Gavin Knight .com

I've updated my recent post on Singapore with my recommended list of things to do when visiting Singapore:

• drink a "Singapore Sling" at Raffles Hotel - a colonial must do for those of us with a sense of commonwealth history (in WWII the Brits running Singapore drank these at Raffles while (ignoring?) Japan invading from Malaysia in the north because they had only setup naval based defense to the seaward south) - the true experience is in the long bar upstairs, but I preferred the courtyard cafe on the ground level (where they sometimes have light/jazz live music);
• I loved walking the area around Raffles as there is some stunning colonial architecture - in particular the building that is now a museum / art gallery (which is worth visiting itself);
• my favourite restaurant area was Chijmes (near Raffles) which is an adaptation of a former catholic church / monastery / convent complex (they moved out of the inner city) containing numerous bars, cafes, restaurants and boutique shops - there were no cafes/restaurants of particularly Singaporean origin, but a good range of international food styles and some have outdoors tables in a sunken courtyard which is great in Singapore's warm evenings (not the cheapest place to eat in Singapore though);
• taking a walk through Chinatown, particularly when the street markets are open (Fri/Sat evenings from memory);
• taking a walk through Little India - in particular the streetside cafes, not particularly elegant in terms of decor, but the food is stunning - and sometimes you have to communicate in sign language as this is the one area of Singapore where I found their English might not be so good (which is actually quite a fun experience);
• the multi-level Sim Lim Square electronics store/mall near Little India has a lot of cheap (sometimes cheap & nasty) gadgets - good fun even if you don't buy anything (I would only pay cash here, don't use credit cards for security reasons);
• the street stalls/markets near Sim Lim Square are a fascinating experience - my wife and teenage daughter would have a ball fossicking and buying cheap clothes, bags, etc - I never bought much but enjoyed the experience (again, I recommend only paying in cash);
• having a cheap but authentic local style meal at one of the numerous 'hawker stalls' - these can appear offputting at first (think Asian 'greasy spoon') and I avoided them on far too many of my visits - the food can actually be quite stunning, and is always cheap;
• the Singapore Night Zoo experience is an enjoyable and different zoo experience (but too busy on a Friday evening), and Singapore Zoo itself is also a world class zoo (the daytime part is next to the nighttime part, with separate entrances), but I felt a little odd going on my own as I'd much rather take my kids (I took hundreds of photos for them instead!);
• Changi Prison Chapel Museum is another compelling experience for history buffs but it is quite a way out of town (good bus service though, and not too expensive by taxi) but this experience is probably only an option if you allocate a morning or afternoon allowing for getting to and from (I did it on a Saturday morning, and went from there to Singapore Zoo for the afternoon) - I found the stories behind the wall murals, and the hand made brass cross in the chapel, extremely moving;
• the river and restaurant / cafe area there is worth at least a walk through, but less interesting for a meal unless you're with others;
• there's a tall hotel near Raffles with a top floor cocktail bar that has quite stunning views of Singapore (I don't remember it revolving so you have to move around to see all directions) - from memory a $10-$20 cover charge but worth it for the views even if you just have a look around and don't drink (keep moving around so the wait staff don't harass you for using up a table but not buying anything or much!);
• there's now a London Eye style ferris wheel which might be worth checking out, but I haven't tried it because it opened soon after my last trip;
• I enjoyed walking all through CBD Singapore - some evenings I would walk all evening just enjoying the sights and experience of it - all the main streets are safe (but I did get propositioned and almost cornered by a transvestite-prostitute (and 'her' pimp) in a back alley shortcut I probably shouldn't have gone down in Little India!);
• there are numerous huge western style malls which can be interesting due to their sheer size and range of shops, but they would be much more fun for my wife and teenage daughter!;
• Orchard Road is the well known shopping street but it didn't mean much to me, although in the evenings some stalls are setup outside the shops & malls and they sometimes have interesting things to at least look at - there's also a lot of tailors if you want a suit or shirt made to measure ( but I think they need a couple days to make so do it early in your trip);
• I like to get to airports early so there's no risk of missing my flight, and Singapore is one of the world's best airports which I always enjoyed just walking around while waiting for my flight (I also stayed in one of the airside transit hotels on my way to/from Jakarta);
• I never checked out Sentosa Island as I'm not into theme parks unless I'm with my kids but I hear it is good fun;
• there's a bird sanctuary which I never checked out as I'm not into tropical birds like brightly coloured parrots etc but I understand it is quite something if that is your thing.

