Fred Hoyt's Travels – Page 37 – Exploring International Business with Illinois Wesleyan's Fred Hoyt

Our 35th–a luxury hotel tour from Bangkok to Singapore

While Carolyn was willing to sacrifice me in Siem Reap, she did join me in Bangkok after I survived for an anniversary tour, our 35^th, from Bangkok to Singapore. The object was to swathe ourselves in luxury hotels, and learn more about these fascinating countries.

Our self-indulgence started in Bangkok at one of the premier hotels. I believe it was the Oriental, whose 150 years of celebrity attraction now included Fred and Carolyn Hoyt. Our trip included the highlights of Bangkok, especially (for me) Ayudhya and its splendid ruins.

We boarded a train that took us down Thailand, to Hua Hin, where we spent a night at the “Railway Hotel,” another on the “must stops” on the tour of the peninsula.

At the border, we were greeted by a driver, who would show us the superhighways and byways of Malaysia, a country whose mix of

progressive Islam and Chinese cultures made it one of the most enjoyable discoveries for me of Southeast Asia. It was a great start that our first stop was in Pulau Penang, one of the cities that I’d “discovered” with David as primarily Chinese (the Straits Settlements) dominant. The area housed one of the extensive business hubs on the country, and I would soon get to visit Dell and other operations attracted by low wages, a favorable business environment, and an educated work force.

Not coincidentally, our arrival coincided with the reopening of the refurbished Sarkie Brothers Hotel, the Eastern and Oriental, on the Gulf of Thailand. I could sit there dreamily considering retiring to a bungalow facing the Gulf with my xiao lao po.

The trip took us via superhighway to one of the inland cities, I think Ipoh, a city whose charm (i.e., history and appearance) resembles George Town (Penang). Small shops, Chinese influence.

The trip continued through Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, with a visit I remember to a rubber plantation, where our Hindu guide’s grandfather had worked as a cook. Typical British mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian. He also told us when he married a Malay, he had to raise his children as Muslim.

The crown jewel in this nostalgia trip to the past, of course, was an overnight or two at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Imitating the rich and famous is certainly fun, but I’ll get Carolyn to Siem Reap in the future!

Angkor was awesome

Tue, Jul 10, 2001, 3:53 PM

When “they” left (I paid their departure tax and made sure they left, along with my colleague Ruth Ann), I took a small plane to Siem Reap (which means Siam destroyed–that whole area, my son pointed out, is the Balkans of Asia. Whoever has power destroys those who don’t, until those who don’t, do, and they return the favor), for a visit to Angkor Wat.

I was overwhelmed.

I now understand Bangkok (and much of the rest of South and Southeast Asia), because to be a ruler there means being like the Khmer empire (just as being an emperor in East Asia means temple of Heaven, Confucius, and a writing system that has no relevance to your pronunciation!).

Three days of highlights:

1) The Grand Hotel d’Angkor (after “they” left, I got used to the wondrously expensive restored hotels that I would have stayed in had I been the rich imperialist I crave being!). The Raffles chain got ahold of it and put it back in splendor. In a poverty stricken country, $300 a night is luxurious! Because I was in the jungle (at least temperature wise), my guide and driver dropped me at the hotel from 11-2. I could lounge in the pool (I did, reading a book on Angkor) (only one day making the mistake of standing talking with someone after a swim; sunburn city), take a sauna (only slightly hotter than the outside, but still a treat), or get a massage (a real one!). At 2 they’d pick me up and take me to some spectacular place I’d never been before. And in the evening, the usual Ramayana dancing so typical of the Khmer/Hindu influenced regions.

Question: how can a poor country like Cambodia stage events so much nicer than India. I digress! And an occasional Havana.

Even better, one morning (6 am) they had a Buddhist monk teach meditation. I can still remember him (in translation) telling me to think only of the air (breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth). It helps whenever I get tense. And believe me, I didn’t realize how tense this place makes me until I got back!

Not until the last day did I realize how close the hotel was to the old City. Still lots of old colonial architecture, some bars, and many places selling the same trinkets. Food paled compared to the Rex, but Viet Nam was THE French colony in Asia. Cambodia, I think, was a protectorate.

