Over There

I'm just back from an international trip.  My job takes me to some pretty far-flung places and they can be very interesting and mind-expanding.  This time it was Melbourne, Australia and Tokyo, Japan.   Talk about two very different places!   Thought it might be interesting to provide some comments on what I saw and impressions from across the world.

First, Australia is a really great place!  It is very much like the U.S.  The people look like us.  They act like us.   Of course, they drive on the wrong side of the road...but that's okay.  It's a very comfortable place for Americans to visit.  Melbourne in particular is a lot like SoCal.  I think it may be the most sports oriented, outdoor city in the world.  Tennis, swimming, F1, beach competitions, water skiing, etc, etc.  there is always something going on.  The city is on the ocean and downtown is split by a beautiful river and is very vibrant.

And then it was off to Tokyo.  It's a lot farther than it looks on a map.  But I got to fly on one of the new Airbus A-380s.  Cool plane.  A real monster!  Business class seats very comfortable.  Tokyo is the opposite of Melbourne in terms of an American feeling like they are in familiar territory.  It's the mysterious orient!  Language is different, lifestyle is different, food is different...everything is different.  But it is a fascinating and wonderful place.  The people are generally warm, welcoming and go out of their way to make guests feel at home.  It's difficult because everything is so different, but after a few days, it starts to feel familiar.  I think I could live there...of course I'd need to take some serious language lessons!