Americas in 71 days - Peru

Following Inca Trails in Peru

Exec Summary

Peru can get very touristic. You can witness funny moments where natives on floating Titicaca islands demonstrate chewing stems of giant grass while 30 tourists eagerly snap pictures. Still, there are many good reasons why tourists get here. A day on Machu Picchu was magical as was our trip to Amazon. Sleeping in jungle lodges without electricity while counting seconds between lightning & thunder, drinking from lianas, spotting capybaras, flashing monkeys and annoying alligators were well worth the trip. 

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Bivaking on Buses

We would never thought of remembering Peru for what likely qualifies as the biggest portable fridge in the world. It was our overnight bus to Cuzco. I believe I woke up with a frosting on my face, unsure if I can still move my legs. Although the bus attendant was saying something about broken aircon, the buses here do get ridiculously cold also due to altitude of ~4,000m (~13,000ft). In Latin America, they divide buses into two key groups – camas and semi-camas. You ideally want to pick camas, as their service is often on par with a business-class flight. But sometimes, you simply don’t have a choice. Needless to say, our gear for further overnight bus rides on semi-camas reminded rather bivaking expeditions the civil traveling.

Foursome Incident

On accommodation front, we run extremes. One day we stay in the cheapest hostels often without private bathroom, the next in Sheraton suites waving my platinum club card (a very convenient perk from McKinsey times). While cheap hostel rooms help us truly appreciate 5-star comfort of Sheraton, they do have couple drawbacks - one of them is sound-insulation. Genius architect of our hostel room in Cuzco had an innovative idea of separating the adjacent rooms just via a built-in cupboard. Closing the cupboard doors prevented from basically hearing people breathing nextdoor. One night we came home firmly believing our neighbours left. After several-day starvation, we readily engaged into “related activities” with complementary sound effects. Our late-night performance stopped only after we saw the neighbour’s lights turning on through the open cupboard accompanied by mumbling that did not exactly sound like cheering ;)

Real Death Road

After rubbing elbows with hundreds of tourist on impressive yet a bit crowded Machu Picchu, we wanted to try something off-the-beaten trek. We decided, a trip to Amazon jungle in Manu would do. As usually, my Scottish frugality voted for a 12-hour minibus option over a flight. Our “Death-Road” adrenaline down-hill on mountain bikes in Bolivia turned out to be a breathe compared to this heart-stopping kamikaze drive. The Manu agent clearly forgot to mention minor facts like never-ending landslides, trucks stuck in mud and kilometer-deep abysses decorated by numerous RIP crosses. As a bonus on our way back, the driver who drove the whole previous night was falling asleep exactly in parts with the highest cliffs. As we were not too eager to experiment with bungee jumps without rope, we immediately took several precautions. Other than me almost killing the driver, river bath combined with caffeination and organizing “Eurovision” minibus competition in singing national songs did the trick.

 

Piggy Doggie

On the way to Amazon jungle, we stopped at the house where we found a team of well-synchronized pets. We were greeted by a beautiful yet angry parrot who did not seem to like us interrupting his afternoon siesta - clearly demonstrated by nagging us around the backyard while pinching our shoes. He was followed by a little super-cute wild pig, which acted exactly like a little dog. After vacuuming our feet and turning on his back, demanding belly rubbing, he started to chase cats. Both parties seamed to enjoy this game, though the cats appeared to be caught a bit off-guard once this Pluto started to throw them in the air with his nose.

Americas in 71 days - Galapagos

Galapagos – Back to Nature

Exec Summary

Galapagos islands, the place that inspired Darwin to come up with the evolution theory, is likely going to be the highlight of our 71-day trip. Almost 2 weeks of sailing on a lovely catamaran, exploring stunning islands, diving with seals, sharks and penguins while feeling like a photographer for National Geographic. :)


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Thorough Preservation

Galapagos take your breath away. Before that custom officers take away from your luggage any food that may contain seeds not native to Galapagos. Ecuadorians take protecting Galapagos very seriously and so far they have been quite successful considering 160k visitors last year. They are even eradicating some animals and plants that have been previously introduced here by humans. You quickly learn that almost every other species here is endemic – i.e. only present here. My whole Galapagos experience was dramatically enhanced by insightful commentaries of Klara who is a keen biologist and environmentalist (sometimes almost too keen J)

I Love Boobies
eru - that custom officers take away all your seedsAmerica and US can easily to miss your flight on Friday afternoon. a month a by  

Good chance for this champ :)

Likely not much action ahead :(

To protect my ever balder head J, I bought a hat here that reads “I love boobies”. Though also true, this time, it is not so much about human anatomy but rather biology. Blue-footed boobies are super-cute white-grey birds whose strikingly bright-blue feet demonstrate how well nourished/fit they are. During the mating period, the males are patiently waiting on the ground showing off their blue feet while females fly around and pick. The bluer the feet of a male, the greater his chance to have some action with the girls.

Diving and Meeting the Highness Lonesome George

Diving on Galapagos is one of the best in the world. Not so much for corals which you should rather see in Red Sea or Caribbean, but for the animals. There are not too many places where you can dive into caves with sharks, pet turtles, chase rays or annoy lobsters in one dive. Klara has managed to get her scuba diving license in 2 days and we had a couple unforgettable dives together. We also made friends with owners of a local scuba diving school who took us inland to see giant turtles - some live up to 200 years and weight over 300 kg. We have also seen a local celebrity “Lonesome George” who is the last living member of his turtle tribe – that’s where the “lonesome” comes from. There is likely a good reason why his family is dying out – he is told not to be friendly with anybody except a guy who feeds him for past 20 years. Recently he also got a company of 2 turtle ladies though with not many tangible results yet.

Sailing Again

Despite the challenges of Caribbean sailing I wrote about in the previous blog, Klara charmed me into another one on Galapagos. It turned out to be half the price and at least twice as much fun. Only about 20 people aboard on a lovely catamaran, pretty much everybody international and under 35. We got a nice captain’s cabin, but clearly not everybody was as lucky. A Dutch couple learned a meaning of a term “economic cruise” the hard way. Their cabin leaked the first night during a storm to the point they even tried sleeping in the shower - which – not surprisingly did not work too well. We also met here a crazy German girl who had a talent to become missing after just walking down the beach – because she “did not feel like turning back” she walked for 2 days, drank rain water from leaves and ended up in hospital due to dehydration. However, for all of us, the 5 day sailing around Galapagos islands was stunning – unforgettable landscapes, myriad of animals and 2x daily snorkeling that beats most of dives elsewhere.

Tame Animals

The animals and birds here are so tame that you can take photos almost touching them with your lenses. Interestingly, 30-40 years back, when hunters were still after the seals, visitors had about 5 seconds to take pictures before the seals spotted them and ran away to the sea. It took generations after the hunting seized for seals to get friendly. Apparently, their tameness took on special dimension - the seals now even penetrate towns. They were lying all over the ferry terminal including the benches for passengers when we arrived. Passing became a challenge for several travelers as the seals in a pack became quite territorial. Eventually, a 2m/120kg brave local guy pushed his way through while shouting and waiving his cap heavily, dramatically increasing chances for others to get to their boats.

Spanish Gurus

Unlike most other travelers here, to this date, our Spanish skills are pathetic. Other than learning numbers, we really don’t speak much which sometimes results in somewhat awkward situations. Clearly after couple weeks, Klara has felt that she has picked up the lingo. Last night, to my surprise, she confidently stepped forward to help my struggling conversation with an old hostel owner. After Klara’s “free habitation agreemento” intervention, the lady looked more puzzled than a dear in the headlights. After trying hard for couple more minutes, we eventually capitulated with combination of polite smiles, diligent nodding and “manana” (tomorrow) keyword.

Americas in 71 days - Caribbean

DRIFTING IN CARIBBEAN, RACING IN BOGOTA

Exec Summary

This year, Klara and I are a bit lucky to have 10 weeks for travelling in Americas. Starting with Caribbean through Colombia, Galapagos, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, finishing with Portland, Seattle, NYC and 5-year HBS reunion in Boston. Despite some challenges, our first 2 weeks in Caribbean have been unforgettable - sailing on a two-mast sailboat, staring at stars during nights, fluorescent Bio Bay, and horse riding on the beaches. So far so good. J

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Bio Bay in Puerto Rico

We started our 71 day Latin-American trip with chilling couple days in Puerto Rico. It has a very addictive combination of comfortable US infrastructure coupled with super-relaxed latino style. We did nothing else but sleeping and related activities, enjoying lovely beaches and experimenting with all kinds of fantastic local food and cocktails. 

On day 5, Klara convinced me that we should get out of San Juan’s decadent rhythm. The Kia we rented reminded me of the ad for the latest Volkswagen Beatle “0-100km/h? --- Yes”. Except in this case I would modestly suggest “Maybe” – if you really push it hard. Still, swimming in jungle waterfalls and night kayaking in fluorescent Bio Bay – one of 5 such places in the world – was well worth it. The fluorescent blue-ish light around the paddle or a hand when you move it under water is a result of microorganisms trying to distract their predators. Not sure if effective, but definitely very surreal.