2) The temples were overwhelming. Four in particular. Angkor Wat is awesome in size, setting, and splendor (only the Gods had stone buildings, so only the Godlike places are left). The pictures don’t do it justice, and I was awed by the sculptures on the walls, which had the story of Good Versus Evil (Ramayana again) and the monkey king, and the history of the regime. The second is Bayon, built by Jayavarman VII (easy for me to say!), with the haunting four heads that are one of the most well-known pictures of Angkor. I finally found a sculpture (typical of Cambodia, I found it in a workshop for the homeless because of minefields!) that captured it (22 pounds; it cost 2x as much to ship as to purchase). Third was the one that they left jungle-like. The jungle always wins, given enough time! Finally, Banteay Srei, which has the most marvelous sculptures (or did!). We came to one place and my guide said, “There was a head on that statue last week.” One thing I would have done differently was to spend a day in Phnom Penh at the National museum. Some of the statues are there, replaced with virtually similar reproductions.

3) Two and a half days were probably enough. The area is huge. It must have been a wondrous city in its heyday. Cambodia, today, though, is a mess. As I mentioned, we went to three or four places that had been mine fielded (if that’s a word). Unlike Laos, they did much of it to themselves (and still are doing some damage; a bomb blew up last week in Phnom Penh). But it was a lot safer than Carolyn thought it would be when she was willing to sacrifice me…..now to convince her to come with me.

4) I took seven rolls of film with the kids–and eight rolls in three days at Angkor!

Less than 80 days but it seemed more

7/3/2001

Some highlights from around the world (with pictoral help from Sheibly):

For me, London was kind of neat, even though we were only there 2 days (we were everywhere only 2 days, except Saigon!). I think we are going to visit next spring break because it’s “only” seven hours away! I hadn’t been there before.

I enjoyed their anguish in India. It is an acquired taste, and has changed far less than I had hoped. We sat with a brilliant economist in an enclave in Delhi. His comment: “Infrastructure doesn’t matter.” I thought about that for much of the trip, especially in countries that had it. It matters if quality of life matters! He had to breathe that air and navigate through the hordes. India may well be the most photogenic country in the world (I love the colors!), but it is still the least habitable. When we were there in 1997, we were with a private car and there were three of us. With a tour bus, the hordes descended on us, and my Bloomington students got to see things they only read about in books. But to have seen the Taj not once, but twice…. And I loved Indian foods (which were “too spicy” for some of my students; others got “Delhi belly” and did not eat foreign foods the rest of the trip). One came in and said, “Hoyt, we gotta talk about my bowel movements.” “What’s the problem?” “They’re different. They come every hour.” “Are they solid?” “Yes.” “Don’t worry. I’ll bet they’re even a different color!” “How did you know!”

They were glad to escape India, but many of them, soured by the experience of “differentness” stuck close to the familiar. As my colleague and I wondered, “why are 2 59 year olds, who’ve been to many of these places, more adventurous than 20 year olds who have not?”

Bali is an awesome place. One of my crappy colleagues, who fancies himself an expert on Indonesia, spread the rumor that Indonesia would be unsafe and wasn’t Fred concerned? I found out about it second (and third) hand–from students taking my trip who he’d said this to in class (class act). We monitored the situation, and while Jakarta and Aceh, etc. are volatile, Bali’s biggest problem is too many tourists. We stayed at an elegant beach resort (Intercontinental) that brought me back into favor. But offered a chance to explore the island and its unique culture or staying poolside, 12 of them opted for poolside (it was the only opportunity they had to turn down a cultural or site visit!).

In the evening, we had the opportunity to go to a village for a program. When we got there, there was no electricity in the village, and we were the only audience. As they led us into the theater, with torches, I thought–“Order of the Arrow.” Ruth Ann and I had seen the dance before–the battle between good and evil, that ended with the actors throwing fire at each other.

Before the show, two of the boys, who had stayed at the pool drinking (and were drunk) got into their 14 year old modes when told they had to attend the cecek dance. Quivering lower lip (that I see so often with my scouts) and the “you can’t make me attitude”…my response was yes I can and I will. Actually,one sheepishly came by the next day and said, “Thank you for making me go.” I told him that if I really wanted to punish him, I’d have told him he needn’t go. Scoutmastering comes in handy.

infrastructure was questionable. We had to get out of the bus crossing this bridge, just in case

They enjoyed HCMC, but I keep forgetting that for them the Viet Nam war is “history.” We spent four days in Saigon (the longest anywhere, and just about the right amount of time), with tours of the delta, etc. Our guide was an ARVN lieutenant (which gave a different perspective; he hates the north and is about to evacuate to the US, one of the true victims of the Vietnam War; in Cu Chi, he showed us where he got his scar). It is sobering for Americans to go through the war museum. My colleague was offended by its propaganda value, but as I noted, it’s great to go somewhere where pc means something different–and besides, they won! The food was great (students liked the Italian restaurant). Breakfast at the Rex set the bar too high for the rest of the trip: Choice of any or all of the following–pho, miso (the empire of Japan was out in force), four types of cereal, eggs and bacon, pancakes, dumplings, wondrous spread of fruit–jackfruit, mango, etc., and the piece de resistance, baguette, pate, and ham and cheese. One of my self-described “picky” eaters had a hard time with this. She said she could eat either ham or cheese but not both on the same plate.

