Category: A Minimalist’s Memoir
Annual Maple Bear conventions in Brazil meant birthday celebrations in South American destinations every May 23rd. Tango show in Buenos Aires. Check. Panama Canal. Check. Machu Picchu. Check. Cartagena, Colombia. Check. Finally, it was time for the Iguazu waterfalls on the Brazil side. The breathtaking UNESCO Heritage site is a wonder of the world, straddling the…
Read More
“Remind me again. How is Easter Island on our way to Uruguay?” We were headed for Montevideo with a quick meeting in Buenos Aires. Santiago de Chile—the jumping off point for Easter Island—seemed out of the way on my map. The Maple Bear CEO disagreed. Five and half hours of flying directly into the middle…
Read More
“Why the fuck are you being so nice to everyone?” The normally calm Maple Bear CEO was shouting at me. “Tell them you need something else to eat!” I burst into tears. It had been a very long day. It started out well. Only smiles on the first school tour. It deteriorated from there. Five…
Read More
We accepted the invitation in a flash. Who wouldn’t want to attend a destination Indian wedding? The venue was the Ritz-Carleton Hotel in Muscat, Oman. Every room was reserved for the guests of our South Asian Maple Bear partner in the UAE and his bride. I immediately nixed the idea of wearing Indian formal wear.…
Read More
A visit to Eva Peron’s grave. A tango show over dinner. Picturesque views of the magnificent Andes. Meh. Nothing could ever hold a candle to our memories of Argentinian beef. We flew to Buenos Aires from Brazil and soon after, headed to Mendoza for wine-tasting. Driving near Tupungato, a wine region several hours away, we…
Read More
At a meeting in Lanzhou, China, on the ancient Silk Road, we ate sunflower seeds and discussed spread sheets. Rodney’s attack of sciatica began in Istanbul. It worsened on our long flight to China from Dubai. Still, at the public marketing event, he smiled widely for a picture. (Nice corsage, eh?) And in the evening,…
Read More