Paris!

Since I have come to stay with Donna I have been to Paris three times - but finally she remembered to bring me and a camera and take a photo.

I went to Paris for meetings with Donna. The meetings were in La Defense, the business district in Paris.

La Defense is interesting because from one side you can look and see the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris.

And when you turn around 180 degrees you can see the Grande Arche in La Defense, which is a modern arch and is inspired by the older Arc in central Paris.

It was an amazing sunny day and I am glad I got to see a little bit of Paris this trip!

I waited for Godot!

Tonight I went to see Waiting for Godot. It is a play by Samuel Beckett, who was from Ireland, and it was showing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. We couldn't take pictures inside, otherwise I would have asked the stars for a photo with me.

I was really excited as the main actors were Ian McKellan, who also starred in the Harry Potter movies, as well as Patrick Stewart, who starred in Star Trek on TV. They are both really great stage actors, and is was amazing to see them perform.

My time in London!

Today I had the opportunity to go on the London Eye. The London Eye is located right on the River Thames in London, and is a big giant ferris wheel. It is 135 metres high, and the largest wheel in Europe, and was built to celebrate the year 2000. From it you can see all of London. The weather was not so great, but the views were still good.

You can see the London Eye in the background on the left side. Just behind my head is Big Ben. Big Ben is the clock at Westminster, it is famous. It has been around for 150 years.

Even though the day was not so good, I was happy to get to see London from the sky!

Greetings from Delray Beach, Florida!

I have been really lucky! I got to spend Easter vacation in Florida with Donna and her family.

Here is a photo of me on the Atlantic Beach! So far on my time away from Hamish, I have seen the Gulf of Aden / Indian Ocean, the North Sea, and now the Atlantic Ocean. Since Hamish lives by the sea too, I guess liking water must run in the family!

Here are some fun small facts about Florida:

• Florida is the 27th state (out of 50) in the United States. It became a state on March 3rd, 1845.


• In its history Florida has been settled by Native Americans, Spanish conquistadors, and the French!


• It borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean


• It is nicknamed "The Sunshine State" as it is located in a semi-tropic climate


• There are about 18.5 million residents in the state


• Delray Beach is close to Miami, the largest city in Florida and also a melting pot for the South American community as there are so many flights going through Miami

I went to Algeria...

Even though I went to Algeria, I didn't see much.

I went to Algeria with Donna's colleague John. I wish I had a passport - then I would have had it stamped! But instead, John left home at 4 in the morning, brought me with him to the airport to catch our flight to Algiers, we went to a few meetings, and then came home. It was a long day - the flight there is about 3 hours, and there and back all in one day is hard.

A lot of people say that Algeria is a scary place and dangerous.

I didn't think so. Donna has also been to Algiers - she liked it a lot there.

Algeria is located in the northern part of Africa. They speak French and Arabic in Algeria. My French is getting better, after going to lessons with Donna, but I don't speak Arabic! I wish I did! The sounds are very interesting.

People have lived in Algeria since 10,000 BC, when the Berbers inhabited the region. Berbers still live in Algeria even today. The French colonised Algeria in about 1830, and then Algeria became independent in 1958. That means that there is a bit of a love hate relationship with France. Algeria had a civil war from 1992 until 2002, since then it has been relatively peaceful, but there is a big conflict there still between the people who want to have Islamic political rule, and the people who do not think government should be ruled by religion.

Even though there is a bit of danger there, Algeria is a really beautiful country. It is the northern part of the Sahara, and it has mountains, sea, and desert. Over 33 million people live in Algeria. Energy (oil and gas) are a major part of the economy.

My trip to Aldeburgh

At the end of March I got to go to Aldeburgh, which is in Suffolk County on the East Coast of England. It is on the map with the red dot.

The great thing about going to Aldeburgh is that it means you can walk along the sea. The seaside in England is pretty, but cold. And the beach at Aldeburgh does not have sand - it has stones, or shingles. It also has lots of flowers, grass and birds. In the 1500s Aldeburgh was one of the main ports in the UK, but now it is just a nice seaside town to visit.

