Chase A. Wolf's

Archive for February, 2010

Me and a cub

     Chase’s Log 2.24.2010.  Day One – Sunday in Bangkok – the capital of Thailand.  A huge and very crowded city – and for some reason I’m getting a weird vibe here – not really sure why.  Maybe travel fatigue from being in six countries in the past month.  I try to shake it off.  I’ve been here before just as a tourist – it’s cleaner than many of the big U.S. cities – but strangely different than some of the cities I’ve been in lately.  Not sure where this vibe is coming from.        

A Bangkok Wat

     After some unpacking and a little computer time, I decide that dinner should be in China Town – like I haven’t eaten enough Chinese food lately.  But they’re still celebrating the Chinese New Year’s there.  When I ask for directions, the hotel’s concierge looked at me quizzically and a little startled.  Nonetheless, I bravely set out with map in hand and some idea of where I wanted to end up.    

Lighting incense for Buddha

     Indoors was far busier than outside.  After looking through the assortment of merchandise, I head back to the street and make my way to a few small Wats (temples) that I hadn’t seen on my last stay.  Some are open, others not – but I did run into a monk’s prayer session.  People made supplication by giving offerings of food, drink and other things in plastic bins.  I silently wondered if Buddha smoked and whether I could spare a pack of my American Spirits? Read the rest of this entry »

     By Chase A. Wolf    

The universal greeting

     Chase’s Log 2.16.2010.  After several nail-biting flights – well-chronicled in my earlier posts – I think I’ve finally figured out a way to appease the Gods of Air Travel – for now.  Whether I made the right supplications to the monk in Honk Kong or he was just well-connected, by the time our plane taxied down the runway, the perpetual Hong Kong haze had dissipated, I’d settled into my upgraded to First Class seat in good cheer, and nary a cumulous cloud ruffled the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, a.k.a. “Saigon.” 

     Naturally, Home Office cautioned me against hubris – they think I may have just taken my luck at the front end of the trip, rather than the back end.  I make a vow to appease the Travel Gods of Intestinal Fortitude, you know, just in case Home Office has a point and I bite into something that later bites back – if you get my drift.    

The family scooter

     The taxi got me to the right hotel this time.  I’m staying at the Asiana Saigon, part of the Intercontinental Hotel chain – gorgeous as always.  Even my room was upgraded to one with great views of the city (good luck still holding firm). 

     Eager to explore the city, I drop my bags off and changed some money at the front desk – with my $100 USD right now being worth about 1.9 million Dong, the official currency here – and set out.        

Museum of different times

     To many, the name “Saigon” conjures uncomfortable recollections of a time – not terribly long ago – that the U.S. and the Vietnamese shed many lives in this part of the world in a war many questioned – and many supported.  Evidence of the war lives on, but the Ho Chi Minh City of today is not the Saigon of yesterday.  If you don’t believe me, come visit for yourself – you won’t regret it.  Far from just a political slogan, there really is a feeling of hope – and change – in the air here. Read the rest of this entry »

     By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.12.2010.  Nice restful day today.  Slept in and wandered into the hotel breakfast around 10 a.m.  Nothing grand, but enough to quell the hunger pangs.  It was pouring rain, so I walked a little but fled back to the hotel when it got really bad.  Did some work and washed the unmentionables – which I just mentioned.

Fresher fish are still in the sea

     My friends Ellen and Peter met me in the lobby around 2 p.m. and we headed out into the deluge.  They took me to a “village” style restaurant for an afternoon of Dim Sum, and, of course, there was more than enough food for ten people let alone three.

     Still raining.  Parted with my friends and walked around, marvelling at all of the small stores.  Even the chain stores are small, except H&M and the department style stores.  Everything is on sale because of the upcoming Chinese New Year on February 14th.

Street market

     The last few days have been mostly business and meeting with agents and manufacturers about Global Shopping Adventures.  Most were very interested in my new concept and I continue to field many questions on the details of my plan.   Although I have confidence that all of the things I’m presenting can be delivered based on my research, the detailed plans will take a lot more time and plenty of money to put in place.  Given the positive responses, Home Office is already slaving away on the details. Read the rest of this entry »

     By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.08.2010.  Hong Kong – what on Earth can I say about this city that hasn’t already been written about and shown in countless movies?

Downtown Hong Kong

     Being an eager traveler and excited about the next leg of my journey, I awoke early, shooed the roosters off my Taipei hotel’s window ledge, and, in one leap, jumped into all my carefully arranged travel clothes. 

     Hong Kong – here I come!

More Hong Kong Fog - From My Hotel

     Though I’d made proper supplication to the Travel Godsthe night before in hopes that my flight from Taipei to Hong Kong would be relatively uneventful, I stepped out of the One Season’s lobby and smacked my face into a wall of fog.  Again.  Naturally, the day blindness continued until our flight broke through on approach to Hong Kong International Airport – about 100 feet above the pretty blue water.  This time I prayed to Captain Sully – he of the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 fame – and, since I’m writing this, it apparently worked.

Business as Usual in Hong Kong

     My old friend Peter was there to meet me at the airport.  We caught up on a lot of things during the hour drive into the city.  And there it was – Hong Kong – perhaps my favorite city in the world.  It’s hard to describe this amazing city of more than 3 million people nestled between the harbor and the mountains: crowded, noisy, bustling and shuffling – bursting with energy and beauty. Read the rest of this entry »

     By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.06.2010.  Taiwan is a wonderful country – crowded, noisy, chaotic – but so alive.  I really love it here.