Caribbean Sailing Challenges and Rewards

After our stay in Puerto Rico, we boarded a lovely 2-mast sailboat Arabella together with ~30 people in St. Thomas for a romantic sail around Caribbean islands. To our surprise, the boarding felt like signing up for a  retirement facility in Florida – almost all of our sail-mates were over 60 and Americans – what a combination ;). Apparently, my freshly shaved head, U-tshirt and Eastern-European accent did not make much impression either – I have overheard a puzzled conversation about “who is this Russian mafia guy” J

Then another challenge struck. I figured my body is not exactly friends with bouncy rhythm of the boat. What started as an 18-hour sleep day on day 1 (I later learned one of the sings of sea sickness), culminated with unloading my heavy breakfast in three rounds on day 2 during a storm. Fortunately, lovely snorkeling, horse-riding on beaches, nights we slept outside with unforgettable star views and complimentary Champaign to celebrate Klara’s 30th bday have more than made up for the challenges above.

Racing in Bogota

From Caribbean, we moved to Bogota. The city underperformed my high expectations potentially also due to still feeling dizzy from the sailing. Although we did enjoy a recommended cable car trip to the overlooking Monseratti hill, the highlight of Bogota was our taxi ride to the airport. We were shocked to find out that taxi drivers refuse to go to Aeroporto during Friday afternoon.  We eventually found one good man, who after a good deal persuasion and doubling the fee was willing to go. After we took on the airport direction, we started to understand. The traffic just did not move. I guess similarly to Moscow, Bogota is one of a few cities where you can easily miss your flight despite a generous time plan – especially on Friday afternoon. We caught ours only thanks to Pedro’s knowledge of back streets, Schumacher speed and ridiculously assertive driving skills confirmed with his happy grin after each “victory”.  He showed us a completely new face to so-much underestimated Kia.

Prague Post (2006-2010)

PRAGUE POST #1


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Things are going great on all fronts. Ingrid & I nicely settled down in Prague, McKinsey job is in line with expectations and our shirt business is moving forward too. I am reliving HBS times via my brother Milan who is now getting his MBA at INSEAD.

BACK TO PRAGUE - APARTMENT
I did my best to apply learnings from HBS operations course and got us an apartment in the very center, 50m (yards) from McKinsey building. Anything closer to the office would have to be a conference room. I chose our place over really cool apartments like the one right on the Old Town Square in the 14th century Tynsky Temple, but so far, optimizing logistics pays off big time.
All of 3 bedrooms have castle view. You are very much welcomed to visit. However, I have to worn you that a smashing Russian commando will spend New Year's Eve party in our apartment so you should hurry up if you care about the ambience. ;-)

MCKINSEY
Procter & Gamble used to be pretty secretive, but after I read my McKinsey confidentiality contract, I am not even sure I can say that I work here ;-). That said, caliber of partners, structured thinking, excellent systems and fast pace reassured me that I will have a pretty steep learning for a couple of years. Importantly, I like impact and these guys seem to be pretty serious about it. They are also pretty serious about putting in the hours - my boss is supposed to be part-time and we already pulled some 80+ hour weeks which makes me wonder what the full time looks like. Still the weekends are free so far, so no complains.

FAMILY
Both Ingrid & my brother Milan were promoted to Associate Director at Deloitte Financial Advisory in Slovakia. Ingrid started a Central-European/US project with US Steal. However, so far, she has spent every weekend in Prague so on the time spent together, we are indexing about 350 vs. year ago when she was in London and I was at HBS. We have great time in Prague including ski weekends in Austria and family weekends in Slovakia.
Milan is enjoying his time at INSEAD. Our parties at HBS were pretty good, but INSEAD guys seam to do at least as well - at minimum in marketing them. Check out some of their self-made promotion videos www.villecerf.com/ video.html or www.montmelian.org/ - the video link is under the pics on the party homepage. I am not sure if they have time left for anything else, but Milan fortunately already managed to get a nice PE job in London also thanks to advise from some of you (thanks Stefan & Brian).

ERGONI.COM SHIRTS
We reached an important milestone. Finally we have more customers than founding partners ;-). Marc Lau & I have spent half of the summer in Bombay. It is going slowly (there are only so many hours left after 70-80 hour weeks) but it is going & we are still pretty excited about it. The quality of our shirts finally reached a level at which we are happy to roll out. If you want to have a laugh, you can go to www.ergoni.com. We will soon have a new look of the website, so don't laugh too hard. Although funny-looking, the website is functional and US-based brave guys (we only ship to US/UK/Czech/Slovak so far) can order a shirt – we have a coupon "friend" which will get you down to $29 dollars for the first shirt. Please don't order more than one shirt for your & our safety (seriously). Also, for a moment, please DON'T pass this link – we are still in a testing phase.


PRAGUE POST #2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Single again, I am increasingly enjoying Prague and McKinsey. When time left, I enjoy challenges of a new bachelor life, work on Ergoni, do mentoring, salsa and play accordion.

BACHELORHOOD
The toughest and at the same time the important decision of last year was becoming single again. Although, I believe Ingrid is a great person and I still miss her, I am convinced that each of us is better off on our own. I also have to admit that I do enjoy bachelorhood with new challenges it brings.

McKINSEY
I am increasingly enjoying McKinsey. Although there is no time left on week-days for private life, weekends are mostly free. Importantly, I feel I am learning, which is always a good sign ;). I published my first article in Euro (Economist of Czech Republic ;-) on pricing and I am looking into opportunities in PE practice within McKinsey. Although PE is becoming tougher place to be in, I would like to stay close to it. What really strikes me about PE vs. public companies is superior value-add from active/rigorous ownership and long-term focus. McKinsey does both strategic due diligence (2-3 weeks target company evaluation) and 100-day studies (first 100-day strategy for a newly-acquired company).

ERGONI
Though we have almost no time left for it, Ergoni is slowly getting better and better. Make sure you visit www.ergoni.com improved quality greatly and have amazing non-iron shirts by now – Brooks Brother fabrics made to measure with personalized label at hard to beat price of $39 (for you $29 with the "friend" coupon). The order takes 3 minutes and my personal guarantee you will LOVE the quality and fit of your new Ergoni shirt. ;-)

MENTORING, MUSIC, SALSA
After finishing INSEAD, my brother Milan has started with Advent - Private Equity shop here in Prague. It is great to have him around after years of being apart. We have started a small scholarship and mentoring at our alma mater City University in Slovakia. I also mentor couple of talented guys here in Prague which I find quite fulfilling.
I still play accordion when time allows. My last performance on McKinsey retreat was in front of ~500 people. It was pretty international - Slovak representing Czech office with a German guy representing Hungarian office, singing and playing Slovak folk songs together in Crete. Of course, I had my special Slovak folk costume on and of course it was a big success J. I bet Slota - a crazy leader of Slovak National Party – would be proud of me ;-)
Talking music, I also started dancing Salsa with private trainer – Angolan guy who is an amazing dancer. After a month of training, my friend and I went to Salsa club. Seeing all those pros on the dance floor, it took a lot of our trainer's pep talk and quite a few drinks to start dancing. I noticed quite a few mathematician-type freaks dance salsa because once you learn the moves, it can partially cover your deficit in dancing talent. So I guess it might be the right place for me. ;-)

CZECHO-SLOVAK ADRENALINE CRAZE
I have to attach video of these two Czech maniacs, who decided to ski down the second highest peak of Slovakia. Tomas Kraus, the world champ in ski cross, made a bet afterwards that he can do the same thing in summer without snow too. The result is this crazy video which is now also featured on Nike global extreme site. I will have to learn some tricks from these guys. I was writing these lines in Solden, where I managed to twist my right shoulder – on the same slope I dislocated my left shoulder last year- to note I am skiing on snow ;-)
http://xman.idnes.cz/video-jak-sjel-kraus-lomnicak-bez-snehu-d9d-/xman-adrenalin.asp?c=A071025_132305_xman-adrenalin_ptp
Last but not least, I really love to live in Prague - glamorous city you should consider visiting. Last year I had over 40 visitors who stayed at my place, so I guess I qualify as an experienced Prague guide by now.




PRAGUE POST #3



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Still alive and kicking (kickboxing too :), I have had a fantastic last year both on and off-the-job. Got promoted in November to an engagement manager, enjoyed mentoring young talents, getting active in Prague Harvard club, playing accordion, and facing pleasures of a single life. I just returned from an amazing month road trip in Middle East - enjoying my 3 months off. Life is great! :)


McKINSEY
I am enjoying McKinsey increasingly more - especially now on 3-month leave of absence :))) As an engagement manager leading small team, it is even much more fun than ever before. I also enjoyed getting into PE commercial due diligence projects as they do give a high-level investor look at the business that I was missing before. I should be finishing my 1-year PE rotation soon, but would like to further focus on PE and consumer goods/marketing.