My good friend Michael Sampson is soon presenting his Masterclass in SharePoint Collaboration in Singapore. He emailed me earlier today "I haven't been to Singapore since 1978 ... so have never had to plan what clothes to take. As a fellow kiwi, what style of business and casual clothes have you taken? I hear it's hot there!".

I visited Singapore on business 6 times from later 2006 through 2007, usually for 2 weeks at a time.  My answer from the email reply I sent him follows, but adapted for blogging, ...

Clothes for Singapore

Yes. Temperatures are consistently in the mid to high 30s, and very humid. Even into the evening & through the night. Tropical humidity does that. Be prepared for tropical rain too, particularly Nov-Jan. Sometimes it is every day at lunchtime for about 1/2 hour! Although that is a good time to stay undercover which is plentiful.

Business dress in IT seems to be mid-level formality in most settings although occasionally they have delusions of grandeur & go full suit/tie. But usually business style trousers with long sleeve shirt (maybe polo) are perfectly suitable (& comfortable!). Suit/tie (bizarrely given the heat, but colonial habits die hard!) are still the thing in more formal settings eg the financial industry, and when working with senior management in any industry.

For casual dress in evenings I would sometimes wear my long Columbia travel pants & polo shirt or similar with comfortable walking shoes. Warm enough for cool inside settings & formal enough for all but the most expensive or exclusive cafes & restaurants. Or, if I knew I wasn't going to a more formal setting, I would go for travel style shorts, tidy t-shirt and travel sandals, or maybe comfortable walking shoes without socks. I don't remember ever needing a sweatshirt or jersey despite the air-conditioning. My Scottevest t-shirt would be perfect - wish I'd had it back when I was visiting!

Visiting Singapore Generally

Inside many buildings it can be quite cool. The lobby in one hotel I stayed in felt freezing coming in from the heat & humidity outside. They really go overboard on air-conditioning in every building (almost). Locals don't go outside much.

The locals (including many ex-pats) thought I was mad walking around so much, and outside at that!

Locals either walk inside where it is cool, or use taxis & trains. You can traverse much of the inner city by going from building to building, to mall, to underground train, etc. And taxis are super cheap - most inner city journeys are $5 to $10 although it can be hard to get a taxi, especially in the evening.

If you can get your bearings the underground train is superb (Wikipedia). It is super cheap even paying cash per journey ($1 to $3 most journeys) but even cheaper & more convenient if you get a prepay card. I think they now sell prepay cards especially for tourists - probably at the airport. This came in just after my final trip, but I seem to remember it being something like unlimited travel for 1, or 3, or 5 or 10 days. Bus is good too although I only used it a few times as I didn't know the route numbers whereas train maps are everywhere london underground style.

Getting into town from the airport is best done by taxi. Prob $30 or so. The train does go out to the airport but I found it a bit of a nuisance with luggage & just a little too long when you've come off or are heading to a long haul flight. I used to try and book a taxi for my return journey to the airport as I always left the city around 5pm Friday when you usually have to queue for awhile on most taxi stands.

Wikipedia has a good articles on Singapore itself, and tourism to Singapore. Wikitravel also has a good article on visiting Singapore.

Things to do in Singapore (added Thu-29-Oct):