Here is a picture of me walking along the beach. In the background is a sculpture of a scallop. This was sculpted by Maggi Hambling, who is a famous British artist. It has been on the beach since 2003, and is dedicated to Benjamin Britten, one of the most famous composers from the UK, who lived in Aldeburgh.

Behind me in this picture is the Moot Hall, in Aldeburgh. It was built in 1650, and has been used for town meetings ever since. It is built from timber, so it is amazing that it is still standing!



A trip to Aldeburgh is not complete without a stop by the Cross Keys, one of Donna's husband's favourite pubs. His grandfather used to come here too! I am picture with an old-fashioned cask of gin. But I did not drink any alcohol. I just enjoyed the atmosphere!

I met Richard Corrigan!

This evening I went out with Donna and her work colleagues in central London. We met up with the guys who I met in Yemen - Jean-Pierre and Olivier! The world is really a small place!

Here is a photo of me at Piccadilly Circus. You can see the famous lights and the underground sign in the background.

We went to dinner at Bentley's, which is a very traditional British seafood restaurant. Jean-Pierre said he has been going to Bentley's for over 20 years now!

http://www.bentleys.org/

Bentley's is now run by Richard Corrigan. He is a famous chef in the UK, who is originally from Ireland. He is often on TV, and his restaurants are very well known. He is especially well known for his fresh food from the British islands, and good quality ingredients. The oysters at Bentley's are particularly famous. So is the fish pie.

Here is a picture of me with Richard Corrigan! I was so excited as this is the first famous person who I have been able to take a photo with! He won the London Chef of the Year award in 2006, and has even cooked for the Queen (Queen Elizabeth II that is)! He was a very nice person and was delighted to help out with Hamish's school project!

My weekend of culture!

This past weekend I got to enjoy some of what makes London so great - culture!

On Friday night I went to see Doctor Atomic. Doctor Atomic is a modern opera about the making of the first nuclear bomb. It was performed by the English National Opera, which means that it was sung in English. It was pretty cool, the special effects and video screens were really fun to watch too. The music was a little too modern (no real songs, more like screeching!) for my taste though.

On Sunday I went to the exhibit of Le Corbusier, a French architect. This was shown at The Barbican. It was a great way to spend a Sunday. They had all the designs and models from his many buildings, and they also had the artwork that inspired him, and the furniture he designed too. I really enjoyed it.

My trip to Borough Market

Today I went to Borough Market. This is the big food market in London, where people can buy really great quality fruit, vegetables and meat. They also have a lot of speciality producers at the market, including people from France and all over the UK.

Lots of tourists go to the Market, as it is famous especially within the UK. On the Food TV Network, they feature the market in the programme "Market Kitchen", which you can read about by clicking onto the link below - they have great recipes on that programme!

http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6136

We bought nice food for the weekend meals at the market, and then enjoyed a bit of lunch. I am really enjoying my time with Hamish's mom's friend and her work colleagues!

Beijing or Bust!

I arrived in Beijing on Monday the 3rd, after a busy but fun weekend in Seoul, South Korea.

Beijing is the capital city of the People's Republic of China. It was also the host city for the 2008 summer Olympics.

China is one of the world's oldest countries - you can actually trace its history for about 6000 years! It also has one of the oldest written languages. They use Chinese characters, completely different from the English / Roman alphabet. There are about 1.3 billion people who live in China. Beijing is China's second largest city (the largest city is Shanghai) and it has a population of about 18 million people.

Some things in Beijiing are very familiar! Here is a picture of me at the Beijing Airport Pizza Hut!

We stayed at the China World Shangri-La Hotel, in the Central Business District. As it was a work trip, I did not have much time to sightsee, but I did enjoy the nice hotel!

On Wednesday the guys finished their meetings early, so I was able to go to the Park. We went to the Temple of Heaven Park (Ten Tian Do). It is a park that was built in 1420, in the Ming Dynasty. The temple was built to honour the gods, also as the Chinese Emperor was called the Son of Heaven, it was his way to honour his ancestors. They made regular sacrifices at the temple.