MENTORING AND HARVARD CLUB
As I believe in multiplication effect, I truly enjoy mentoring young talents in my region. This includes helping them to get into HBS and INSEAD or providing financial support via joint scholarship with my bro at our alma mater in Slovakia. I am already now looking forward to teaching when I retire as this is one of the things I have a lot of passion for.
Over the last year, I got quite involved in organizing events for Harvard Club in Prague where I serve on the board. Apart from getting to know great people locally, we did some cool events like HBS Centennial lecture in Prague or Harvard/INSEAD sushi extravaganza where we made an elementary mistake of competing with INSEAD folks in karaoke with quite catastrophic results. What shall I say; the next event will be probably with Columbia. :)


ACCORDION
I must have been a gypsy in my previous life as I can’t get enough of playing gypsy songs. What’s worse, I not only play but also sing them. Security guide got so alarmed during my recent singing performance in McKinsey garage that he came horrified to check who was attacked :) Music fascinates me so much that I even started playing from music sheets again after 15 years to learn tango from Al Pacino's Scent of Woman - Por Una Cabeza. I love it. When I grow up, I am going to play like this lil girl - Libertango that she plays will still take a bit of time to learn though :)
link (there are better players but she looks better than most ;-)


SINGLE LIFE
Looking back, although thoroughly enjoying it, I might have spent a bit too much time on challenges of single life this year. Other that I organized a couple of crazy-wild parties (including stag party for HBS buddies), I cannot write too much about it. ;-))) Perhaps, only that after 2 wild years, I plan spending less time on this and maybe even getting a bit more serious in the coming years. We shall see. ;-)


ROAD TRIP TO MIDDLE EAST

As EM job is all-consuming, I took 3-month (March-May ‘09) leave-of-absence from McKinsey to do things I always wanted to do - including a road trip to Middle East. Originally, I did it mostly for my mom, as she loved the previous trips to Asia and Central America, but I was surprised how refreshing this experience was to me.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/MiddleEast#

Visiting 7 new countries and driving total of ~10,000km was demanding but surely worth it. I will never forget floating like a cork in Dead Sea, riding a camel in Wadi Rum desert, diving in Red Sea, puffing water pipe in laid-back Damascus, climbing stunning rocks of Petra in Jordan, getting ankles wet in natural Pamukkale spas or staying in limestone caves of Goreme in Turkey. Each of these experiences took my breath away. But most importantly, I will remember warm-hearted people who stunned me with their hospitality as well as love for life and changed my view of Arab people forever.

I have visited over 50 countries by now, but I have never witnessed anything like the ultimate shopping of Istanbul Grand Bazaar with over 4000 shops and sales guys who could give negotiation lessons at HBS. They can pretend heart attack without a blink of an eye and don’t hesitate to call in parents when times get tough. Needless to say, I have spent over $5000 on shopping and had to put down back-seats of my Audi wagon to be able to drive it all home. ;-)


5 THINGS I LOVED
Here are couple of things I loved this year that you might enjoy too:
• Brian Tracy: Eat That Frog (audiobook about importance of discipline and prioritizing)
• Modigliani (movie about passion and the biggest rival of Picasso)
• Mongol (movie about facing adversity)
• No excuse breakdancing
• Wingsuit adrenaline diving


PRAGUE
Nobody knows how long I will still stay here, so guys please come and take advantage of central 3-bedroom with castle views and if-nothing-else at least an experienced guide by now (close to 100 visitors over past 3 years). You will fall in love with this magical city - personal guarantees ;-)

Harvard Express (2004-2006)

Harvard Express #1

Executive Summary
Harvard is impressive! Probably the best analogy describing my feelings is Alice in Wonderland. It is difficult to find words to express how happy & honored I am to be here. I have no doubt it will skyrocket my learning curve, which I felt was flattening, both personally and professionally.

Students
44 international students in the Pre-MBA (a 1-month preparation course) are amazing. These prides of their nations range from concert level pianists, champions and black belts in martial arts to sky divers. We also have top-gun pilots, mangers of theatres, charity specialists, Silicon-Valley engineers… the diversity is stunning. Most importantly, though very successful, overwhelming majority of these folks is very humble and supportive and definitely not living up to the cut-throat myth of Harvard Business School (HBS).

International Cultures
Getting to know the cultures is also very enriching. So far, my best friends are Japanese, Russians and Latin Americans. (Americans are not a part of Pre-MBA so let’s see once they come in.) I also learned why “ruske koleso” is called after Russians. Last Friday, when got smashed from Smirnoff Vodka, Russian guys suddenly started to do Russian wheels on the street to a great surprise of passing pedestrians. 

Learning & Case Method
I have to say my initial skepticism towards learning at HBS was shattered by experience of the first 20 cases. Although initially pretty intimidating, the case method is a fantastic way to learn. Unlike lecture, it prepares you for real business. You learn how to speak in front of big audience and learn by doing rather than just listening. It also challenges you to the bone to crack the case. Importantly, a professor is only a “conductor carrying a chalk” as one of them puts it. “Students are the ones who play instruments”. Of course, professors add a lot of value often via just a couple of words, but still the show is with the students. Professors acts only as catalysts of the discussion. We learn great deal from each other in the classroom & outside. Yesterday, we had a “private case study” about male vs female POV difference in a relationships and unfaithfulness from midnight to 4am (proudly sponsored by Budweiser & Smirnoff :-)
I am sure that after more than 500 cases (and many more private ones), which we will cover over the next two year, we will have developed a “brain muscle” which will help us big time once we go back to business and life. What will also definitely help in future is getting used to working 16-18 hours a day.

Professors
The professors are terrific! They include Chief Development Officer of Morgan Stanley Group, a founder and CEO of Mercer Management Consulting or a president in Fidelity Investments managing $500 billion in assets. These guys know what they are talking about. Most importantly, they are extremely approachable and one can feel they truly love teaching and students. The opportunities are enormous!

Campus
Beautiful old-English style of HBS coupled with presence of young energetic people creates very pleasant environment you want to stay in. Right now I am typing these lines in a beautiful lobby of Spangler building which looks like those of top five-star hotels (well eventually I pay more than for a five-star hotel :-). We have several tennis courts, squash, good-quality gym, sauna and all other sport stuff available. The only tough challenge is to find time for it on a regular basis.

American Culture
I cannot omit my first touches with American culture. The most striking thing for me is number of seals and whales in the streets. I mean by this a number of so perversely fat Americans that I can hardly imagine these guys originated from the same mankind. I believe their extreme obesity is a product of i) car society ii) big portion in restaurants and fast food iii) double sugar-per-capita consumption vs. Europe, but most importantly iv) lack of discipline. Not surprisingly, I have not seen truly fat person at HBS. The second thing, which surprised me, is how considerate people in Boston are. They apologize for just about anything, including a situation when you hit them with your trolley in a supermarket.

Please come and visit!
We have rented a large 3 room apartment 10 minutes from HBS so you are all welcomed to visit us as of September! I also bought a car which I always wanted (Audi A6 Quattro 2.8 Wagon) so we are fully equipped to take care if you decide to stop by. I promise that it will be definitely worth it. I am thinking of you often.


Harvard Express #2


Executive Summary
They still did not kick me out from this fascinating place & I love it more & more. The learning is huge both in & outside of the classroom. By now, I am convinced I want to have my own business in the long term. American culture still keeps me busy, but I started to be very active in telling others about Slovakia as well. We had our first guinny-pig visitor Vilo who managed to survive (followed by several others), so I hope to see more of you here in the near future. Last but not least, Ingrid got a job offer from Deloitte Consulting in Boston which means I will need to start to take care of myself as of late winter.

Learning
I already wrote about enormous learning in the classes with the case method. That has not changed. We already covered well over 150 cases by now and the pace is scary. On top, there are presentations going on campus which are also great learning experience. AG Lafley (CEO of P&G) and 4 other HBS-alumni CEOs were here to solve the case together with students. Although I might be biased, I believe Lafley was by far the best. It was unforgettable experience.
Also Warren Buffet, famous investor and the 2nd richest person in the world, had a presentation this week. He is such a humble person with a great sense of humor. Besides other things, Buffet was supporting Kerry in the elections. He gave this picture when asked how a fair society should look like: “Imagine that you are 24 hours before being born. Angel comes to you and tells you that you have a power to design the world which you are going to be born into. However, you will have NO power over how you will be born to that world: smart or stupid, rich or poor, straight or gay, in USA or Bangladesh, healthy or handicapped… How would you design it then?” I believe it is very eye-opening.
I have been on numerous presentations of successful entrepreneurs. They include people who started from zero and ended up as a diamond millionaire who branded this commodity or a band manager who put together Backstreet Boys or NSYNC. I am totally fascinated by their passion, determination, persistence and talent. I know that for each one of them there are hundreds of those who failed. Still, I am convinced that this is the area where I want to eventually end up.

American Culture
I had further touches with American culture. Presidential Elections was one of them. It is interesting that elections were getting even into movies – Fahrenheit 9/11. Pretty much one-sided democratic promotion, yet probably very effective way to hit some of the fanatic republican heads. Apparently, not effective enough ;)
Sport is another aspect of American culture which caught me unprepared. Boston Red Sox - baseball team won the US league after more than 80 years. Red Sox are worshiped probably ten times as much as Slovak hockey players after winning the world Championship in 2002. The trouble was that not only did I not know any of the players but also I lacked knowledge of the basic rules. Fortunately, my American friends Steve and Eric visited on that crucial weekend and gave me emergency baseball lessons so that I could have a conversation with Americans around me those days ;). People here were crazy about Red Sox even before they got to final. Even on a regular day, people wear their T-shirts, hats, jackets, watches & I bet also bikinis and boxers. What is unbelievably strange to me, they express identity to Red Sox in their personal introductions. Another interesting piece is that Americans call their baseball play-off “World Series” even though they have only American teams in the league.