They will thank me for this someday.

2001 May term around the world

Reminiscences 2024

Ironically, my trip around the world with students was just before 9/11, which closed much of the flat world. I was inspired by Brian Engelland, a fellow marketing academic, who had done something similar when he’d been in business. It was ambitious. London was our first stop, and I had not been there before. I realized it was an easy trip across the Pond (and subsequently did some long weekend conferences in England). Students loved the England part—the plays (Shakespeare in 90 minutes), the soccer atmosphere (they partied after a Man U game), and the general familiarity of being in the English-speaking world.

The euphoria lasted until we got to India—105 degrees at midnight and we were at 3000 feet- a different world. I am not sure they came out of the hotel to drink, and they worried about the new foods and smells.

Viet Nam provided some relief—Pringles were available. I loved staying at the un-gentrified Rex, as had the journalists during the American War. I remember the incredible breakfast, that nodded to the wondrous tastes around the world–Japanese, Chinese, French (jambon and baguettes), incredible fruits (no durian, however). In Bali, the poolside bar allowed some students to avoid the tour of the Hindu-based island in the largest Muslim country in the world. In India, we had a great visit with Sambit in Delhi-—in a gated community that lost power periodically and had its own generator. Quality of life? How much do you tip? That got a discussion of wages around the world. Satisfying if exhausting.

We got really familiar with Bangkok–or was it just the airport hotel. Flying Thai Air meant going through Bangkok once we arrived in Asia. When we left Hong Kong, it was to fly back to Bangkok and then to the United States. But there is proof we did go to the city.

I followed it up with a stay at Siem Reap. Carolyn assured me if I survived, she would consider going to Angkor Wat. (At the time, bandits roved in Cambodia, seeking, ransom victims, which I hoped did not included IWU faculty members). That will be a separate entry.

Old Japan and Old Korea with Carolyn

Reminiscences 2024

While Carolyn joined me at the end of the Technos trip, it was to enable us to explore old Japan and old Korea.

By old Japan, I had in mind Kyoto and Nara, where World War II had not flattened the buildings or firebombed them, partly because Secretary of War Henry Stimson had honeymooned there. Tourists ought to sing his praises.

While Nintendo claims Kyoto as its headquarters, it is better known for having been the capital of Japan from 794 until 1869. Known as Heian, it exudes charm, with the Kyoto palace buttressed by several Buddhist shrines. It has an older section of the city which was where “Memories of a Geisha” was filmed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where we stayed.

Talk about “customer service.” With kimonos in our room, we were transported back in time to greater luxury and ambience. One evening, three meals, two treasures the cost, and worth it. Ryokan is the category.

If the city resembles a Tang dynasty capital–Chang’an (Xi’an) or Luoyang, it’s no accident. the “peaceful capital” (Heian) was modeled after those imperial cities. Isn’t that what it meant to be an emperor in Asia, even in the land where the sun comes up? (Nihon).

Nara provided an 80-year prelude as the first capital of Japan, which later moved to Kyoto where it remained for a thousand years. Again, I felt we were in Tang China, which provided the feng shui for the layout of the city. It still houses 8 UNESCO heritage sites, but one of the unusual features is the deer park, which ecompasses the temples and shrines. It also protects the tiny deer.

The Todaji temple is the world’s largest wooden building. Fittingly, Kyoto’s sister cities include Xi’an and Kyongju.

As part of our tour of Tang China’s imitators, I wanted to take Carolyn to Kyongju, at one time the fourth largest city in the world. It was the capital of the Silla Kingdom from 57 BC until 935 AD. I’d been to the “museum without walls,” but couldn’t get enough of its ancient splendor. The peak was the 7-9th century when the Silla ruled most of the Korean peninsula.

Today, historic buildings such as the Bulguksa (Buddhist) temple, the observatory, the bell, and the mostly un-excavated mounds evoke a splendid past. The museum has some artifacts, too.

The Buddha in the cave (Seokguram) is the most beautiful buddha I have ever seen.

The one disappointment I had was that when I had been in Korea in 1997, it was during the cherry blossom time. Gumi, our base then, was resplendent white. When Carolyn and I went through it on the train to Kyongju, all we saw was a naked industrial city.

