Getting Started

August 7, 2008
In the sky
over water
being served a choice of American beef or Korean fish
watching movies in Japanese, Chinese, Korean or English—
The news is all about the Olympics and the heat wave in Korea.

Katie and I are going West to go East—
the way the whole world is heading.
Yet the magazine pictures are all about the East turning toward the West—
tall buildings and tree lined boulevards in Seoul,
night clubs and Olympic sites in Beijing.

Katie is 19.
This wasn’t possible when I was 19.
No one went to Thailand for summer break.
My mother never traveled with me.
It was unthinkable.
What was unthinkable then is possible now.
It makes me wonder what will be possible in another generation . . . .

Katie and I are going to Thailand to visit my brother Jim McCallie and his family—Martina, Thomas and Paul. He works for Coca Cola and moved to Thailand this year. They’ve lived in Singapore, South Africa and Dubai—we’ve missed the opportunity to visit them every time so Katie and I decided not to miss this chance.

We will be here for one month. We Are so curious about lots of things. Our blog may have a few themes--FOOD—of course! But not just the obvious eating great Thai food but other issues related to Katie’s field of study, international agriculture. She’s arranged for us to stay with a farming family in NE Thailand.

I’m curious about the AMERICAN IMAGE from half the world away—We will be here during the Olympics and while the American election process is underway. How do these look from the Asian perspective?

MOTHER-DAUGHTER TRAVEL—Well, as I said, we have no model for this. We are both eager to see how it goes. So far, so good.
Come join us as we go