Priscilla Ball
HBS is boasting that its MBA is transformational experience i.e. that you became fundamentally different person by the time of graduation. Now, I came to understand why. Two weeks ago I have done something I could hardly imagine I would ever do. I dressed myself in a dirty-short skirt, leopard stockings, I have put on makeup, high heels and rolled to Priscilla Ball – HBS wildest party where males dress like women and females dress like sluts. Guys, you can imagine I enjoyed the second part, but the first one was really painful. Anyhow, I have never experienced a party like that. Guys in latex or in nurse dresses, some on the leash in the hands of a girl dressed just in the underwear, tons of drinks… Even otherwise polished Americans became pretty wild…

International Experience
I am promoting Slovakia at every opportunity. It is not easy, but after dreadful push, I finally achieved that they do not mix Slovakia with Slovenia.  :)
I had a premiere performance at Italian/Brazilian wedding of my classmate Michele, where I played accordion and sang my favorite Slovak folk songs in a traditional Slovak dress.
There was also a huge international fair at HBS last Friday. Approximately quarter of the class came to school in national dress. First, I won our section competition for the best folk costume. Then, I represented our section in the entire HBS competition, which I also won beating number of great Latin American and Asian costumes in the semifinal and fantastic Persian costume in the final. I played accordion in the final, which really helped. I also built Slovak stand for the first time in HBS history and allowed Czechs who did not have their own stand to draw Prague on my map ;-) As a result, they write about Slovakia even in Japan J
http://hbslife.exblog.jp/m2004-10-01#675219 (scroll down for the pictures)

The international fair was amazing. There are over 60 different nationalities in the 2006 class and there were over 20 great stands with multimedia presentations and number of people eager to tell you about their great country. There were also country performances by students including funny Asian instruments, African Drums and unforgettable Brazilian mix of dance & martial art called Capoeira. One could also try different national cuisines and alcohol which, as you know me, I truly took advantage of ;-).
Next week, I will do a presentation about Slovakia for my section. I promise I will make it unforgettable. BTW, If anybody has some reasonable video of Adriana Sklenarikova or other Slovak beauties (which could be played in classroom ;), I would appreciate it.

Personal
Good news is that Ingrid got an offer from Deloitte & Touche Consulting in Boston. Now they are arranging for her working Visa. If everything goes well, she could start working somewhere after the new year. Bad news is that I will have to start to take care of myself. Ingrid was an unbelievable help during this tough period taking care of virtually everything except for my exams.
Vilo – my good friend and ex-colleague from P&G was our first memorable visitor. It was tough for him because we were in the middle of refurbishing of our flat during his visit so it looked rather like a bunker than a cozy place I pictured in my first email. However, Vilo heroically faced these adverse conditions and even managed to come up with smile after filling his shopping bags with gifts for home (see attached photo). Thanks to Vilo, now - 3 months after coming to Boston, I know how the downtown looks like. Also, after Vilo has left, Ingrid & I took a sight-seeing tour, so that we can say at least a few interesting things about Boston once you come.
I will be in Slovakia (& possibly Budapest) during Dec 24 and Jan 10. I hope to see many of you as I miss you a lot.


Harvard Express #3


Executive Summary
Thanks to HBS and my new friends, I got my dream job – McKisney in Prague starting Sep 2006. This also implies we will be traveling around the world this & next summer and will constantly smile till the end of MBA. In the meantime, Ingrid is playing in HBS musical and makes me gain weight cooking delicious Thai & Indian food. Life is great! :)

Job Search
One of the key reasons people come to HBS is to get a dream job. This means not only inspiring and fun but also lots of $$$ to pay back a thick loan J. HBS is well aware & does a superb job in making sure it happens. The process starts with personality tests (very impressive test is careerleader.com patented by HBS professor and applied across more than 200 top US universities) which matches your interest and skills with industry preferences. Also, each of us has a career coach who advises on career choices, resume, cover letters and interviews. HBS even runs seminars like “How to turn down offers while keeping the door open for future”. The biggest help, however, comes from classmates. I had 8 mock interviews with former BCG/McKinsey consultants before I went to my first real interview.
Originally, I was heavily deciding between US, London and Eastern Europe. Eventually, I went for Eastern Europe as a clear-cut decision based on the following criteria (priority ranked):
1. People/Culture Fit - I plainly did not come to like the US style. I have been to numerous US consulting dinners which I have left with mixed feelings while all Prague people I met were simply great.
2. Career Opportunities - although US economy is doing pretty well recently, CEE is rolling big time
3. Compensation in Purchasing Power Parity - the pay is the same in Prague vs. US resulting in almost double purchasing power (I excluded London for this reason)
I am so happy I got my dream job at McKinsey Prague. It is a company I was admiring for years. I will never forget final-round interviews in Phoenix with Jean-Pascal – Belgian director of the Prague office. He is definitely one of the most impressive people I have ever met. Among other things, he recommended poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling (http://www.swarthmore.edu/~apreset1/docs/if.html) which I believe is definitely worth checking. My McKinsey deal is extra sweet because I locked in full-time job (rarely done at this stage) and negotiated both summers for traveling. So Ingrid & I will most probably do around-the-world trip (Japan, Mongolia, China, Polynesia, New Zeland, Australia… :). We need to start planning fast. Next summer we could go for Latin America if all goes well.
I have also got an offer from Boston Consulting Group in Moscow, but I like #1 too much  :). Also, my recent trip to Moscow reminded me that I might not want to spend too many years of my life there.

Learning
When I saw pile of material I read last semester, I could not believe it: about 4000 pages of A4 format. Learning is still ENORMOUS with a difference that it is not stressful anymore. After being confused with how economy works for years, I finally came to understand it here. This BIGIE course is a masterpiece which nicely connects economics and politics, two things which are hardly possible to understand in separation. But I am also totally absorbed by entrepreneurship, strategy and business ethics courses. After the spring break, we start negotiation – the one I cannot wait to start. I love every day here - I better do, I figured each costs me about $400 ;-)

Ingrid
Ingrid eventually got neither working nor transfer visa so she cannot start her Deloitte job and is staying at home. However, she passed talent tests to “dancing professor” role in HBS show – a musical done by HBS students and partners. They are practicing for 3 hours almost every day. At least that’s what she tells me when I ask where she was J. She also learned how to cook great Thai & Indian. I make her to cook it every day now. Guys, this is something you can truly look forward to once we are back!
Last week we were taking care of our friend’s dog Cobbie – Boston Terrier (pic attached in the next email). He is so ugly that it becomes beautiful. He snores and makes all other funny noises - I have never met a dog like that before. We had so much fun with him. If my future employer saw me playing faces with him or chasing him around the table, the chances are I would need to look for another job J.

Recos
Few recos - things I got addicted to:
1. picasa.com – Google FREE software which will sort for you all your pics & videos on your computer
2. napster.com - $10 month for unlimited download of LEGAL music. It is much better deal than iTunes.com where you pay $1/song, and I believe the only way to fight illegal music.
3. overstock.com – best deals on the net
4. consider multimedia projector instead of giant TV – great quality projectors are now below $1000 in the US – happy to give more advice for interested
We are leaving today for a week to Canada to meet our fiend Tomas who works in Toronto for P&G, check out Niagara Falls, ski in Tremblant, and visit Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa.
Make sure you take the opportunity to visit us, I am truly relaxed, more knowledgeable and Ingrid is a master cook by now :)


Harvard Express #4

This year will be a crucial year for me. I guess for many of you too. I wanted to wish everybody a fantastic 2006 in which some of your dreams come true and other originate.
Take a good care, I will be back in Prague soon - I am starting with McKinsey on September 15.

Executive Summary
Laughing at how first years are trying to impress each other on the corridors, we realize how much we changed since coming to HBS. Yet, I cannot believe we already finished our 3rd semester here. Despite massive work, it was a stunning semester in which I absolutely focused on absorbing knowledge and skills. One reason was Ingrid’s absence, the other realization that there is not much time left. Apart from the amazing classes, a start of an entrepreneurial venture and my 30th birthday party will make me to remember this semester forever.

Home Alone
The big change is that Ingrid landed on a lucrative job with Deloitte in London so poor Rasto is all alone in Boston. After being together for over 2500 hours nonstop during summer, we see each other only bimonthly now. The plan is that she will move to Prague with Deloitte once I am there, but you never know with all those charming English gentlemen around. ;-)
Being alone, I have moved to a bit claustrophobic dorm which is about the size of the bathroom in our old apartment. However, the decisive benefits were money and proximity to school. I keep reminding myself that compared to the matchbox hotel room in Chunking Mansions of Hong Kong, this truly feels like a spacious suite in the end.

Elective System in 2nd Year
The other big change in the second year is that we are no longer in the same sections. While in the first year, everybody goes through the same classes, in the second year we only take electives. The benefits are twofold: you take classes which you are interested in, and you meet much more people because every class is pretty much with a different group of 90 people. Also, we were all surprised how much work still waited for us in the second year. I work at least as much as in the first year only getting max 5-6 hours of sleep on average.
Back to Alice in Wonderland
This semester, I have focused on general management and strategy classes & my classes were FANTASTIC. I have to mention at least Clay Christensen’s absolutely brilliant class in strategy. It is definitely the most ground-breaking class I have taken here. Although nothing will replicate the class discussions under his lead, I very much recommend his book Innovator’s Solution. Next semester, I also hope to get into Michael Porter’s Class on Competitiveness of Nations. I have heard he is a bit arrogant, but I can bear that if he can get anywhere close to Christensen’s brilliance of insights. In addition, my genial Indian classmate persuaded me to get into another tough class of Robert Merton who is Nobel Prize winner in Finance, but I might cut that one out because slashing my sleep further does not sound like a good idea.