To her great surprise, Carolyn enjoyed the food, even the seafood. She is educable.

Technos and my introduction to Japan

Reminiscences 2024

One of the strongest connections of IWU with Asia was with the Technos Institute of Tokyo. Minor Myers hit it off with the head of Technos, Kenji Tanaka, who founded a basically vocational college (mostly tourism), and shared some of Minor’s quirkiness. Tanaka originally had a downtown campus, which he sold before the real estate bubble burst, and rebuilt the campus elsewhere. As I understand it, the now -wealthier Tanaka funded five universities (one in New Zealand) to send faculty and students for a cultural exchange in Tokyo. Minor became part of it at Hobart and Smith, one of the other colleges, and brought that connection with him when he came to Illinois Wesleyan University. It was one of the best perks I had at IWU.

As a member of, and sometimes head of, the Asian Studies Committee at IWU, I was qualified to lead a trip. I was also in a position to choose the candidates among the sophomore students, and my goal was to ensure that one of them would be from Business Administration. That had never happened before at IWU. One of the other faculty pushed a student who. when she saw fish, went, “Ew, fish.” She found being a vegetarian avoided that potential cultural conflict, and thus missed some of the best foods on the trip.

The format was that we would be flown to Tokyo and all our expenses would be covered. Given how expensive Japan was, that was useful. We had a $50 voucher one night and it bought a hamburger and a coke. We stayed in different neighborhoods, which gave us a sense of the size if not diversity of Tokyo. As I recall, early on, we had a tremor, learning what the “rim of fire” was about.

Technos was a school focusing mostly on tourism, and one of the real treats we enjoyed was at a resort maintained in the mountains, with a hot pool in the mornings where we could sit watching the sun come up. It provided training to the Technos students, and joy to the guests.

Three other memories remain in my mind: the first was the Tuna market (I think it moved in 2018), where enormous Tuna were bought and sold. The most expensive went for $3 million. Charlie the Tuna would have been as astonished as I was to see the activity in the wee hours of the morning.

The second was Japanese baseball. I did not realize the teams were corporately owned. That is, the Tokyo Giants were part of the Yomiuri newspaper and television empire. Equivalent to the Yankees, the Giants are the oldest professional team in Japan and one of the most successful (22 championships). Their games were in the Tokyo Dome, starting at 6 pm. That start time allowed the salarymen to come straight from work in their suits with briefcases. As you might expect from a Japanese crowd, the cheering was orchestrated and the audience followed the cheerleaders. Food was exceptional: bento instead of hot dog, with beer distributed via something like a fire extinguisher. It was great fun.

The third was a stay in a small town that looked like (and probably was) a locale for pictures of early Japan. Small shops, small buildings.

I should note that not only did faculty choose students, but many activities split faculty and students. It wasn’t like May Term–babysitting, guide, guardian, warden, whatever was required. It was a real reward!

Mrs. Hoyt joined me afterwards for Kyoto and Nara to be reported later.

Go West (to Xinjiang)

Reminisces 2025

In 1999, David joined me for an “after May Term trip” to explore western China. It was shortly after US planes bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and tensions between the two countries was high. I remember Dr. Jin constantly on the phone to his friends in China, debating whether we ought to proceed to China given the anti-American protests. Having learned how to say, “Ottawa is wonderful this time of year” (everyone loves Canadians), we proceeded to finish the trip in the Middle Kingdom.

When the group left, David—who’d joined us in Beijing—and I boarded a train that took us to Xi’an and eventually into Xinjiang. In Xi’an we had some visits to new sites—for example, the tomb of the Empress Wu, the lone female emperor of China. As we went west, we encountered more Chinese named Muhammad,or who had beards. There were stunning mosques, and ruins of previous cities along the old Silk Road. Underground aqueducts nourished crops in the desert, as they had in ancient times.

The Mogao caves at the entrance to the Taklimakan desert preserved Buddhist art from the 4th thru 14th centuries, scarred by Muslim invaders and Red Guards, but still magnificent. Dunhuang also offered camel rides, also offered camel rides, which gave one a feel for the enormity of “land travel” in ancient times. Grateful merchants had had the grottoes filled filled with paintings, either grateful for a successful passage, or in hopes of propitiating the gods and having a good trip.