• drink a "Singapore Sling" at Raffles Hotel - a colonial must do for those of us with a sense of commonwealth history (in WWII the Brits running Singapore drank these at Raffles while (ignoring?) Japan invading from Malaysia in the north because they had only setup naval based defense to the seaward south) - the true experience is in the long bar upstairs, but I preferred the courtyard cafe on the ground level (where they sometimes have light/jazz live music);
• I loved walking the area around Raffles as there is some stunning colonial architecture - in particular the building that is now a museum / art gallery (which is worth visiting itself);
• my favourite restaurant area was Chijmes (near Raffles) which is an adaptation of a former catholic church / monastery / convent complex (they moved out of the inner city) containing numerous bars, cafes, restaurants and boutique shops - there were no cafes/restaurants of particularly Singaporean origin, but a good range of international food styles and some have outdoors tables in a sunken courtyard which is great in Singapore's warm evenings (not the cheapest place to eat in Singapore though);
• taking a walk through Chinatown, particularly when the street markets are open (Fri/Sat evenings from memory);
• taking a walk through Little India - in particular the streetside cafes, not particularly elegant in terms of decor, but the food is stunning - and sometimes you have to communicate in sign language as this is the one area of Singapore where I found their English might not be so good (which is actually quite a fun experience);
• the multi-level Sim Lim Square electronics store/mall near Little India has a lot of cheap (sometimes cheap & nasty) gadgets - good fun even if you don't buy anything (I would only pay cash here, don't use credit cards for security reasons);
• the street stalls/markets near Sim Lim Square are a fascinating experience - my wife and teenage daughter would have a ball fossicking and buying cheap clothes, bags, etc - I never bought much but enjoyed the experience (again, I recommend only paying in cash);
• having a cheap but authentic local style meal at one of the numerous 'hawker stalls' - these can appear offputting at first (think Asian 'greasy spoon') and I avoided them on far too many of my visits - the food can actually be quite stunning, and is always cheap;
• the Singapore Night Zoo experience is an enjoyable and different zoo experience (but too busy on a Friday evening), and Singapore Zoo itself is also a world class zoo (the daytime part is next to the nighttime part, with separate entrances), but I felt a little odd going on my own as I'd much rather take my kids (I took hundreds of photos for them instead!);
• Changi Prison Chapel Museum is another compelling experience for history buffs but it is quite a way out of town (good bus service though, and not too expensive by taxi) but this experience is probably only an option if you allocate a morning or afternoon allowing for getting to and from (I did it on a Saturday morning, and went from there to Singapore Zoo for the afternoon) - I found the stories behind the wall murals, and the hand made brass cross in the chapel, extremely moving;
• the river and restaurant / cafe area there is worth at least a walk through, but less interesting for a meal unless you're with others;
• there's a tall hotel near Raffles with a top floor cocktail bar that has quite stunning views of Singapore (I don't remember it revolving so you have to move around to see all directions) - from memory a $10-$20 cover charge but worth it for the views even if you just have a look around and don't drink (keep moving around so the wait staff don't harass you for using up a table but not buying anything or much!);
• there's now a London Eye style ferris wheel which might be worth checking out, but I haven't tried it because it opened soon after my last trip;
• I enjoyed walking all through CBD Singapore - some evenings I would walk all evening just enjoying the sights and experience of it - all the main streets are safe (but I did get propositioned and almost cornered by a transvestite-prostitute (and 'her' pimp) in a back alley shortcut I probably shouldn't have gone down in Little India!);
• there are numerous huge western style malls which can be interesting due to their sheer size and range of shops, but they would be much more fun for my wife and teenage daughter!;
• Orchard Road is the well known shopping street but it didn't mean much to me, although in the evenings some stalls are setup outside the shops & malls and they sometimes have interesting things to at least look at - there's also a lot of tailors if you want a suit or shirt made to measure ( but I think they need a couple days to make so do it early in your trip);
• I like to get to airports early so there's no risk of missing my flight, and Singapore is one of the world's best airports which I always enjoyed just walking around while waiting for my flight (I also stayed in one of the airside transit hotels on my way to/from Jakarta);
• I never checked out Sentosa Island as I'm not into theme parks unless I'm with my kids but I hear it is good fun;
• there's a bird sanctuary which I never checked out as I'm not into tropical birds like brightly coloured parrots etc but I understand it is quite something if that is your thing.

This Saturday I'm off to San Francisco for Oracle OpenWorld 2008 to find out the latest regarding JD Edwards (JDE), Oracle Fusion Applications and the wider Oracle applications and related technologies portfolio.

#openworld08

Went to Wanaka Thursday through Saturday for a cousin's wedding on Friday, and on to Queenstown Saturday / Sunday.

We found Wanaka quite stunning. The alpine scenery and the lake are amazing. The town itself retains true Kiwi charm, despite being primarily focussed on serving the tourist market. My cousin's Australian friends were astounded at the beauty. We took a quick drive up to Treble Cone ski field.

We stopped in at the iconic Cardona Pub on our way over the scenic Crown Range. We also dropped into the quaint Arrowtown and did a drive through the Millbrook Resort before heading up for a walk around the base of the Coronet Peak ski field where it snowed on us!

Queenstown town itself didn't do much for us - it is too commercial, crass even. However, the alpine scenery, particularly the view from the top of the gondola, is amazing.