Mass-customized Shirts
This semester was also quite entrepreneurial. I worked on a couple of ideas of which the one around mass-customization of shirts truly absorbed me. The idea is made-to-measure business shirts sold online and produced in India based on 4 key measures (no tape measuring) and couple of pictograms. My 3 classmates & I will take it to Business Plan Competition in the second semester, but more importantly, we really want to make beta version happen by the summer. We are furiously working on it, so I hope not to furiously fail. In any case, I am sure it will be great experience.

Big Bday
I am not only working here. My 30th birthday was definitely one of the highlights of this semester. Friends came for the part from as far as NYC and Cincinnati. My great Japanese friend Nori cooked tons of his award-winning buffalo wings (Although only an amateur, Nori won National Buffalo Wing Competition in NY beating number of professional chefs including those from Hyatt Florida ;-) and legendary three amigos from Latin America made sure the party ran over 6am. Still, I have to admit that being 30 makes me feel a bit old - especially when my hair starts to grow more on my back than on of my head. I guess I better achieve something really significant soon ;)


Harvard Express #5

Executive Summary
I can’t believe these incredible two years are over. I have graduated form Harvard on June 8 with 2nd Year Honors. This semester was amazing and allowed me focus on entrepreneurship and family a bit more. I will be starting with McKinsey in Prague in September, but in the meantime we are building our shirt venture in India. I must be one of the best educated tailors in the world.

Graduation and Honors
Graduating Harvard Business School was a bitter-sweet experience for me. On one hand, I felt sad finishing the best two years of my life so far – fantastic friends for life, unprecedented growth and an ultra-intense student life which I am not likely to experience ever more. On the other, I sense that it is about the time to stop reading 612th case study and feel pretty impatient about starting to test what I have learned here. They say HBS experience is transformational - I can only attest to it. Two years at HBS were so overwhelming, value-questioning, perspective-changing, inspirational and hard-core challenging that even the toughest characters change. Though I am in a way still the old crazy Rasto, I feel I am also a different person. I let you decide whether for better or worse.
My ascending academic performance has reaped 2nd Year Honors (top 15%). In my final semester, I was among top 3%. I am especially pleased because I have been on Skype with India till 2am every other day setting up the business in the second semester. Fortunately, Harvard allows students to make their new venture a part of curriculum. Otherwise, it would have never been possible to get both the grades and the business running.

Harvard Entrepreneurs
Harvard is very entrepreneurial. Over 40% of graduates claim to be self-employed 15 years after graduation. A lot of my classmates were spending most of their time in the 2nd year on building entrepreneurial ventures ranging from investment management funds for non-affluent Indians, through nanotechnology applications and online platforms for independent artist in the US to English-language schools in China. HBS also supports students who decide to build non-profit ventures like race for cancer research, or sustainable yak-wool farming in Tibet and Mongolia via Loan-Forgiveness program.
It was fun to watch origination of the businesses – there is a lot of team spirit in helping your classmate entrepreneurs succeed, whether it is filling out extensive polls, helping with contacts or providing professional advice. Your classmates can surprise you how much info they can get from you in a very short time. I have been to focus group of my friends who have built a prototype of a high-quality, small-space hotel room inside of their campus apartment. With drills in their hands swiftly rearranging the room components and size, they managed to get feedback from us on 4 different hotel-room versions within 1 hour. I could not believe my eyes.
Two of my very good friends are writing books about HBS, one of which - my Japanese study-group mate, has already asked me for publishing rights to our traveling journals from Japan.

Our Shirt Venture
Some of my classmates built businesses before HBS which they sold for hundreds of millions. As a virgin entrepreneur, my fist touches with entrepreneurship at HBS are fascinating. We keep furiously working on our business of made-to-measure shirts, one of which I am wearing as I am typing these words. We have 5 partners – which is more than customers so far, all of whom are HBS smarts dying to decide. I am a temporary CEO (till I start with McKinsey in September), which means nothing fancy other than I have to do most of the work :). My first 2-week trip to India was eye-opening. When I saw our “factory”, I almost fainted. We are now cleaning, painting, air-conditioning to turn this sweat shop into one of the top places to work for in India ;-))). We plan to have running operations by September.
I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. When I was thinking about applying to HBS, many people have asked me why I don’t simply start a business instead. My viewpoint is that you can surely be entrepreneur without HBS, but it is easier to do it out of HBS with your changes of success rising dramatically. First, as an entrepreneur you never have enough credibility and Harvard name opens a lot of doors. Second, the classmate & alumni network provides invaluable help. Third, I believe you actually learn quite a bit in those 500+ case studies and have a better chance of building successful venture. In any case, if our shirt business does not work out, at least I will get quite a few nice shirts in the process ;-)

Celebrities at Harvard
Apart from icons like Warren Buffet, Jack Welch or Hank Paulson – who was our graduation speaker, couple of my homeland celebrities decided to come to Harvard. It was fun to watch Czech president Vaclav Klaus struggling to get across his Czech-peculiar jokes translated into English at Harvard European Center. Deputy prime minister of Slovakia - Marian Lipsic, Harvard Law School graduate himself, was definitely more comfortable with the language though he did not come anywhere close in publicity and fame to his Czech colleague. I was hosting his speech at HBS and am proud that we have such honest and smart people in our government. Finally, Misha, Slovak Diva - as she calls herself, sang at Czech & Slovak Festival. I had an honor to run around in my folk costume and play accordion to worm-up the audience prior to Misha’s performance.

Family Focus
Although unfortunately I did not get to see Ingrid too much, I have spent some quality time with my mom and my brother in the last 6 months. I am proud to say that over that period, my mom managed to lose over 10kg, see 4 new countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and USA), learn how to use her new laptop with internet and start to learn English. I am also very happy that my brother Milan will begin INSEAD MBA in Paris this summer (top European MBA and among top 7 worldwide).
I have not sent the travel journal from our Central-American trip – my laptop broke down during the travels. Though it was a great trip in many ways, you might want to check out Asia before you hit Central America.

https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/CentralAmerica

Next StepsI am in London now having great time with Ingrid leaving June 22 to Bombay India for 3 weeks. Then back in Prague on July 15 for Rendorseg Party of my good friend David Fojtik. While I was stitching shirts in India, David climbed Mt. Everest without oxygen.

Asia 101 (2005)

CHINESE TRIPLE C


Executive Summary
As you might know, this summer 2005, in 101 days, Ingrid and I are traveling through China, Tibet, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and India so I would like to send a couple of updates to let you know the highlights.


China, a fascinating blend of Communism, Confucianism and Capitalism with fantastic cuisine and stunning temples, is a country you have to visit. Though language is certainly a challenge, hardly anywhere else you will witness uniform office exercises on the street, enjoy taste of a snake, see breath-taking Shaolin kung-fu or count thousands of Terracotta warriors.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/China#


Size Disparities
China is huge. Every larger city has more citizens than there are Slovaks in the world. Although people are not particularly sizable, especially in comparison with me, Beijing reminds Moscow with its mania for huge size of everything from roads, buildings to squares. Some taxis are certainly an exception. I felt like the one which we used yesterday qualifies to Guinness Book. This 1.2x0.8m metal "can" is capable of staffing driver and 2 passengers (+ kid if necessary). It is not only the cheapest but also the fastest means of travel passing through the traffic together with motorcycles.


Language Challenges
Combination of Chinese writing and pathetic English language skills create pretty challenging environment even for seasoned travelers. Anybody who can say "hello" or "bye" qualifies as fluent English speaker here.


Food Specialties

It is worth to visit China just for its fantastic cuisine. It feels like in Europe, we play only one or two violins while Chinese food provides a true orchestra concert of tastes. I have also tried everything from snakes to scorpions on a special food market in Beijing. My favorite was grilled grasshopper. I do not think Chinese eat all this, just crazy tourists like me so that they can then boast on their blogs.


Unbeatable Service
In spite of communist impact, China proves once again that Asians are simply unbeatable in service.
Although most public toilets here are a breath-holding test, the experience at Beijing Airport was very different. Just before I walked into a cabin, the service guy cleaned the toilet so meticulously that I could see my reflection and skillfully handcrafted a square cover from a toilet paper on top of it. Though there was already one roll in the cabin, in a moment, he was pushing another one through under the door "Sir, Sir, more paper, more paper". When he heard me unlocking, he rushed to open my door, hand me a paper towel, run water and show me were soap is. All this 5-star service was accompanied by professional smile and gentle bow. It was not only the best ever toilet service I have received, I also believe this Mr. Charmin deserves to be named Entrepreneur of the Year for figuring out how to make money on the job where others never would.


On top, white Caucasians – especially tall or blond get what I would call "national hero" treatment in China. Greetings on the street and requests for group pictures (especially with Ingrid) became routine but some things can still catch me unprepared. In Louyang, each time I entered grocery I got personal female assistant who walked around the store with me, translated all products descriptions, smiled constantly and wondered how tall I am.