Here is the circular main altar of the temple. It was very impressive.

I also had a chance to see the oldest tree in Beijing (at least that is what they say!) - it was more than 500 years old!

My adventures in Korea

I arrived in South Korea on March 1st, at 6 pm. Bum-Hee took me along to meet his family in Seoul. This is a picture of me at Inchon airport.

We went to his sister's house - she has an amazing garden. Here is a photo of me with some traditional Korean ceramics. They were originally used to hold soybean paste or red pepper pastes (sauces for Korean cooking) but now they are used for plants.

I also had the chance to see a Korean garden. Here I am pictured with orchids. They were amazing! Unlike other orchids, Korean orchids have a great smell, kind of like roses but different.

Busy times - and I am off to Korea this weekend!

Hi there, I have been so busy I have not had a chance to upload my photos from Yemen yet! I will do it soon!

This weekend I am going to KOREA! Yes, Donna's colleague Bum-Hee is taking me to Korea with him, and then we will all meet in Beijing China for a few days. Then back to London for a while.

South Korea is in Asia. It is on a peninsula, and is bordered by North Korea, and is across the sea from Japan. The population is 47 million people. I will be going to Seoul, which is the capital, where Bum-Hee is from. 11 million people live in Seoul.

Korea is famous for many things, including tae-kwon-do, hosting the 1988 summer Olympics, and making excellent electronic products (Samsung is a Korean company). Korean food is also delicious, with great bar-be-cued meats and pickled spicy vegetables. I am so excited about going.

Here is a picture of me with Bum-Hee's daughters, Seo-Young and Yu-Young.

Bab al-Yemen

We spent our last evening in Sana'a in the market. It was amazing. Bab al-Yemen, or old Yemen, is really just the same as it was about 1000 years ago.

It is a traditional souk, or market, and as there are very little tourists the items sold are really the things used by Yemenis. Like lentils.

And dates.

When we were walking through the market we actually saw the President of Yemen! He was accompanied by about 20 SUVs and a lot of military guards. It was exciting, but we didn't want to take a picture as, unless you ask, photographing people is rude in Islamic countries. And we didn't think we would be able to ask / get close enough to the President to ask!

I also got to see "jambia" or the traditional Yemeni daggers that all men carry, once they become men at the age of 14.

It was a great day to see a lot of Yemen! I think the country is beautiful and the people were all very friendly!

Site Visit in Bal Haf, Yemen

When we arrived at site they issued us all with hard hats. Mine was a bit big!

I can't show too many site photos, as I couldn't wander around without a hard hat. But I can show you a ruined fisherman's hut that was saved during construction. It is a very typical site in Yemen!

Helicopter tour of Bal Haf, Yemen

We arrived at the airport and I was so excited - I got to go on my first helicopter ride ever! We flew in a helicopter to get a good view of the industrial site and location of the new liquefied natural gas plant in Yemen.

I flew in the information pocket - it was the safest place. Everyone else was harnessed in and they all wore ear protectors too.

I got to see the beautiful coastline. The beaches looked amazing, and the sea was so blue. Apparently there are some beautiful coral reefs there too.

And at the end of the flight, I got to say thank you to the pilots! They were really nice!

On the way to Bal Haf, Yemen

I haven't had much internet access to update everyone about my travels to Yemen - but I can say that it has been very exciting!

Here is me and my boarding pass - we took an early morning flight to Bal Haf, which is on the southern coast of Yemen. The plane was a Dash 8, which is a very small plane that seats about 40 people.

Here is a photo from our plane ride to Bal Haf Yemen. We took a Dash 8 plane, which is a small plane that seats about 40 people. Bal Haf is on the southern coast of Yemen and to get there we flew over amazing mountains and the desert. We also circled over the sea - the Gulf of Aden - which was a beautiful blue colour.

You can kind of see the desert in the background of this photo, and the propeller from the airplane!

My first taste of Sana'a

We arrived in Sana'a on Tuesday morning, and went straight to meetings.

Here is a picture of me with the map of all the oil and gas fields in Yemen.