A great weekend. Thanks to friends and family for looking after the kids while we were away.

for my USA/Canadian friends: win a trip down-under

Leo Laporte reports that "Now that I’m back from the Lightroom Adventure: Tasmania ... Tourism Tasmania is sponsoring a contest for a trip for two to Tazzie. Sign up at xyzadventures.com. You’ll never forget your visit to one of the world’s last unspoiled places. I know I never will. "

When you win, take a side trip and come see me in NZ!

as well as travelling often for business I have a keen interest in seeing and enjoying all the wonderful sights my own country has to offer locals (and tourists)

this is along the lines of the 1970s / 1980s advertising jingle "don't leave town until you've seen the country"

AA's "101 Must-Do's for Kiwis" is a useful benchmark of the key things to see and do around NZ

I've done 33 and partially done a further 7 ... how many have you done?

Done (33):

9 Camping Country ... we camped often as a family when I was a kid, and I'm slowly getting my own family into it now

13 Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro ... I spent a lot of time in this area in the late 80s / early 90s when I was a leader on a youth development programme ... it competes with Hawkes Bay to be my second favourite region of NZ (after Gisborne) so I've made sure to get back there with my own family every few years

20 Tongariro Alpine Crossing ... I did the crossing about 5 times as part of the youth development programme (see 13) and also once with some of my guy friends about 5 years ago ... a truly fantastic walk but across true alpine country so go prepared for worst weather

14 Waitomo Caves ... went through with Jill Andrea and Joel a year ago

30 Cape Reinga ... Jill Andrea & I visited Cape Reinga in 1997 when Andrea was a toddler

39 Cape Kidnappers ... went with Jill Andrea and Joel and the extended Knight family a few summers ago

49 Dunedin City ... worked here 2-4 days/week for 3-4 months in 2000 and got a bit of a look around while doing so

50 Mount Maunganui: Mauao ... visited a number of times as a kid

51 Karangahake Gorge ... visited a number of times as a kid, and again a couple years ago with Jill Andrea Joel and our good friends the Veales

56 Auckland's West Coast ... been to Piha a number of times over the last decade

57 Rotorua Luge, Skyrides and Skyswing ... did once at a work conference in the mid 90s

58 Kapiti Island ... visited with Jill Andrea & Joel in 2006 on a work social club trip

61 Christchurch City ... visited a number of times, including a romantic weekend with Jill a few years ago

63 Te Papa ... have taken Andrea & Joel uncountable times

66 Lake Taupo's Top Water Attractions ... white water rafting, trout fishing on the lake, swimming in the lake, geothermal hot pools

67 The Pinnacles ... went once as a kid, took Andrea & Joel a few summers ago, and camped nearby last week but didn't do the walk

68 Te Mata Peak ... have holidayed in nearby Havelock North many many times and always go up the peak for a look around ... apart from the view from the top the Redwood Forest walkway halfway up is well worth it too

73 New Plymouth's coastal walkway ... walked it a number of times when I worked in New Plymouth 2-4 days/week a couple years ago, and also with Jill Andrea & Joel when we holidayed in New Plymouth last summer

74 Seafood City ... worked in Nelson 3-4 days/week for 3-4 months in 2000 and ate out regularly, often seafood ... and Jill & I celebrated our wedding anniversary there a few years ago

75 Castlepoint ... have enjoyed a couple visits since we found this rugged gem a few years ago ... including a couple family holidays, a fishing weekend with friends, and a weekend with the church youth group

76 Wainui Beach ... holidayed in Gisborne every year as a kid and went to Wainui Beach a number of times, eg it is the only place I have surfed (badly!, once!)

77 Ahipara and Shipwreck Bay ... Jill Andrea & I visited this region when Andrea was a baby

78 Buller Gorge ... drove through the gorge in 1996 on a work sales trip (made a sale in Westport!)

80 Cape Palliser ... found this ruggedly beautiful region on a church men's group fishing weekend a few years ago and have been back a couple times since (including last week with Joel)

82 Raglan ... once or twice

84 Whakarewarewa ... once or twice

85 Waitangi Treaty Grounds ... during a work conference in mid 90s, and with Jill Andrea and our friends the Medlands when Andrea was a toddler

86 Rere Rock Slide ... holidayed in Gisborne every year as a kid and went to Rere a few times, although Mum & Dad wouldn't let me do the rock slide as described here!