I remember Urumqi as an armed camp, with prominent Liberation Army troops in the streets, and in trucks; the locals had their own idea of what “liberation” meant, bombing busses occasionally. Kashgar stimulated me to read about “the Great Game”—the clash between the British Lion and the Russian Bear for India. Kashgar was one of those flashpoints, where the Russian Consul (whose compound included our guesthouse) had a private army. Inspired, I wanted to cross the Pamirs into Pakistan and Afghanistan….but even then, disturbed and disturbing countries. We visited

ruins in Xinjiang at Gaochang and Jiaohe, and the Bezeklik Caves, which the Russians pilfered in the Great Game days and brought back to the Hermitage. “I know what wall those came from,” I said when I saw them in St. Petersburg. We also toured the TianShan mountains and rode horses to look at snow-capped peaks. We were really in the Wild West.

Interestingly, China is one time zone, at least government offices think so. They run on Beijing time. The rest of Xinjiang thinks local time makes more sense. It is certainly “different.”

Former Russian Consulate (now a guest house where we stayed)

Reflections on SE Asia and China

May 1999 (reminisced Nov 2024)

The trip was fairly standard for me by now. South East Asia, working our way to China, with a Yangtze cruise, ending up in Beijing. One thing Brad Hannam and I did was to cross the border into Malaysia for a look at the palace of the richest man in the world (at one time), the Sultan of Johore. His outrageous behavior led the British to station a “minder” in Johore. What I remember most about the palace was his use of elephant legs as waste baskets and umbrella holders. But we did get a stamp for Malaysia in our passports, which was an added benefit.

The other “different” event was a monkey wrench thrown on May 7, 1999, when we received news that the US had “accidentally” bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and that anti-American protests had erupted in response in the China. With the safety of our charges in mind, Dr. Jin spent a lot of time contacting his friends in China to make sure we would not be endangered. We cautiously entered China, prompting our students to downplay their American identity (e.g., no Cubs shirts). At times it was tense, and we were known to say, “Ottawa is lovely this time of year.”

The only place I caught some flak was in Xi’an, on my extended trip. When I got a haircut, the barber talked about bad Americans. I told him, in Chinese, I was in China to see where my dad had fought for China against the Japanese. That put paid to that discussion.

Bund from Broadway Mansions where we were housed

We were lucky enough to connect with two of our alumni–at opposite ends of the expat spectrum–in Shanghai. One was Omar Sadeque, son of a Pakistani diplomat, who had gone to Baylor for an MBA. Hired by Cargill, at this point in his 20s, Cargill gave him $25 million to establish a chicken processing plant. He hosted our class and talked about his career and his opportunity. At the other end was Tuan Nguyen, who had come to China with me in 1995 as his last class at IWU before his January graduation; Tuan was so smitten by China that he resigned the job he had lined up and went to China to take his chances. When we met him, he was married to a Chinese woman and living a la Chinese. Omar, by contrast, lived in a gated community with a driver, a cook, and several servants.

We also managed to visit a number of business sites: Ringsit contract manufacturers of running shoes in Bangkok, Caterpillar Logistics in Singapore, always a treat given Cat’s insistence of supplying parts anywhere in the world in 48 hours, City University in Hong Kong, with my friend Eleanor, and Omar’s plant in Shanghai.

And we did the sites as well, including the Yangtze cruise, with a stop in Chungking at a museum featuring Vinegar Joe Stillwell, Chiang Kai-shek’s World War II nemesis. And we had time to eat. In those days, I built the meals into the trip, realizing hygiene was not always a consideration, especially in China. Later, when I realized students preferred Mickey Ds to dim sum, I set one banquet per city–so I could eat real Chinese instead of watered down French Fries.

But not before we had snake wine. I insisted on having the reptile brought to the table where the venturesome sat, and prepared for us–bile in alcohol, among other things. The live snake was beheaded, to the shrieks of the other table, but the snake was good: tasted like chicken, as promised.

One treat for me was on the cliffs of the Yangtze, which marked where the “trackers” used to pull boats through the rapids. More powerful motors today, and more controlled river flow has rendered the manual labor unnecessary. The Three Gorges Dam, when completed, will basically eliminate the rapids.

Perhaps a commentary on contemporary China was this poster, a response to Deng Xiao-ping’s comment, “To be rich is glorious,” so true…

The very model of a model International Commissioner

International Conference and Laos (Reminiscences 2025)

During the 1990s especially, I tried to combine my interest in marketing with my avocational interest in Scouting. That resulted in my seeking Scout contacts and buying Scout souvenirs. My troop usually had foreign neckerchief slides, for example, and frequently foreign Scout patrol patches. We had two iterations of Red Back Spiders (Australia’s contribution; second deadliest) and the Ferkana Patrol (Turtle in Maltese), and frequently used the more colorful Canadian patrol patches. I was most enamored of the Macanese epaulets for leaders, and for years used them in place of the (boring) red epaulets that were official BSA. The uniforms and neckerchiefs I bought contributed to several camporee exhibits. Mrs. Hoyt and I parleyed a visit to a world camporee into a visit to Angkor Wat.

