One Month to Departure

La Senyera - the official flag of catalonia.

One month from today we will be en-route to Barcelona! The trip is becoming more "real" as more of our plans fall into place. We still need to secure one lodging location and a few train tickets, and finalize some of our sight-seeing plans around Barcelona and Madrid.

At the same time we face some uncertainty and concern as Barcelona has encountered some difficult times and tragedy in recent week. Workers at Barcelona's el Prat airport dissatisfied with wages and working conditions have staged strikes which have resulted in severe delays and chaos. A growing anti-tourism movement across Europe has led to marches, protests, and even an attack on a tourist bus in Barcelona.

And then there was last Thursday. A terrorist drove a van down Las Ramblas, the main pedestrian thoroughfare in the heart of Barcelona's old city killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 more. He killed a 14th person during his escape. Nine hours later, a similar attack occurred in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six other people. All of this was part of a larger plot in which plans were apparently underway to deploy bombs in the area, which was disrupted by a premature explosion in the building where the bombs were being manufactured. Eight members of the terrorist cell have been killed as a result of the explosion and police action.

All of this is enough to give one pause, and to cause concern among friends and family members. It will certainly lead us to pay close attention to State Department travel guidelines, to be more aware of our surroundings, and to approach our trip in a more somber, less celebratory, and perhaps less relaxed mood. What it will not do is prevent us from living our lives; experiencing new cultures; exploring food, wine, and architecture; visiting friends; celebrating festivals; cheering on football; enjoying the beach; and fulfilling a years-long dream of traveling to Spain. Calling off such a trip would giving in to terror.

Last week's attack brought back a specific memory for me. I really hadn't thought about it at all in the context of our upcoming trip, but I was supposed to have traveled to Spain in high school. A group trip was being planned, I suppose through our Spanish classes, but it was actually called off out of concern about terrorism. I don't remember the specific incident that resulted in the trip's cancellation, but I imagine it was either the terrorist attack in Madrid in 1985 or 1986. I was extremely disappointed at the time, and I remember thinking it was the wrong decision even though now I can't say I blame the adults for making it. Now, as an adult, I am free to make my own choices about travel, and we will go. We are sober and cautious, but we are not afraid.

Impromptu Las Ramlas Memorial (REUTERS/Susana Vera)

We're Going to Spain! (And France!)

Ten years ago this week, Barry and I traveled to Maine to help our good friend Dean and his new husband Antonio celebrate their marriage. Dean and Antonio met on vacation and found themselves in a long-distance relationship, as Dean lived in the Boston area and Antonio lived in Spain. But back in those days, same-gender marriage was legal in Spain and not in the U.S., so off went Dean to live with Antonio in his home town of Torrijos. Ever since then we've wanted to visit the couple, and Spain has been very high on our "to do" list. Actually, Spain has been very high on my list ever since I saw the 1999 film "All About My Mother" which is largely set in Barcelona. Throw in the Modernista architecture, Spain's national football team winning the 2010 World Cup, and Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona, and Spain rises to the top of the list!

We surely would have visited earlier if it weren't for that third trip to South Africa we took, almost unexpectedly. Following that, Spain once again became our "next up" travel destination. Then one day last November, I saw a Facebook post from a former student: Airlines were having a sale on travel to Spain and other European countries, for certain dates in 2017. A few clicks later, we had purchased flights to Barcelona for less than it costs to fly to Arizona.

Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - still under construction.

We waited for la Liga to announce the soccer schedule before making any specific plans for the trip. Once tickets went on sale July 22 we could finally purchase our FC Barcelona tickets and our planning commenced. On September 22, Barry, his mother, and I will head off to Europe for a two week vacation. We will land in Barcelona during their big festival La Merce. After two nights there, we're taking the high-speed train to Perpignan, France - just because we can. Then we will take the train to Toledo, Spain to connect with Dean and Antonio, and to stay with them and their family during the big annual festival in Torrijos, la Sementera. We will head back to Barcelona in time for the FC Barcelona match vs. Las Palmas in Camp Nuo, will see more of the sites there (including Montserrat and Flamenco!), and spend some time in Sitges before returning home.

We're really looking forward to the time off and the opportunity to travel together again. Stay tuned!

Montserrat Monastery outside Barcelona.

Thailand Trip Closure

At the closing dinner.

 I honestly never imagined it would take me nearly three months to sit down and write my final blog post about the Thailand trip. With that kind of delay, it doesn't really serve much of a journal of my thoughts, feelings, and observations during the trip. Unfortunately, I lost steam when Blogger ate half of my last post on the bus back from Chicago, and considering I still suffered from a bronchial infection when I got home I didn't have the energy or motivation to blog. Then life happened, with three trips to Iowa, a trip to California, surgery, drum corps... it took me two months just to download, organize, sort, and post my photos.