88 SkyJump & Sky Tower ... been up the Sky Tower a few times, not interested in doing the SkyJump!

89 Devonport and North Head ... once or twice

90 The Interislander Experience ... a few times

91 Auckland Volcanoes ... Mt Roskill, Mt Eden, North Head

100 Beehive and Parliament buildings ... I live in Wellington and I'm interested in politics - of course I've been!

Partially (7):

11 Marlborough Sounds ... my first experience of the Marlborough Sounds was Outward Bound in the late 80s, since then I've been back a couple times, once a couple summers ago with Andrea and Joel when the highlight was a Dolphin cruise (saw Hector's Dolphins!), and also on a church men's trip just over a year ago when we went Kayaking and Mountain Cycling ... would love to go back and do the Queen Charlotte Track (see 42) and camp somewhere with the family

15 Southern Scenic Route ... I drove the Invercargill to Dunedin portion in the mid 1990s as part of a work sales roadshow around NZ

24 Mount Taranaki ... I have flown past this mountain numerous times on work trips to/from New Plymouth in over the last few years, including one time when we got to with a few 100m of the peak ... would love to actually climb it!

38 Whanganui National Park ... I Canadian Canoed the Whanganui River as part of the youth development programme (see 13)

40 Lake Waikaremoana ... visited the lake a couple times as a kid, need to go back

42 The Queen Charlotte Track ... ran part of it on Outward Bound in the late 80s, and mountain biked part of it just over a year ago on a church men's trip ... need to go back and walk the whole thing, including some camping along the way

47 Rotorua Geothermal ... have visited some of it a couple times

52 Eastland ... holidayed in Gisborne and the East Coast every year as a kid ... one of my favourite holiday activities was spending the day with my uncle in his stock truck moving sheep and cattle around the East Coast ... however, I still need to do the northern side of the cape from Opotiki to East Cape as I have only done the eastern side from Gisborne to East Cape

53 Animal & Crazy! ... Kelly Tarlton's (not done), Auckland Zoo (done, 2 or 3 times) & Rainbow's End (done, twice)

Not done, but want to:

1 Mitre Peak & Milford Sound
2 Doubtful Sound
3 Bay of Islands
4 Fiordland National Park
5 Abel Tasman National Park
6 Aoraki Mount Cook
7 Coastal Kaikoura
8 Hanmer Springs
10 Tutukaka / The Poor Knights
12 Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
16 Otago Rail Experience
17 White Island
18 Stewart Island
19 Arthur's Pass National Park
21 The Blue Pools of Haast Pass
22 South Westland
23 Waipoua Forest
25 Lake Tekapo
26 Ulva Island
27 Otago Peninsula
28 Canterbury Plains Hot Air Ballooning
29 Punakaiki
31 Auckland Gulf Islands
32 Kicking the Autumn leaves
33 Akaroa and Banks Peninsula
34 Glenorchy and Dart River
35 Farewell Spit
36 Queenstown Adventure
37 Hokianga
41 Fine Wine
43 Lake Matheson
44 Arrowtown
45 Orakei Korako
46 TSS Earnslaw
48 Winter Mountain Fun
54 Hollyford Valley
55 Hot Water Beach
59 Marlborough Wine Trail
60 New Chums Beach
62 Mount Tarawera
64 The Bridge to Nowhere
65 Coromandel Township
69 Rotorua Rafting
70 The Forgotten World Highway
71 Be A-mazed!
72 Moeraki Boulders
79 Taranaki Gardens in Paradise Tour
81 Auckland War Memorial Museum
83 Takaka Hill: Rameka Track
87 Spa and well-being destination
92 Central Otago Curling
93 Port Waikato
94 Golf in an Alpine Amphitheatre
95 Hundertwasser Toilets
96 Wellington Writers' Walk
97 Cross-country skiing
98 Stonehenge Aotearoa
99 NZ Rugby Museum

ironically, this post was written in Jakarta, Indonesia!

updates:

• 9-jan-07 ... kapiti island (58) was with jill not andrea ... and also went to Waitangi Treaty Grounds (85) with Jill Andrea and our friends the Medlands when Andrea was a toddler

2007 was a busy year for me in terms of travelling ... mainly on business outside of Wellington

I made 28 trips by air, of which 6 were international, of which 5 were long haul

International flight destinations were: Singapore x4, USA x1 (San Francisco and a personal side trip to New Orleans), Sydney x1

New Zealand flight destinations were: Invercargill x8, New Plymouth x6, Auckland x4, Hamilton x1, Christchurch x1, Taupo x1 (and 1x 2 night trip by car), (and 1x day trip to Wanganui by car)

Air New Zealand now rank me Gold Elite

I was out of Wellington for 74 nights in total = 64 nights in hotels + 10 nights staying with friends and family (thanks Andy & Yvonne and Susanne & Mike)

if you ever need to find me there is a link to my travel calendar in the right side bar ... and I also regularly note my current location in my Twitter feed (also shown in the right side bar titled "current thoughts / location")

this post was written in Jakarta, Indonesia

footnote: last week Joel asked what "Gold Elite" meant ... Jill's instant response was that it simply means that I've been away from home too much for the last year!