One of the highlights was definitely attendance at the Asia Pacific Conference in 1998. It was meant to highlight Hong Kong Scouting after the handover. In the run up to 1997, Hong Kong Scouting had purchased a lot in central Hong Kong and built a multipurpose building: Scout office, hotel, and offices, probably to maintain funding because of the uncertainty of finances after 1997.

Behind me was Kai Tak, the most exciting airport in the world

I had enough contacts to get myself invited as a member of the US Delegation, with the rank of “International Commissioner” from the W.D. Boyce Council. It was obvious I was outside the circle of professionals and niche volunteers, but it got me to Hong Kong for a wonderful conference that helped me understand why Baden Powell resigned from the British army after World War I and thought Scouts could be a force for peace. Here’s what I remember—more than a quarter of a century later.

First, there were giggles about US Scouting. Part of it was for its top-heavy use of professionals. Volunteers, even at the highest level, ran many Scout national organizations. I met some of them. Another giggle came from what the other organizations referred to as the 3 gs—God, Girls, and Gays. Most other organizations, even then, were coed. While there might be separate religious-based national organizations, we had an interfaith service that was genuinely religious and genuinely inclusive. What a change from the traditional BSA (at best) non-denominational service!

Second, it was an adult gathering, and adults were treated like adults. We were broken out into subgroups for some of our meals. I remember sitting with the Head of Singapore Scouting (volunteer), his Australian counterpart (also a volunteer) for a potluck. Not mac and cheese or hot dogs, but dim sum and other Asia dishes. And there were adult beverages served. It was the best fraternity party I can remember since college.

Hong Kong Scouting was at its finest. While most uniforms were Scout-like (based on the Great War uniforms of BP), I doubt BP would have objected to the formal tailor-made uniforms that distinguished our hosts. I was glad to have been invited to participate, and to look at HK a year after the handover.

It was also an excuse to bring David, and depart Hong Kong for an introduction to another part of the former French Indo-china: Laos.

Once a prosperous and large kingdom (the Land of a Million Elephants), Laos today is one of the poorest countries we visited. Its distinctive houses on stilts allowed the family to live above possible floods, but, equally important, made for animal or car storage underneath.

The “big” cities are pretty small–We stayed in Luang Prabang for a few days, and used it as a base for a memorable trip up the Mekong to a cave full of Buddhist statues. In fact, much of what we saw related to Buddhism–or to the half century it was part of French Indochina.

Luang Prabang was the capital under the French, and thus has what used to be the king’s palace. The communist Pathet Lao took over the country in the 1975, and the palace is now a museum. It’s a nice mix of French colonial and Lao, and I remember sitting in the palace while David explained patiently his dissertation on turn of the 20th century art. The trip on the Mekong took us to that cave, but we also stopped for a look at farms in the countryside, confirming our suspicion that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is among the less developed countries of the world.

Vientiane, the current capital, was also on the itinerary. Among its claim to fame was that it houses the largest Buddhist temple in the country.

May 1998 (Mostly) A Student’s View

For some reason, I had little documentation on the 1998 trip (despite a few pictures). When I put out a plea to participants, Heidi Keller Force replied that she had a journal she’d share. This entry is based mostly on her notes (which sort of equalled mine). It gives a student perspective on the trip (though I suppose she edited some evening episodes that she will deny happened). Thank you, Heidi.

Professors: Dr. Hoyt and Dr. Jin

Students: Heidi, Alison, Jackie, Jessica, Anita, Romi, Kristi, Heather, Kerry, Brian “Udo”, Glen, Brian M, David, Mahesh, Derek, James, Mike

May 7/8 – Korean Air – Chicago O’Hare à Seoul à Hong Kong – Day 1

Arrived at O’Hare late in the evening. Very long flight to Seoul. Another flight to Hong Kong. Flew into Kai Tek airport on Hong Kong island and you could practically look into the buildings before landing. Pilots had to be specially trained to land here. The new airport opened later in the Summer. Arrived in HK and checked into the Park Lane Hotel. We all explored as small groups in the early afternoon – walked around, fitted for suits, etc. First thoughts on Hong Kong – overpopulated, dirty and the terrible smell! That evening the group took a ferry to Cheung Chau Island for a dinner full of seafood – crab, squid, mussel, lobster, shrimp and blue lady beer. Took the ferry back and enjoyed the Hong Kong skyline at night. Subway back to the hotel.

