Living the good life in Vegas!
Suite at the Venetian, all expenses paid! This is the life!
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Hi, I'm Shannon. I'm into travel, technology and general debauchery. Join my hijinx in India here...
La Fonda hotel, New Mexico
Hotel apparently named after Napoleon Dynamite's bro's Internet girlfriend. Stayed there this weekend - it's nice!0
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Highlights from Hong Kong
We got back from a 5 day visit to Hong Kong on Wednesday. What a great trip! Hong Kong was everything I expected -- hot, bustling, modern -- and more. Here are my top highlights:
- The commuter escalators on Queen's Road. Commuters can take a mile long escalator from their apartments down to the Central district. I don't know why this hasn't been explored in the US as a transportation/energy solution.
- Foot rub at Happy Feet. After a 50 minute reflexology foot massage, I was literally walking on air.
- Late lunch specials. 3 p.m. seems to be the earliest Pratap and I can make it to a meal anyway, so it was perfect that tons of HK restaurants offer lunch and coffee deals in the afternoon.
- Awesome views. Tons of hills, water and tall skyscrapers made for some amazingly scenic views. We took a cab up to The Peak and then took the tram on the way down -- saving us hours of waiting in a long tourist line.
- Sushi. OK this isn't really the local cuisine but the fish was incredibly fresh, and after a month without it in India just having sushi makes the list!
- Hong Kong Museum of History. The history of Hong Kong is fascinating and sad. The Opium Wars - that is messed up!
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Hong Kong V. Hyderabad
While visiting my friend Stephanie in Hong Kong this weekend, she asked, "So do you have any hiking trails in Hyderabad?"
"Hiking trails?" I replied. "We don't even have sidewalks!"
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Happy Diwali!
The office is all decked out for Diwali! Looking forward to a great long weekend - we'll be celebrating in Hong Kong. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get back next week.
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Life after Tech
I just finished this amazing book by John Wood, "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World." John writes about leaving Microsoft after ten years to devote his life to building libraries in countries like Nepal. He used some of the lessons he's learned in the for-profit world to aggressively scale his organization. He worked quickly to expand his non-profit Room to Read into countries like India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as build schools and fund education scholarships for girls. This is definitely one of the most inspiring books I have read in a long time.
As Wood said, "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, 'If all the musicians in the world played this piece simultaneously, the planet would go off its axis.' This is how I feel about education for the children of the developing world."
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Banana Flowers
Fresh from the farm!
There are so many fresh fruits here it is amazing. My new favorite is the custard apple -- it looks like an artichoke on the outside, but you break it open and on the inside are tons of small edible bubbles, complete with seeds and a lichi-like flavor. Delicious!
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