Fitness Discipline
I could not stop laughing when at 8am, the whole office of China Bank run out of the building in their uniforms, lined-up and started exercising to the upbeat music. It reminded me our elementary-school fitness exercises during communist era.
As said food is delicious so I try to keep fit here too. Chinese have these simple fitness centers in public parks where I was doing pull-ups one morning and felt pretty good as it seemed I got some interest of several teenage girls. After I finished, a 7-year old boy challenged me to compete with him. I smiled and accepted. Then he swiftly did his 15 repetitions and left in tears both me & my Fan Club.
Talking sports, though a bit disgusting, I have to mention this one. Chinese are world champions in spitting. I was warned about this before we arrived and have to say Beijing did not meet my "high" expectations. However, as we moved west, the expectations were far exceeded. It is not only the spitting but all those sound effects that precede it. Ladies here can be especially impressive. Nobody seems to bother with placing it, whether it is a walkway in a bus or a spot under your table in a restaurant. I already got used to it but you can imagine Ingrid particularly enjoys witnessing this peculiar national sport.


Countless Attractions
Nixon pretty much said it with "It surely is a great wall" when he saw it. Also, I did not count all Terracotta warriors in Xian but there were quite a few of them. Temples in Beijing, Xian and other cities were truly great, but I have to say that, similar to Egypt, we are starting to get Sightseeing Overload Syndrome, so we are cutting down on temples and the like.

When we arrived to Shaolin on Sunday, it looked rather like a shabby laundry camp for kids. However, the next day 5am I realized where we are when roaring of 7000 athletes woke us up. It is unbelievable what those kids can do with their body. We have also seen a show from which a highlight for me was popping balloons with a nail through a glass block. The Speedy Gonzales simply shot a hole through the glass, much like a bullet does, with only a nail in his hand. If you really want, you can also learn all this for 600 USD/months (housing + training fee for foreigners). I myself would not mind.
After a visit in Panda Research Base in Chengdu, I am pretty positive I was panda in my previous life. Its not that (as you surely guessed) they are so adorable, but because I have never seen a more lazy creature in my life.


Shopping Mania
Once again, we proved our obsession with shopping. Among the highlights, I got 5 suits made & bought 3 sets of Chinese porcelain in the first week. The problem this time is that we have to carry it all around Asia for another three months.




7 DAYS IN TIBET


Executive Summary
Tibet, with its average altitude of 4000m/13000ft, is a place where sky is virtually touching the ground. The 7-day jeep trip from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp (5200m/17000ft) was definitely one of the best trips of my life. Listening to chanting in amazing monasteries, staring at magnificent Himalayan panoramas, meeting nomads around stunning Nam-tso lake and getting to a stone-throw distance from Everest were only a few highlights. For the complete Himalayan experience, however, I recommend to take a trip from Nepal to Tibet. While Tibet beats Nepal with its monasteries, music, architecture and panorama-mountain views, in Nepal, you will share your Himalayan experience with only those who were equally willing to undergo the torture of multiple-day strenuous hiking.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/Tibet#

Tibet vs. Nepal

Apart from modest hiking around Mt. Kailash (a mountain in the west Tibet), individual trekking is not allowed and thus not very much practiced in Tibet. The main means of transport for tourists is a four-wheel drive. You can even get to Everest Base Camp from Tibetan side without hiking for more than a few meters. Thus, the people you share your once-in-a-lifetime experience with are quite different in Tibet versus those in Nepal. I personally prefer the latter. However, sitting in a jeep for 7 days on Tibetan bumpy “roads” might be pretty demanding too. Especially if your Landcruiser, which already served over 420,000km, still remembers the first Dalai Lama. If Oxford Dictionary ever looks for a definition of “ass-ache”, I believe this is it.


Where the hell is Everest?
On our trip to Everest Base Camp, whenever we saw a mountain panorama, our driver (who could say only ”Hello” & “Let’s go” in English) would point to the biggest mountain and say “Chomolungma”. When we asked: “and Everest?”, we got no response. As I was an “old dog” in the team, everybody turned to me to clarify this mystery. I confidently explained that the mountain which appears the biggest is Choyu - one of the Himalaya eight-thousand meter mountains - and Chomolungma is most likely its long name. But Everest must be somewhere close as Choyu is only 30km away from it. To make it bullet-proof, I nailed it with my Nepalese learning that Everest is not the highest-appearing mountain because it is most likely further from us. Everybody nodded with acknowledgment. I myself felt Hillary would probably not explain it better. I only realized that Chomolungma is a Tibetan name for Everest after we were so close to it that there was no other mountain around.


Tibetan Talent Pool

In Tibet, talent shows at an early age. We probably met the youngest salesperson and artist ever. The former was maximum 3 year-old and very professional. Each time we refused, he would bring something else with his irresistible “look-e, look-e”. The artist (around 5) was definitely much younger than his instrument. Apart from undisputable musical talent he was also a solid logistic manager. His 3 songs plus tuning were exactly enough for the crowd changeover. Based on my observation he was making around $20/hour which is probably more than the rest of his family makes in a month.


Read Your Guidebook Properly
On the way back from Tibet, I noticed that Chinese city Xian had the highest number of hairdressers per capita so I decided it is time to get my haircut (especially because many of them were quite pretty and warmly inviting me inside). For some reason, they were surprised when I showed that I wish to get a haircut and even more when Ingrid (who was walking a block behind me taking pictures) walked in. It took them more than 15 minutes to get a proper hairdresser. Paradoxically, although I look bald now thanks to her “mastery”, this must be the sexiest haircut I ever got: We learned from Lonely Planet later that small hair-dressing saloons are a cover for ladies offering very different kind of a service.


Bus vs. Train

In Xian, we discovered there are only standing tickets to Shanghai. Though I could not believe it first, I was reassured standing ticket means you have no seat during the 20-hour ride. Understandably, we decided for a backup option – sleeper bus. When we entered the bus, we were asked to take off our shoes. We though to ourselves: “this is going to be something special”. Sure it was. If I called Chinese cuisine an orchestra of tastes, appropriate metaphor for Chinese sleeper bus is a festival of sock smell. It seamed that this particular journey was a too much even for our experienced driver who came to bring us back from coma a few times with a bottle of cheap perfume. We could truly enjoy this experience to the fullest as we ended up with a 9-hour delay.
Friendly advice: if you can choose, go for train. I am writing this message from Chinese “Orient Express” connecting Shanghai & Beijing, the best train I have ever taken beating even majority of my flight experiences.


National Sports #2
Tibetans don’t believe in personal space. Whenever we stopped anywhere close to civilization, people would stare through the car windows or get so close to you when watching the display of your digital camera that you could feel their breath on your neck and without a shadow of a doubt identify their last meal.
Tibetan national sport #2 is definitely pool. Although Namche Bazar (Nepalese gate village to Everest at 3500m) officially boasts with highest-located pool table in the world, we have seen at least 100 pool tables in Tibet at higher elevation. You can play as high as Nam-tso Lake at 4700m. If you are as enthusiastic as Tibetan players, you will not even mind the sticks which are as bumpy as Tibetan roads.
I still have to mention that Chinese national sport #2 (just behind spitting which we learned is ironically illegal) is getting sitting spots in a subway. The best athletes (often as old as 50) will roll over you before you manage to get off, approaching seats with a speed of light. Those who manage to take the seat can be identified by a victorious grin on their face lasting for the rest of the journey.


Shopping Mania #2
Since the last time, when I wondered how we are going to carry all our acquisitions, we doubled our porcelain sets to solid 6 which is now equaling the number of suits (with double # of the trousers). To bring it home safely, we also bought two sizable ”Gucci” bags and about 30 pieces of underwear for padding. I guess Slovak national sport must be shopping…




MONGOLIA FROM SADDLE

Executive Summary
Mongolia, a nomadic country without fences, is truly unique. On top, it is so gorgeous it would be a waste of time trying to describe it in words. Even our pictures cannot fully capture its magnificence. You simply have to come and explore. During our 9-day jeep/horse/camel trip from Ulaanbaatar to Gobi Desert, we covered everything from sipping Airag in traditional ger tents, walking in ice valleys, riding horses and camels in canyons and arid plateaus to climbing sand dunes. Although the beginnings were tough, we can ride horses like cowboys now. ;)


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/Mongolia#

Deep Throat
Right on the first night, we visited an impressive Mongolian cultural performance in Ulaanbaatar. Besides snake-like acrobats who proved to have no bones, the highlight of the show was khoomi or “deep throat”. To my surprise, in Mongolia, deep throat is a special style of singing from larynx, throat and stomach which produces two tones at the same time. Although I have to admit it is very intriguing, female singers can be so loud you wish you brought earplugs.


Mongolian Saddle
One of my key objectives for Mongolia was to learn how to ride a horse. Thus, we started already on the second day – to adjust a bit. Other than I was bigger than the horse (Mongolian horses are smaller than European ones), everything seemed to be OK. But riding a horse only once before coming to Mongolia, I was not really an expert. After half an hour of riding, I started to feel traditional Mongolian wooden saddle padded with just a thin piece of leather is not exactly the best company for my bottom. However, we were here to adjust, so I kept adjusting. One hour later, I could barely stay the pain. Unfortunately, we paid for 4 hours so I dragged on for another half an hour to use up my free minutes. Forgive me my inexperience in the last update, when I connected definition of “ass-ache” to Tibetan roads. That was barely a silky fingertip massage compared to Mongolian saddle. Half-standing during the jeep ride home, I knew I had a problem.