May 9 – Explored Hong Kong – Day 2

Large breakfast buffet in the hotel Boarded a bus for a full-day tour of Hong Kong with guide Atmin. First stop was the “San Pan Tour”, which included views of the famous floating restaurants of Hong Kong, fishing house boats and straw hats. Next stop was to Repulse Bay with a view of the hotel with the hole in it for the dragon to drink out of the bay. Took pictures at the Happy Buddha statue. Lunch was at the Revolving 99 restaurant with a full buffet – all free except for a $7 coke! Journeyed to the highest point in Hong Kong to enjoy the views then took a steep tram down the mountain. Visited the Stanley Market. Dinner that evening was with one of Dr. Hoyt’s friends and included our first attempt at chopsticks on the trip. Several students decided to enjoy the Hong Kong nightlife to end the HK leg of the trip.

May 10 – Guangzhou – Day 3

Up early for an express train to Canton/Guangzhou. We were excited to see McDonald’s on arrival and enjoyed a “cheap” $2 value meal for lunch. Walked the streets and noticed lots of people, dirt and bikes! Took a bus to visit the 5 Goat Temple and a porcelain store. Next stop was a real China food market – lots of live animals, raw meat, bugs and Chinese medicine. Stayed at the White Swan Hotel. Group dinner with more new foods to try – pigeon, eel, frog and clam! In the areas around the restaurant girls tried to sell us flowers and yelled American swear words to us.

May 11– Kunming – Day 4

Early morning flight to Kunming. Explored Golden Dragon Mountain and rode on a ski lift up the mountain. Explored several Buddhist temples and an art gallery where we had our names painted in Chinese. Lunch at the New York Café which was a huge stir fry. After lunch we visited the largest copper temple. Checked into the Golden Dragon hotel. The group was on our own for dinner that night. A few of us went to the Happy Café for dinner. No one in the restaurant could speak English and not sure what we ate for dinner. But it was a fun experience! Explored some of the “cheap” markets after dinner and saw lots of interesting people.

May 12 – Kunming & Train – Day 5

After breakfast we took a two hour bus ride to visit the Stone Forest and stopped at a pearl shop on the way. The Stone Forest was cool but very hot! Back on the bus and stopped at a Jade shop and enjoyed the beautiful countryside… including people plowing the fields. Drove through a bad storm and realized driving there is very unsafe. Safely arrived back in Kunming to grocery shop before the overnight train ride. The train ride…. What an experience! The group was in one train car and split up into our own ”cabins.” It was awful. Long, dirty, and the toilet was a hole straight down to the tracks!

May 13 – Train & Chongqing – Day 6

We were on the gross train all day! Let’s just say it was an experience. Finally arrived in Chongqing at 5pm in the evening to what my notes say the “dirtiest city ever.” Took a tour bus to the highest point of the city and could see tables from the bus of raw meat with bugs all over it… gross! At the top of the mountain we saw a map for the dam they were going to build in the Yangtse River. Checked in to the Chongqing Guest House Hotel – not the nicest of the trip but working bathrooms and a shower! The group dinner that night was at the Hot Pot. The dinner was good and the buffet included a variety of foods such as brain, blood curd and chicken feet! Some students were brave and tried many things including the hot pot liquid!

May 14 – Yangtse Cruise – Day 7

Another early morning to catch a bus to the boat. Boarded the Yangtse Cruiser, which would be our home for the next few days. Our lunch that day was a preview of the same meal we’d eat during our time on the ship. That afternoon a few of us watched a Chicago Bulls game in our rooms. A surprise to watch that in the middle of China. Our first stop was to the Ghost City. It included lots statues and superstitions like trying to run up the steps without taking a breath. After we went to an acrobat show and sat on tiny chairs. It was a fun show. Back on the boat we went to the Captain’s cocktail hour, group dinner, celebrated a birthday, karaoke, attempted to view stars on the deck but couldn’t due to the terrible pollution and more.

May 15 – Yangtse Cruise – Day 8

Visited White King City and got our first view of the gorges. After lunch of the same food, we all put on life jackets for the small boat tour through the lesser of the three gorges. The small boat was quite an adventure and felt like it was going to fall apart a few times going over rocks. Lots of beautiful scenery and we were all glad to get back on the ship. Group dinner and another fun night on the cruiser. I think it was Anita whose splendid rendition of “I just called to say I love you” still warms my memories of the Yangtze cruise.

