. A lot of drink. Shooting Canon 5D Mark III with my 28-70mm f/2.8.

They all looked cold. 🙂 I found the lighting difficult to shoot – it was so grey and gloomy.

Many were in unique outfits, which candidly, is not that unique in Tokyo .. and no longer very surprising. I liked the zombie theme.

This is much more traditional Japanese.

OK, this fellow was a little surprising.

These folks actually had a sign up that said “No photographs” in English. Sure, go out in public dressed like that at Yoyogi Park and demand no photographs .. isn’t going to happen. People were lined up.

Oh, almost forgot, the blossoms ….

As it is the end of the season, they fall and make a beautiful pink carpet.

I wish they were around a little longer. It was grey, overcast and 9C.

Beautiful. Thanks for dropping by.

SACRED MONKEY FOREST PT II, BALI

Posted on April 2, 2013 by michaelweening

The Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali is a truly amazing place, one of the most interesting that we have ever been at:

The Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal is owned by the village of Padangtegal. Village members serve on the Sacred Monkey Forest’s governing council (The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation). The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation has historically strived to develop and implement management objectives that will both maintain the sacred integrity of the monkey forest and promote the monkey forest as a sacred site that is open to visitors from around the world.

The Sacred Monkey Forest is a series of paths that cut through the jungle, encompassing 3 temples and hundreds of macaques with staff spread on the paths selling bananas. A tourist mecca. There are many different reviews of this place, but my TripAdvisor review will give it 5 stars and call it out as one of the most unique places I have ever been. Yes, the monkeys can be ill-mannered – as this is the wild, with no control.

I loved shooting here, interacting with the long tail macaques. This little fellow kept my attention, when we first arrived. Same configuration, Canon 5D Mark III, and luckily I had my 70-200mm f/2.8.

He was just looking around … enjoying a banana.