At home, after inspection of the results in a mirror, I decided for a radical step. We opened our first-aid kit and Ingrid applied iodine tincture on the afflicted area. It probably helped but our neighbors five floors above could testify that my simultaneous vocal performance definitely beaten even the loudest deep-throat singers from the night before.


Airag
Forget all you know about Mongolian barbecue restaurants, you simply do not come to Mongolia for food. One item which is worth mentioning though is wide-spread Mongolian national drink Airag - fermented mare (horse) milk with alcohol content of 3-4%. It tastes a bit like Slovak “zincica” but is much stronger. - I guess, especially non-Slovaks must have a perfect picture now. ;-) If I attached picture with Ingrid’s facial expression after just a small sip of it, I believe you would understand. Still, I find idea of getting drunk from a dairy product quite comical.


Naadam Festival
We rearranged our whole Asian trip to be in Ulaanbaatar during their traditional 2-day “Olympic Games” called Naadam Festival – the time when all Mongolians grow extra height with pride. I suppose for them, it might be a reminder of Chinggis-Khaan era when half a million skilled militant Mongolians managed to invade & rule over 60 million Chinese preoccupied with agriculture. The main disciplines of Naadam are wresting, archery and horse racing though wrestling gets the most attention. Depending on how many rounds they win, the wrestles are bestowed glorious titles ranging from falcon, elephant or lion to the most prestigious “Eye-Pleasing Nationally Famous Mighty and Invincible Giant”.


White Telephone Guys and Bottle Collectors

Collapse of Soviet Union’s economy had a domino effect on tightly connected Mongolian economy, thus the cost of labor is really low. Instead of telephone boots you can find telephone ladies or guys who do nothing but hold telephone sets in hand the whole day and wait for people to come and call. To find them you just need to look for white hat or cap.
Although definitely not a capital winning the prize for cleanliness, Ulaanbaatar has one environmental feature which works really well – plastic bottle collectors. We already noticed them in China & Tibet, but in Mongolia during Naadam they were especially determined. I do not know how much they are getting for a bottle, but it must be a meaningful amount for them – when they see you with a half-empty bottle in hand, they come to stand by you while hypnotizing both you & the bottle until you finish.

Best Toilet View
I had the best toilet view ever one particular evening at the edge of Gobi Desert with 180 degrees of pure emptiness and silence disturbed momentarily only by an unfortunate little lizard rushing in a direction away from the toilet.


Shopping Mania #3

This is getting really serious: After landing in Hong Kong, I have bought an SLR camera with two huge lenses. When we carry our full-load luggage now, Ingrid’s backpack is bigger than herself and I look like a Nepalese sherpa with my load of almost 60kg (130lb). Trust me, I could feel every gram of it after the elevator broke down and I had to do 17 floors with it, rushing to the airport. People on the streets turn around, even sometimes wave at us. Now, Ingrid discovered her frequent-flyer card entitles us to additional 20kg. So if you do not see me in September, I probably collapsed on the way to Bangkok airport.




HIGH-TECH POLITENESS ALA JAPANESE STYLE



Executive Summary
There is hardly any other country like Japan in the world. This was the key reason why we decided to come despite the horrendous prices. Thanks to our great hosts - my two classmates Nori with his wife Aya and Yusuke, our 8-day trip Tokyo-Hakone-Shizuoka-Kyoto-Fuji had a different dimension. In my eyes, this country of hierarchies has two fascinating faces blending together: traditional and ultra-modern one.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/Japan#

Spot-on Clues

Surprising upgrade to business class on our flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo was truly symbolic. Japan is really a business-class country. They say that if you want to see how the future looks like, come to Japan. I believe it is true – Tokyo appeared to me more high-tech and shinier even than New York. Unlike the rest of Asia, everything is extremely efficient, minimizes costly people hours and works great. Shinkansen - bullet train reaching 300 km/h (190mph) and operating 30 years without a fatality is only one example. It proved to be even faster than my camera autofocus so after 15th attempt I just gave up. Pricewise, it is also business class. I now understand why Japan is in deflation, it simply cannot get any higher. One week in Japan buys you one year in Myanmar.
I did not have clue that having my credit card swallowed by an ATM at Tokyo airport is going to be symbolic too. If you are hosted by your Japanese friends, you will have a great difficulty to use your credit card. After half an hour of wresting over who pays and threatening that they will get offended, you simply capitulate. They call it ”Japanese style”…


Unmatched Politeness
Japanese people amaze you with their politeness which is difficult to match. You enter a store to ask for a direction without buying anything, they will thank you. When they thank you, they bow. If you try to be polite and bow back, they will bow again and twice as much. Importantly, unlike some other nations you feel this politeness is 100% genuine.


Japanese Cuisine
Already in Boston I noticed Japanese food is not bad at all, but in Japan I realized how fantastic it is. On the first night, Aya’s mother hosted us with tempora, the best meal of our trip so far. It reminds Chinese hot pot a bit, but instead of hot water, you dip all sorts of yummy stuff in hot oil. Only in Japan you eat beans or sticky rice in a desert without thinking that the cook got drunk. They are not only delicious but also look great. Green tea in Japanese style looks like a spinach sauce. It is so thick and strong I was afraid that I will not be able to close my eyes for at least two days straight. I guess they came up with a complicated tea ceremony full of twist and turns so that you do not drink too much of it in a day.


Toilet Cockpit
Operating Japanese toilet requires manual because at the more sophisticated ones you feel like in a cockpit. There are so many buttons you are grateful that at least flushing is intuitive. You can set everything from intensity of seat heating, water cleaning, fan to birds singing sounds.


Climbing Fuji
Climbing Fuji is definitely not heroic. Thousands of hikers including retired Japanese climb this 3776m (12,285ft) volcano every year. I have never seen such an infrastructure on a mountain. You feel a bit like on a subway. Most of the hikers start at the fifths station and walk up to 10th station on the summit. After the 8th station you can spot signs reading “Do not give up”. On top of the mountain, you face a dilemma which vending machine to buy Coke from. But beware, this mountain can be dangerous, even hazardous! When we took our summit photo, we almost got rolled over by a yellow bulldozer which was smoothing the way down. Still, a combination of overnight bus from Kyoto, extremely windy weather, and almost half the normal ascent time limit in order to catch another bus to Tokyo made it quite a challenge for us.




HONG KONG SKYLINES


Executive Summary
Gorgeous green mountains surrounding this ultra-modern trading hub give it different touch. Paradoxically, it both feels and does not feel Chinese. In any case, it is beautiful.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/HongKong#


Boxing Match in Matchbox

A true capsule hotel waited for us only in central Hong Kong in a ghetto of budget guesthouses called Chunking Mansions. The room was only marginally bigger than a matchbox, but we did not feel like looking around at midnight and the price was hard to beat. It turned out to be a real bargain because our stay included international female boxing match between Asian owner and African tenant who was not too eager to pay her rent. Fortunately, the owner quickly figured her chances are slim considering African lady’s double size. Thus, the match prematurely ended in 2nd round when she opted to lock herself in a room of a watch trader from Sri Lanka who suspiciously reminded my classmate Abhi. She could barely get in because half of Abhi’s matchbox room was filled with 10,000 radio-controlled watches for sale in Sri Lanka.


Expensive Geography Lesson

After the match, Abhi knocked on our door to ask if we were from Netherlands by any chance. He said could not set watches because they came with Dutch manual. Although not speaking one word of Dutch, previously owning radio-controlled watch and positively believing in my capabilities, I have spent another 2 hours furiously figuring the watch with minimum results. The next day, Ingrid learned from the manual that watch-dealer Abhi had a bigger problem then he originally thought. The radio tower conveniently located in Frankfurt, Germany had only 1500km reach, so there was little hope that any of Abhi’s watches in Sri Lanka will ever fulfill its mission unless their owners will really enjoy vacationing in Europe.




BROTHERHOOD IN INDIAN MOTHERLAND

Executive Summary
The “Incredible India” slogan on Delhi’s airport billboard is definitely not an overpromise. Whether it is breathtaking Taj Mahal, romantic Udaipur, hectic Bollywood, spiritual Pushkar or adventurous Jodhpur, India overwhelms you. It is so intense that in many respects, comparing India motherland to the rest of developing Asia is like comparing concentrate to dilute. What you experience here, you can hardly see anywhere else. They say you either love or hate India. We loved it.


https://picasaweb.google.com/rastislav.kulich/ASIABooklet#


Bollywood

When we laughed at a crazy Indian musical movie on the airplane to Bombay, we did not have a clue that for a day, we are going to be part of the most important industry in this city. Just before spending unforgettable evening with my Indian classmate Abishek & his driver in Bombay’s best spots, we had been approached by a recruiting scout from Bollywood. Off course, we hesitated whether to accept his offer or not. For about 0.312 seconds. For those interested in our short but nonetheless talented performance in a disco-bar background, the title of the movie is Pyare Mohan directed by Idra Kumar. Being a rookie, I was taken under the wings of James from California who married Indian lady and has been working as an extra in Bollywood for almost two years. He showed me around and took quality time to explain in detail how demanding and tough this job is. I still have some doubts because after 8 hours of reading newspapers interrupted only by two brief shooting sessions and a lunch break, we took our 1200 rupees (more than an average monthly salary in India) and went home.