A long held dream of mine has been to attend an African-American church service, and this came true for me during my trip to New Orleans last month when Mike (Brantley, brother-in-law) took Chad, Mike (Zook) and I to Carver Desire Baptist Church for their 10am Sunday service.

The service was everything I had imagined in terms of the 'theatre' of it all. But, more importantly, it was also a genuine experience of celebrating God with rich worship, deep teaching and meaningful prayer - all set in a context of warm community. The music was right on the spot for me, being spirituals sung in a blues style.

I was also struck by the sheer decency of the people of this small suburban church. Their neighbourhood is one of the many decimated by Hurricane Katrina over 2 years ago. The system has failed them so badly that most have not been able to move home yet. 6500 people lived in this neighbourhood pre-Katrina, but only 150 have been able to move back. Some haven't even been able to return to New Orleans, and those that have are scattered around the city and commute across town to worship at what used to be their neighbourhood church. Layer in that this is a poor neighbourhood, originally built to house the low wage workers for the nearby port. Add in that most people in this community are African-American, whose ancestors would have come to America as slaves. And yet, they couldn't have been more welcoming and hospitable to a white guy who turned up from the other side of the world.

The church building is situated in the Carver neighbourhood of New Orleans, but they also serve the Desire neighbourhood (as in "A Street Car Named Desire").

By coincidence (?), at my own church a week ago we had opportunity to share how we have personally experienced the closeness of God (in the context of the "God Is Closer Than You Think" series). The video below is a recording of my contribution set to photos from my trip to New Orleans.

Thank you Carver Desire Baptist Church for that special time we spent worshiping God together a few Sundays ago. You will remain in my ongoing prayers as you rebuild your community under the leadership of Paster James Willis.

I was playing around with Windows Live Photo Gallery today and created this stitched panorama photo from 4 photos of the New Orleans Arena where I watched a Hornets NBA game while I was in New Orleans recently = pretty cool

this is my last visit to Singapore for this project, although I am scheduled to do a week in Jakarta (Indonesia) in early January

so, I decided to go out for an authentic local meal at a hawker stall, and a walk around the Raffles district which to me is the most interesting part of town

S$3 (=NZ$3) for a large tasty bowl of Won Ton Soup ... much better than the expensive hotel food I've had too many times this week due to working evenings as well as days

I fly home tomorrow night ... arriving Saturday afternoon ... can't wait to see and hug the family ... 3 weeks is too long

I have put more photos from my recent USA trip in my FaceBook photo album

and this time (Mike) the link is to a public version of the photo album, which you don't need a FaceBook account for!

while in New Orleans last week I was able to give a little back to the city by sharing with Mike and Susanne and some of their friends by volunteering at Second Harvest

Second Harvest is a food bank distribution centre where food comes in from donations from the public and from corporates, and is re-boxed for sending out to food banks around New Orleans

in the photo I am in the back left corner packing cans of vegetables into 30lb boxes

flew to Singapore today on Singapore Airlines

when I went to collect my bags the zip on one of them had burst exposing the contents

however, Singapore Airlines replaced it with a new bag on the spot!

I have had a great two weeks in the USA, but in a couple of hours it will all be over and I will be on a plane to Singapore for a week of work, and then return home to New Zealand. I am writing this in transit at San Francisco airport having already flown from New Orleans via Los Angeles earlier today.

Firstly I had a week in San Francisco attending a work conference, and getting to see a little bit of the city.

Then an incredible and action packed week in New Orleans with Susanne, Mike, Logan & Jordan. I also got to re-initiate friendship with Chad & Cindy and their family, and to form a friendship with Beth, with Kyle, with the Zooks, and with a number of other friends of Susanne & Mike.

Yesterday was my first real experience of Thanksgiving, and to experience it in the USA with Susanne, Mike, Logan and Jordan and their family of friends was a rewarding experience.