Donna introduced me to everyone in the Yemen LNG offices. After work we went for a tour of her colleague Olivier's home in Sana'a. This is me with the view from his rooftop.

I have never seen a satellite dish so big! Olivier has a big satellite dish. He uses satellite for his internet access, and also to watch French television while he is in Yemen.

You can barely seem me on the wire!

That evening we had a great Yemeni meal. We had some spicy beans, and very tender roasted baby lamb. My favourite was desert. Here is a photo of me with the wonderful bread and honey dessert. It is called Bint al-sahn - I loved it!

Off to Yemen

Today I took off for Yemen. We flew British Airways to Dubai, then stayed overnight and caught a very early flight to Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

Yemen is one of the oldest countries in the world. It is located in the Middle East, on the Arabian peninsula, on the southwestern bit of the peninsula. It is right across from Africa, with Somalia right across the Gulf of Aden.


Maybe you have heard of the Queen of Sheba? She was Yemeni! In Yemen they call her Bilkis.

Yemen is historically famous for its spices. The Roman emperor Augustus tried to take over Yemen because it was wealthy from its spice trade, but he failed.

Yemen is a pretty large country, it is a bit bigger than the state of California in the USA. It has a population of about 25 million. About 50% of the population is less than 15 years old. Its economy is about 90% dependent on the oil industry. The average annual earnings per person are less than $1000, which is not much money.

Because the country was only unified in 1990 (it was split into North Yemen and South Yemen before then) and then had a civil war, only recently has there been enough stability to have foreign investment and development. Much investment is still in the oil and gas industry. Donna was going to Yemen because her company, Total, is investing in a large project in the south - the largest ever industrial investment in the country, totalling over $4 billion. It is impressive.

The flight to Yemen was great. The staff on British Airways were so nice - they gave me a secret present for Hamish. Here is a picture of me and Carina. Carina is from Sweden. I have a feeling that I am going to meet people from all over the world on my travels with Donna and her colleagues!

Backgammon Evening

On Friday evening I went to Donna's neighbour's house to play backgammon. Martin Lane lives on Elder Street, like Donna, and he is a backgammon nut. He collects antique backgammon boards. Donna's husband is really good at backgammon - in April he beat her 30 times in a row - so Martin is very determined to help Donna learn the tricks and improve her game so that they can all play together.

Backgammon has its origins in Egypt and Iran, and at some point in time due to the trading between the middle east and India, dice were added into the game. The first games resembling backgammon date to 3000 BC in Egypt. The first written rules of modern backgammon date from about 500 AD, in Persia (which we now call Iran). The "Game of Tables" first appeared in France in about 1000 AD. And in the 1700s in England it was popular and also banned from the royal courts, as it is also a form of gambling. It is a strategy game - you always need to think ahead about what move your opponent might make after you make a move. It is also a game of probability. Having a good knowledge of simple math is important, it means you can make moves knowing likely outcomes.

Donna learned pretty well on Friday night, and finally beat her husband! I handed over the chips!

A Day at the Office

Today I went to the office with Donna. She works at Total, the French oil company. Her office is in Canary Wharf London, which is where the gas and power trading business is located.

Today I got to spend some time with Gary, who works on the natural gas trading desk, covering Northwest Europe. I actually got to do a deal. I sold some natural gas!

Here is the screen shot of the deal I did.

And here is the ticket for the deal.

Later on in the day Donna had a French lesson. She studies French because Total is a French company. She also loves studying languages. She has lessons with a teacher, Isabelle, and she focuses on conversation, grammar, and they also read literature. Right now she is reading a book by Vivene Delcast, a new French author. This is Viviene's first book of short stories.

Isabelle, Donna's French teacher, read along with me while Donna read out loud. French is hard to read, but is fun to listen to!

In the afternoon, we had a coffee and Donna introduced me to more people she works with. The view from the office window is amazing. You can look at see The Thames, which is the river that runs through London. You can also see in the distance a building that is shaped like a pickle - they call it the Gherkin, it is really called the Swiss Re building. It was designed by Richard Rogers, a famous architect, and it has won a lot of awards.