Brotherhood

I very much enjoyed being called brother in India - you truly feel like part of a family. On top, Indians are enormously friendly and funny people - both to laugh at and to laugh with. One young hotel owner revealed deepest secrets of his love life to Ingrid including his abundant international correspondence. Even my presence did not stop him from reciting Ingrid his love poems on a roof-top restaurant overlooking gorgeous lake and stunning Udaipur palace during the most romantic nigh of our trip.
Although I felt surprisingly safe, I have to confess I had to use my body size to claim our rights a few times. I almost assassinated two taxi drivers and chased one guy in heavy traffic jumping through rickshaws very much like in James Bond movie Octopussy (produced in Jodhpur) which we saw two days prior to the incident. Other times, however, my size did not come too handy. Ironically, in the most expensive hotel we stayed outside Japan, I could not walk straight because the ceiling was about 10cm shorter than me. I suffered so many hits in the head during that stay that I am seriously concerned about how I am going to graduate.


Indian Cuisine

Indian food has always been my No1 choice, but I was surprised that I loved it even without any meat. Many restaurants do not serve meat and in spiritual towns like Pushkar, meat is outright forbidden. However, after 14 days of meat fasting I absolutely enjoyed spicy Mc Maharaja in McDonald’s which is by far the best burger I have ever had. Interestingly, India is the only country where we did not see Big Mac on the menu. Even if it survived Mc Maharaja’s competition – which I doubt, there probably would not be too high demand for the beef burger in the country of sacred cow.
I do not need to tell you after all those shopping-mania stories that we bought about 3kg of spices in Jodhpur. As a reward, the store owner introduced to us spice called Winter Tonic. We quickly got what it is intended for after his “jiggy-jiggy all the night non-stop” guarantee backed by very eloquent sign language. His hand-made brochure in a get-slim-fast style filled with “before & after-effect” photos of tourists was also quite entertaining. I became a bit more skeptical once the key “secret” ingredient, which nobody else in town has, turned out to be Chinese ginseng.


Transport without Limits

Indians could give lessons in efficiency even to Japanese. They push capacity limits beyond human understanding. Indian transportation deserves to be called world wonder just as much as Taj Mahal.
I remember being impressed by Indonesian motorbike drivers last year seeing 3 or even 4 people on one bike. In India, it very rarely goes below 3 and maximum we have seen was 6. Makes you thing whether we do not underestimate these vehicles back home. ;-) Similarly, if it existed in Europe, rickshaw would probably take max 3 passengers. In US, I believe safety measures would narrow it down to two. In Agra, the average number was about 10 with quite a few dazzling cases of more than 15 locals in one rickshaw.


Commuting on a rush-hour city train in Bombay is a bit like a triathlon. It starts with a boxing fight among excited passengers before the train actually stops. Then, it requires unhuman pushing to qualify into the train already so full that if people inside started breathing properly, those hanging from outside would fall off. Finally, when getting off, running is the only option if you do not wish to be rolled over because exiting mass very much reminds a shot from a warm Champaign bottle.


We also tried a bit unconventional transport in Jodhpur – camel safari. All our FWD vehicles – Mr. Rokez, Mr. Sing and Mr. Raja were remarkably energetic but did not seem to enjoy our presence too much. This combination turned our safari into rodeo. When Mr. Sing suddenly decided to take off like a rocket, our overwhelmed French friend could not come out with anything better than “Ole, Oleeee” as his body bounced back and forth in a spectacular free-style performance. After having my adventurous go for half an hour on Mr. Rokez I decided to stay in the cart for the remaining two days and observe hard landings of our fellow travelers instead.


Big Troubles of Small India
Although incredible, India has many huge problems which in my eyes do not get adequate attention. The key problem is overpopulation. If they continue to grow at this pace (+20% in the last decade), soon every second brother in world will be Indian. The resulting issue worsened by Indian no-problem attitude is pollution. I have never seen so much garbage in my entire life. Ganga River is so polluted it is septic. Excrements from cows living in the streets add another smelly and sliding challenge. Some parts of larger cities look like a garbage site. All in all, things need to start happening so that India is not breathtaking in two ways.




ULTIMATE SOUTHEAST-ASIAN TRIO

Executive Summary
Good–natured natives of Cambodia and Myanmar exploited by their corrupted dictators might be gradually witnessing a better future. What a shame they were isolated and devastated for so many decades. Extravagant beauty of Angkor’s hundreds of temples in Cambodia will stay with us forever. So will the breathtaking view on Bagan’s three thousand pagodas in Myanmar, Inle Lake’s amazing floating villages but most of all their unbelievably kind and modest people.




Thailand was the right cherry on the cake of our Asian trip. No wonder everybody loves this country. Delicious food, magnificent seaside, terrific massages, and constantly smiling people - you name it, this country has everything to succeed as a tourist paradise.


Cambodia – Angkormania


Heavenly Angkor

The 12-hour head-banging concert with our heads bouncing around like popcorn on the backseat of a local bus paid off thousand times. I was sitting like Alice in Wonderland in this world’s largest religious building and could not get enough of its magnificence. Dazzling 216 stone faces of the Bayon temple, parasite tree roots creeping through the stone walls of Ta Prohm, or balloon-view of Angkor Wat - you simply need to see to understand.


Geography Quiz
I thought souvenir sellers could not really surprise me anymore, but the kids in Angkor did. Besides echoed singing of their slogans in duets or pitbull-like persistence, one six-year old had a striking offer. “Sir, if you tell me capital of Madagascar, I don’t sell you any longer.” I countered that I will buy his flute if he tells me capital of Slovakia. This triggered action of a magnitude which we did not anticipate. All the kids instantly scattered through Angkor in search for the answer. A few came back after few minutes with a victorious look in their eyes shouting “Ljubljana” only to hear from me disappointing “Slovakia not Slovenia”. Eventually, my boy sold his flute because he dragged over an English tourist who lived with a Slovak for a year in London. All the kids then mumbled repeatedly “Bratislava, Bratislava…”. Since then, I used this question each time kids rolled on us. I bet our prime minister would be proud of me.


Myanmar – Forgotten in 16th Century


Rainy Season Logistics

If you will ever plan your Myanmar trip, please understand that when they say rainy season in central Myanmar, they really mean it. Pilgrimage to the stunning Golden Rock temple was supposed to be one of the highlights of our trip. But I swear it was pouring for all five days non-stop. So instead of the beautiful shots of Golden Rock we were stuck in water polo.


Traffic Nuances
For quite a while I could not come up with a good reason why cars in Myanmar have the wheel on the right side and drive on the same side of the road other than to ensure quite an excitement at every curve. Then we read that originally, the cars in Myanmar were driving on the left side. However, a couple years ago, the state head went to an astrologist who told him to lead the country more towards the right. So he started with the traffic.

Overall, journey times quoted are very elastic due to all the variables, and it is considered bad luck to ask how much longer. Sometimes, I was getting drenched with 30 locals on top of a truck, other times I was calming down a chicken of a schoolboy during his routine bus commute home. Ingrid was not allowed to join me on the roof because” it would insult the men below her”.


Thailand - Siamese Smile


International Partnership
Paradoxically, Thai girls are too shy to wear bathing suits covering their whole body in sarong instead, yet Thailand has world-famous sex tourism. When you come to Bangkok, one thing which hits you right away is an astonishing number of international couples in the streets. Usually, it is an ugly white male walking hand-in-hand with a local girl in her twenties who could easily be a Miss Thailand finalist and often also his granddaughter.


Hua Hin

After demanding Indian trip, we badly needed that week in gorgeous five-star Hyatt Regency in Hua Hin seaside resort. I believe I have found my place for retirement. Just to give you feel for some costs: dinner in a nice restaurant $3-10, two-hour oil massage $12, tailor-made suit $80-120 and they say Hua Hin is overpriced. Best of all, our one week stay in Hyatt – free, thanks to one of Ingrid’s magic diamond cards. I just love them. And of course her as well. ;-)
It feels Hua Hin has only 5 businesses: hotel & restaurants, internet cafes, massage saloons, taxis and last but not least tailors. I promise you cannot stand anywhere in the town without being able to point to a tailor store. If your tailor place is called just Boss or Armani, you are not quite cutting it through the clutter. You need to be at least Grand Boss or Royal Armani – anyhow that’s name of the place where I got my tuxedo & 5 shirts (I guess it did not catch you unprepared by now) to wrap up our 110kg (220lb) luggage.


Smilies

If it would be enough to have cheap food, sex and nice seaside in order to win hearts of tourists, every other country in Asia could make it. What I believe is special about Thailand is hospitality, attitude and quality of its people. First of all, people smile non-stop. There are many Thai words which you cannot even say without smiling. Secondly, being predominantly Buddhist, Thais are very peaceful and tolerant. Finally, Thais come across as very capable individuals who have built infrastructure, businesses and hospitals none of the countries in the region except Malaysia can compare to. I believe this country has an enormous potential.