Over coming weeks I will write of my experiences of New Orleans. It is a city that intrigued me even before I met Mike when Susanne brought him into our family. To see this amazing world city first hand, in a general sense, but more particularly post-Katrina, has been a rich experience.

As my Dad said in a TXT earlier today "you will rerun this trip many times in the days to come".

I thank God for making this trip possible in terms of my work sending me to San Francisco, and personal funds coming available so that I could get to New Orleans too.

Thanks also to Jill, Andrea & Joel for being OK with my being away from home for so long on this trip.

I am posting photos of my USA travels on FaceBook

update Wed-28-Nov: public link to the FaceBook photo album

flew overnight to San Francisco, and so got to have my birthday all over again! ... this time lunch was crab cakes on Fishermans Wharf near my hotel

in 23 hours I depart Wellington for the United States for a conference in San Francisco, a week with my sister Susanne and her family in New Orleans, and then on to Singapore for another week of work on the project there ... will be away 3 weeks

between now and then we have 50 people coming this evening for my 40th birthday (actually tomorrow, but partying tonight), church in the morning, family lunch for my birthday, and then I need to report to the airport well ahead of my 5pm flight in order to do all the USA travel security checking etc

not sure when I'll get time to pack, might not be getting much sleep tonight!

Susanne has asked me to bring a few kiwi things she can't get in the USA ... things like weetbix, vegemite, pineapple lumps, lemon steelo pads ... Mum's also sending her version of a red cross parcel, along with christmas/birthday etc presents ... I'll be carrying more luggage than I ever have on a business trip!

Susanne also asked for castor sugar as apparently she can't get it in the USA (or at least not to her standards!) ... but let's see ... middle aged guy travels to/from Asia numerous times then turns up in the USA with a small bag of white powder ... I don't think so!

anyway she can make her own castor sugar simply by further grinding normal sugar

I'm tempting USA customs enough by carrying Vegemite through USA customs

hope to blog a few times while I'm overseas ... but will update Twitter and Facebook more often

in November I will be going to San Francisco for a work conference

while in the USA I will take the time to head over to New Orleans to spend a week with my sister Susanne, Mike, Logan and Jordan

yes, I know that San Francisco and New Orleans are not exactly close to each other ... but I'll be a lot closer than I normally am in Wellington!

apart from family catch-up, I am keen to find out more about what Susanne, Mike and their 'Communitas' team are doing in New Orleans, and to observe New Orleans first hand as I understand it is still nowhere near recovered from Hurricane Katrina

earlier this month NZ's TV breakfast news magazine show interviewed a NZer working in New Orleans and he took them on a tour of the city ... Susanne & Mike tell me it is a very fair 5 min representation of the current state of the city

this is my first trip to Singapore with a full weekend ... here's what I did:

Friday evening: drinks/dinner with Singapore HP colleagues checking out possibility of work for my NZ based team

Saturday morning: sleep in ... brunch at Borders Cafe

Saturday afternoon: Sailing

Saturday evening: Night Safari at Singapore Zoo (too many people on a Saturday night, so come at another time! the tram ride doesn't spend enough time at each exhibit, and the show is a little cheesy, but worth doing nonetheless)

Sunday morning: sleep in ... leisurely brunch at my hotel ... personal emails ... reading news online

Sunday afternoon: wander around some Singapore shops (eg Sim Lim Square where I bought a couple cheap gadget things!) and hawker malls ... light meal and a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar (a colonial 'must do' given the history of Singapore, Raffles, etc) ... EvenSong at St Andrews Cathedral (sermon was excellent = fields ripe for harvest but workers few, Mt 9:35-38) ... but I was disappointed in the theatre of it ... with Asians being stereo-typically good at classical music etc I thought they'd do a really good EvenSong but their choir wasn't up to it and it detracted from the service somewhat ... good experience though, and the liturgical thing works for me every now and then ... being scripted to go through a wide range of spiritual disciplines like confession, intercession, petition, worship, etc etc is good for my soul)

Sunday evening: blogging ... emailing ... working remotely on a couple NZ client systems

I'm making good use of the local train system (MRT) to get around most of the time = easy to use, and cheap

= very different from a normal weekend with the family in Wellington!

met Uli, a work colleague at HP Singapore on Friday evening and he asked what I was doing over the weekend

when I said I had nothing particular planned he invited me to his club (Changi Sailing Club) for Saturday afternoon and we went sailing on his catamaran

great fun even though the wind wasn't much compared to Wellington! although apparently it was quite good for Singapore