     Taipei and Taichung are spotless.  People actually sweep and wash the streets in front of their stores several times a day.  Everyone takes pride in their appearance, even the poorer people.  Politeness is a way of life.  It’s amazing how many scooters there are here.  I was told that many people have cars but that they use their cars for grocery shopping or other labor, but scooters for general transportation.  Even two adults and a baby on a scooter is a common sight. 

     Courtesy is just expected – unless it’s with a Westerner, because they know we can be rude – or maybe it’s just direct, I don’t know.  I think in the States, when we’re doing business we get to it quickly because we consider our time valuable and we don’t want to waste others’ time either.  Or maybe we’ve just forgotten that a smile and a pleasantry is just as important in business as it is in any other social activity.    

     My business meetings with agents in Taiwan have been great – very encouraging for Global Shopping Adventures.  Everyone recognizes the hurdles but they’re very positive about the possibilities.  They all understand how dull shopping has become and they all recognize the possible draw of a new marketplace concept in the U.S.  Most of Taiwanese only shop at local marketplaces, not the Western style malls/centers. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.05.2010   Touched down in Taipei, Taiwan this morning, without seeing anything during the flight from Shanghai to Taipei – nothing, no ground, no sky, no clouds.  My fingernails are gone and I’m now working on my knuckles.  Home Office tells me to quit worrying about ZERO visibility on take-offs and landings – that’s why aircraft have ground proximity warning systems, radar altimeters, etc. – but I don’t see Home Office sitting in the seat next to me, either.

Concierge at the "One Season"

     I grabbed a cab and gave the driver the address to my hotel – the Four Seasons – looking forward a post-flight debriefing at the hotel bar.  When we arrived, the Gods of Travel – those pranksters – had yet another little jest to play on me.  The hotel I’d booked was the One Season, not the Four Seasons.  Sigh. 

     (I’ve reconcile myself to the fact that I appear to have offended only the Gods of Travel Logistics, and not the Gods of Travel Intestinal Discomfort – so far.  I need to find a monk and get this sorted out before things get out of hand.)

     The One Season is a “boutique” hotel in the middle of downtown Taipei where nobody speaks English.   The room is a bit noisy from the traffic but it’s spacious, friendly and comfortable.  I am content and eager to explore the city. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.3.2010  Shanghai – a whirlwind of meetings – twelve in three days.  The flight in from Seoul was a knuckle biter – I can’t believe they didn’t close Shanghai airport!  I saw the ground when the wheels touched down. ZERO visibility!  Thanks to the Travel Gods – the pilots were sober and the avionics all worked.

     There’s not a lot of glamour to tell of from my Shanghai stop.  Meetings, meetings, and more meetings.  But, you know – they all went pretty well and I’ve been receiving some excellent feedback about my idea, though I know this concept turns upside down the way we’ve been shopping in the U.S. for the last 25 years.  We’ll find out how far the globe has really shrunk.

Aaron, Jay and I after a meeting

     One question I expected to hear and have heard is:  How can we trust you?  This is a basic, yet unanswerable question.  I can provide references.  I can give history.  But in an era of Wall Street scandals and massive Ponzi schemes, how much does any of this really matter? 

     My only response is that I’m travelling for two months to meet people all around the globe so they can make their own assessment of my plans, credibility and honor. Read the rest of this entry »

      Chase’s Log 2.2.2010  [Note:  The Home Office has been nagging me about sending more photos.  A lot.  “But,” I’ve  protested, “I’m not a travel journalist – I’m just a regular guy traveling as part of developing a new business concept.”  But they’re not having any of it, so going forward, I’ll be posting more photos throughout my journey.]

     Woke up at the Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul the next morning, reeking of garlic.  Normally, this would puzzle me, but I remembered where I was and my meal of the previous night – and chuckled.  Feeling rested and wonderful, I did a little work, checked with the Home Office and then set out for the Namdaemun Market. 

     My destination was probably a ten minute walk from the hotel, but it was raining and cold, so I grabbed a cab.  The driver (on a meter, of course) gave me a splendid and unrequested tour of Seoul – while I frantically pointed to my map and the other side of the river where I was supposed to be going.  He just kept nodding and smiling at me.  25 USD and 45 minutes later he dropped me off at Namdaemun Market.

Seoul: Namdaemun Market

     Namdaemun Market is a warren of streets for shopping – like a flea market in the U.S., but also with interior areas for shoppers to make selections.  The air was brisk and everyone was hustling, looking, touching, and haggling.  A few arguments over price here and there, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves – which is what good shopping should be about. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chase A. Wolf

     Chase’s Log 2.1.2010.  Following my near-death experience on the flight over from Tokyo and the hotel mix-up upon arrival, I found a chance to collect myself at the hotel bar before setting out to explore Seoul.

     Curious about the high-end retail in the city, I strolled over to “COEX” – the business/shopping district.  Very interesting – not a lot of name stores but many, many small independent shops with loads of cool stuff.  But it was the layout of the stores that I found curious – wide storefronts, but very shallow – not at all what you typically find in the States.  Still, it looked like a Western-style shopping mall and I was in search or more colorful retail experiences. 

COEX Shopping Center

      However, having not eaten since Tokyo and with nothing but a couple of vodka martinis in me, I was reminded by my surley stomach that I needed solid sustenance.  Quite right. 

      Recommendations and directions later, I found myself at Marohwajeck, a traditional Korean style restaurant.  Doing as directed by the hostess, I took off my shoes and settled onto some comfortable floor pillows. Read the rest of this entry »