From Kazakhstan to Paris, with Mexico, DC, Sacramento and Los Angeles in between.
Our South of the Border base camp
This holiday season we were both south of the border and south of freezing temperatures in Mexico and New Mexico. It was fun in both environs.
The last six months have included lots of “firsts” for us. Seeing the pyramids is on the top of my list, right up there with seeing my first real belly dancer.
I don’t know where to start after being away for seven months. There are so many high and low-lights that its tough to figure out how to put a theme around them. Maybe its just that we continue to live an interesting life? One of contrasts, unpredictability, playing hard, working harder, and traveling by almost every means imaginable which now includes a few yards on the back of a camel:)
Here’s a speed dating summary of the last half of 2016
- Lots of travel — twelve trips in the past six months to India, Africa, the East Coast and Mexico. You know something is weird when you know which terminals to avoid at Heathrow and where the best lounges are at most of the airports we hit.
- Two huge events for LACI — the Grand Opening of the new 60,000 sq. foot La Kretz Innovation Campus and the less than grand election on November 8th. Both will shape LACI for years to come. I won’t be going back to DC any time soon.
- 2016 will be LACI’s best year as measured by almost any metric: we’ve grown the number of companies we serve by 40%, the number of jobs created by 70%, the long term economic value we’ve generate by 40%, and the size of the NGIN network to 20 members in nine countries. Our 2016 budget is 8X the budget we started with five years ago.
- “El Diablo” — aka Bogart — has driven KR to the edge of sanity, forcing us to put him through a two week intensive training session. The result; the family has a leadership problem. No s__t!
- Our Mexico places –the Corona Adobe and Little Big Sur — continue to draw guests from near and far. KR has turned into the Innkeeper with the Most-est and our 2016 rental revenue is 2X that of 2015. Onward and upward!
- Life in the Arts District continues to get more and more interesting. The addition of a scooter, a 2006 Aprila Scarabeo, has made getting around really interesting. New establishments are popping up almost daily. The retail complex around the corner under construction has applied for 17 liquor licenses. Yaahhh boy! Our 800 sq. ft. loft continues to work as USA central the Walti clan.
- We’re finally starting to use Thor, our 2016 Leisure Travel Van “Libero RV, after about a year of sitting in the parking lot. As with any of our travel vehicles, we’re in the process of figuring out how to configure it to our liking. Not surprising, we need more electrical power!
Well, those are the headlines. Feel free to close this up or to skip down to the pictures now. For those of you who want more color commentary, I’m here to serve, so read on:)
The Geography
In the seven months since we last wrote after coming back from Spain, Morocco and Ethiopia, we’ve traveled to India, Egypt, Mexico, the East Coast, and Northern California.
This was our third trip to India and the second speaking tour for the State Department I’ve done. We covered four cities in about ten days. I did 25+ speeches/meetings in Delhi, Chandigarh, Indore and Hyderabad.
It was the first trip that KR and I didn’t venture out of the hotel often except for business! Part of this was because two of the hotels we stayed in were absolutely fabulous. Part of it was getting in sync with a time zone 15 hours ahead of Los Angeles. But the real reason was laying around in bed all day, half way around the world, is the only way I can get away and relax. When was the last time you just hung around in bed for an entire day? Exactly my point:)
It’s good to know that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to liver transplants:)
I’m still conflicted about India. We got out of just the mega cities of Delhi and Mumbai this trip to the North and the Central parts of India. Hyderabad, in the south central region, is a tech boom town in which all the major multinational companies have huge presences. It’s a go-go entrepreneurial hub, strewn across rocky hills and spread out for mile and miles. I was never in a car less than 90 minutes to any meeting as the traffic was so bad.
Yet, unless you’re rich, India just isn’t that attractive of a place. 800 million people or so mean there’s just a mass of humanity, their trash, their houses, their vehicles, their animals, and their shops every which way. The rivers are polluted. The country can’t really feed all its population and still has 300 million people (the size of the US) without access to electricity. The idea of sidewalks and parks aren’t really on the agenda anytime soon.
I hold hope that we’ve not seen the “good stuff” yet:) KR has pretty much given up and doesn’t care to go back. Maybe that’s why we didn’t get out of the hotel much:)
“She’s got talent”! My first ever Belly Dancer was memorable. She has a future beyond belly dancing on a dinner cruise along the Nile:)
Cairo was a whole different deal. I liked the vibe immediately. The city is much more interesting visually, it’s much older and has the advantage of being split down the center by the Nile, which we got to sail on by the way. The architecture is interesting, at least in the upper scale part of town that most foreigners hang. The streets are full of cars with the occasional motorcycle, which is pretty much the opposite of India’s cities.
No surprise, most of the perceptions that we Westerners have about Egypt, Muslims and the MENA region aren’t true. The US government is mightily mistrusted by most Egyptians that would speak about it. Even those people who were living in or working for US companies, felt that our history in the Middle East was horrible. We were/are only looking out for our own self interests. I’m not sure this can be fixed…
KR and I spoke with the young woman who served as our guide and for the first time I got an explanation of the Muslim religion that wasn’t scary or angry or intimidating. And while I’m not a religious guy, I could understand how she felt and had empathy. We could live next door to each other without thinking twice.
We’ve gone to a number of far-flung countries in search of business. I’ve met with probably a hundred groups in the last 12 moths and no matter if its Ethiopia (which makes Mexico feel like a 21st century country) or India or Egypt or Morocco or Spain or… there is one surprising commonality: entrepreneurship is alive and well, even in the most desperate lands. Young people are excited about starting companies, about creating new products, about using innovation to solve their countries problems. It can’t help but give folks like me hope for the future and a bounce in my step.