So, where were we? Wednesday was our last day in Thailand. After the doctor's visit, the medications, and a decent night of rest, I felt marginally better and decided to head out with the class for our final business visits. After a morning debrief at the hotel, we went to PwC for a nice visit with a Kelley alumnus who is a partner and several other PwC staffers, one of whom was in Singapore but chimed in remotely via video conference. If I'm remembering correctly we learned something about forensic accounting. Although I was not quite 100% that day and I can't recall the specifics now, I do know it was a good visit and I was impressed by the engagement and contribution of so many employees.

Following PwC, we visited FinTech - a financial product venture capital firm owned by a Thai bank. This was an interesting visit. The office itself was pretty trendy and designed to inspire creativity, so it was fun and interesting to see. Our host was quite the unique character. He essentially shared his life story and how he ended up in his third(?) career running this place. He laid bare all of his past trials and failures, moves, and career choices - from dropping out of college (failing?) to opening all of the Apple Stores in China. Basically, it was a story of someone discovering himself, his strengths, and his motivations. He learned something at every step along the way, and he didn't stay in jobs he didn't love. And you never can predict where you will end up.

Lunch came after the FinTech visit. Brenda took a student back to the hotel, I think, and Angie went to lunch with Peter leaving me to walk with the Students, Dom, and O to a nearby second-floor restaurant for a buffet lunch. I didn't have a lot of energy or a huge appetite, so I sat quietly with Dom and O and ate little bites of the available dishes. I don't remember being super impressed, although I'm sure it was fine and I know it was better (for me) than the lunch at the airport two days earlier. I think I was most disappointed in the drink selection. In the end, I reluctantly drank whatever they offered figuring I wouldn't get much sicker at this point.

We had free time after lunch. Some people shopped and some got massages, but I went back to my room to rest and pack. I actually don't think I got to the packing at that point, but I appreciated the rest. I had to meet Angie and Brenda in the lobby at some point to work out - once and for all - the tipping situation. After a series of misunderstandings and miscommunication beginning prior to the trip and continuing throughout, we finally figured out the most appropriate tipping protocol for our guides and made arrangements to properly compensate them for the amazing service they provided during our time in Bangkok.

Closing feast at Ban Khun Mae.

That evening we headed out for our closing dinner, walking to nearby Ban Khun Mae Restaurant. We were in for a treat - and it's a good thing I had an appetite. This place brought out copious amounts of food, served family style, and we could barely begin one dish before the next couple of dishes were delivered. We had giant prawns; we had soup in flaming cauldrons; we had green mango salad; we had fish... It bordered on being wasteful, but everything was delicious and we certainly didn't go hungry. Angie shared some reflections on the trip, and we presented our gift to Peter. The students gave each of us thank-you gifts, as well. I received a small packet of what I think are dried scorpions... I'm not really sure. All of the writing on the package is in Thai, and it sits unopened on my nightstand. The more meaningful gift was a personalized leather passport cover which they had made in one of the markets. It was perfect; I love it.

Walking back to Pathumwan Princess Hotel.

I took a while for me to sort out the bill and get an acceptable receipt for the drinks, but I finally got that sorted out and walked back to the hotel with the leadership team. I spent the rest of the night packing before getting a few hours of sleep, but of course some of our students went out to Khaosan Road for one last night on the town.

We left quite early for the airport, with some boxed breakfasts from the hotel. I bought a few gifts at the airport, since I had missed out on a couple of opportunities to shop during the trip. The travel was, thankfully, uneventful except for the Chinese tourists who kept trying to cut us off at the airports and the lost bus driver on the way to Zionsville. The first flight, to Hong Kong, was the nicest plane I've ever been on. Thankfully, while I didn't feel great, I was well enough to travel without too much discomfort. I slept some and watched some movies. I took Friday off of work and went to the doctor in Bloomington. The two-hour wait was miserable and I actually fell asleep in the waiting room. I finally saw someone who prescribed a different antibiotic, and after two more days of rest I was ready to head back to work.

Churning of the Milk Sea at the Bangkok airport.

I certainly would have enjoyed the trip a lot more if I had been healthy. But in these past few months I've had the opportunity to tell many friends, family members, and colleagues about the trip. Each time, I find myself telling them what a great trip it was: fun, responsible, curious, and engaged students; excellent business visits; great guides; beautiful scenery; elephants; time spent with friends; delicious food; good colleagues; no travel issues. In spite of my illness and the experiences I had to skip, it really was one of the better Kelley trips I've been on. I could see myself going back to Thailand.

Don't forget to check out my photo gallery, also linked in the right column!