May 16 – Yangtse Cruise and Wuhan – Day 9

In the morning, we got to see the dam they were building as well as went through the locks. A few took “titanic” pictures on the front of the boat (it was the big movie in 1998). We had a farewell lunch on the boat and also received free shirts and shots with the captain. Once off the boat we boarded a bus for a three-hour trip to Wuhan. When we arrived in Wuhan we saw many familiar restaurants on our way to the hotel – McDonalds, KFC and more. We checked into the Changhai Hotel and several of us ran a few blocks to McDonald’s!! After that we walked around and explored markets. Some of us bought Budweiser because they had a brewery in Wuhan.

May 17 – ANOTHER overnight Train Ride – Day 10

Up again early for breakfast. Stopped at a store for more food for the train – ramen, water and chips ahoy! Boarded the train at 10am. The train was much cleaner than the last one and had a regular toilet. We all rested on this leg of the trip.

May 18 – Shanghai – Day 11

The train arrived in Shanghai at 7:30am. We got off the train and ate breakfast at our hotel the Jin Jiang Tower. A few of us went to KFC. We then visited an art museum. Later in the day we met Omar who was an IWU alum who was running a chicken feed plant for Cargill in Shanghai. We checked out the Shanghai waterfront, enjoyed ice cream bars and even took a fun “Charlies Angels” picture. Later we visited the Friendship Store, something Hoyt mentioned a lot in marketing class. After we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Dinner that evening was at the Gap with most of the group, Hoyt, Jin and Omar and Tuan from IWU. The entire group went to an acrobat show after dinner which was awesome. To end the night, Omar and Tuan took out a group of us to an English bar and a disco.

May 19 – Shanghai – Day 12

After breakfast, we all visited the Jade Buddha Temple. We then went to Nanjing Road, which was similar to 5^th Ave in NYC. Lunch at the Hard Rock Café! Dr Jin showed us the building where he grew up, which was near the Hard Rock. Next we went to a garden which was neat to see in the middle of the city, another market and then the Children’s Palace. We all enjoyed the palace and took lots of pictures of the cute kids. That evening the group went to dinner with Steve and son who were also from Bloomington.

May 20 – Beijing – Day 13

Up early for breakfast and headed to the airport. Two hour flight to Beijing. Once safely in Beijing we met our tour guide for the new few days. (Note – each city we had a new tour guide. Lee was our tour guide that traveled with us the entire trip). Checked into the Landmark Hotel which had a Hard Rock Café on the main floor. We visited the Temple of Heaven. Some of the group went to a Korean dinner and others to bed early. It’d been a long few days.

May 21 – Beijing – Day 14

Breakfast and then off to explore. Our first stop was to Tiananmen Square. We got a group IWU photo on the edge of the square and in front of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the next stop and was amazing. Lunch at McDonald’s and more shopping at the local markets and stores. It was a game for the group to see who could get the best deals… and some the most stuff –

Dr. Jin, “I need one more cricket shirt”

Mahesh! That evening the group went to dinner and we all celebrated Dr Jin’s birthday! We celebrated a few birthdays during the trip.

May 22 – Beijing and the Great Wall of China – Day 15

After breakfast, we headed out to visit a pottery shop, the Ming Tombs, and a friendship store for lunch. Then off to the Great Wall of China! This was a highlight of the trip for all. We took an IWU picture of the group on the wall. Lots of walking and climbing – didn’t realize how steep it was in some areas. Lots of fun pictures taken with the group. After several hours we headed back to Beijing. Such an amazing part of the trip. Later that evening, several of the group went to the Hard Rock for dinner and dancing.

May 23 – Beijing – Day 16

Today was the last full day in China. What an unforgettable trip for the entire group! Visited the Beijing Zoo to see the pandas. After we went to the Summer Palace. We all did more shopping – including several of us buying the singing Mao lighters, beanie babies, visiting a silk market, the friendship store and more. That evening the group all went to our farewell dinner and enjoyed Pekin Duck. We had our last group meeting of the trip and talked about what it meant to all of us. Back to the hotel to stuff our suitcases with all of our souvenirs…

May 24 – Heading Home – Day 17

We were all up early to start the long journey home ☹. Hoyt had already left the group as he was staying for 10 more days. Jin and Lee (our guide for the trip) took all of us to the airport. Dr Jin looked very worried leaving us (he was staying in China). One of the students on the trip was taking several swords onto the plane in the cabin (can you imagine now?) and others were taking many beanie babies (they were hot back in the US and one student maybe had a suitcase full?). We safely made it to Seoul and after talking in the airport, the 17 IWU students boarded the plane for the long flight back to O’Hare. What an unforgettable trip. Thank you to our IWU professors for making it such a great trip and one that many of us still talk about over 25 years later!!