The Vehicles
A big part of travel is having the right mode of transportation:) To date, our stable includes (by length of ownership):
- The Iron Duke (’96 Jeep Grand Cherokee): This is the Mexican equivalent of the New Yorker’s “station car.” 162,000 miles strong, its role is to carry Karen, the dogs, our guests, friends and assorted neighbors around Puerto Vallarta and environs carrying as much stuff as can be crammed in. Usually twice a year it makes the 1,500 mile trip to/from PV to Los Angeles. Karen hates the Iron Duke because she has to drive it. I love the Duke because he can’t be hurt. Who cares if someone puts a new crease in his side door?
- The Bullet (’01 Jaguar XKR Silverstone). The Bullet is now the LA version of the Duke. He wasn’t always that way as he started out as a mint-condition-not-a-scratch-to-be-seen exotic sports car, before he encountered the streets of downtown Los Angeles… After fifteen years, he only has 72,000 miles since the distance from front door to front office door is 2-3 blocks.
- Now Voyager II (2014 BMW 1200 GS motorcycle): The vehicular love of my life, NV II is KR and my Adventure Vehicle to far away places. NV II has an unusual combination of space-age technology with tractor-like reliability. It’s simply the best motorcycle I’ve ever owned. This is beyond surprising given that NV I (another BMW) was the worst, most unreliable motorcycle I’ve ever owned. NV II meets our thirst for adventure the freedom of motorcycling. NVII has already been to the UK, IOM, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Morocco, Luxembourg, Belgium and Monaco. He’s barely broken in:)
- Thor (’16 Leisure Travel Vans Libero): Thor is a mini RV that KR calls our little jewel box. Prime function of Thor is to take ALL FOUR OF US to far away places, but mainly places in North America. Thor is a small, but fully functional, Class C+ RV that has excellent interior finishes. Fully functional means: bed, toilet, shower, kitchen, refrigerator on-board power, satellite TV, dining room table and enough storage that includes a small closet. Thor is still a work in progress relative to outfitting, but has a big future.
- Rover (’06 Aprilla Scarabeo motor scooter): Newest member of the family, Rover’s job is to be the local get-about when we’re roaming in Thor. Rover sits on a rack in the back of Thor, ready to to go to the store, bar, or just down the street from wherever Thor is parked. Rover continues an interesting trend in the Walti vehicle ownership history: two Yahama RZ 250’s, two Honda Pacific Coasts, two Fieros, two Jaguar XK8s, and two Scarabeos… Go figure.
Three wheels for four-up adventure traveling. The “Ural” is modeled after a 1940’s era BMW motorcycle with sidecar. KR, Bogart and Squirt get the right seat. Generous, I thought
- Potential New Additions to the Stable: Highest on the list of new members is a Ural motorcycle/sidecar ensemble. This would be a creative and practical solution to my wanting to go everywhere on a motorcycle with KR’s desire to take Bogart and Squirt everywhere with us. KR, Bogart and Squirt could sit in the sidecar. Also on the list of potential additions are a Moto Guzzi m/c, a Morgan 3-Wheeler (if the Ural doesn’t make the cut), a replacement for the Iron Duke (shush, don’t tell KR), a Corvette, a Jag F-Type, a Jag Station Wagon, a Ferrari, and a …..:)
- Planes, trains, etc. Well, there haven’t been any trains in the last year, but we have taken ferries, taxis, Ubers, big big planes, small planes, pongas, buses, vans, the aforementioned camel, a sail boat, and a Tuk-tuk or two. I recommend the Airbus 380 and the Brittany Ferry, but not in the cattle car areas. British Air’s food quality has gone down hill, which is a great disappointment. Flight to avoid at all costs is the American out of Reagan to LAX at 5PM. ALWAYS two hours late, no inflight entertainment, no wi-fi, and the center seat is usually the only one available. Who says that airline consolidations are a good thing?
Life in the Loft
It’s hard to believe, but KR and I have been living in our 800 square foot loft in downtown Los Angeles for more than five years! Factory Place is located in the “Arts District,” which is LA’s industrial area that’s rapidly becoming the West Coast version of NY’s Meat Packing District. This place just reeks of coolness and weirdness and diversity and creativity and … money. Someone told me that the Arts District has the highest HH income of any area in LA other than Beverly Hills. I don’t believe that, but like all major metro downtown areas, it costs lots of money to live here so those who do are well off. Research shows that downtown LA has equal parts Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and White Folks and it shows on the streets and sidewalks. Diversity is a very interesting thing if one is open to it.
The family sedan for most people on this planet is not a sedan, but a motor scooter or motorcycle. The work horse of Asia, much of Africa, and even big swaths of Europe has two wheels, not four, and accommodates between one and five people, depending. Traffic, parking, gas mileage, and cost are all made the easier on a scooter.
KR and Rover in Little Tokyo on the way home from dinner.
This summer we shifted to a two-wheel family sedan as well, the aforementioned “Rover.” I now drive Rover the five blocks to work, we use him to go to dinner at night in downtown, or to see friends in Hollywood. He’s the easiest, most convenient vehicle I’ve owned in quite a while. I recommend one to all:)
Life South of the Border
Let me state this up front: Mexico is becoming the safest place in North America to live and visit. There aren’t any terrorists in Mexico. Narco’s? For sure, but it feels a lot safer to me than going to France, or Belgium, or San Bernardino, or Germany or… Shake your head in disbelief, think I’m crazy all you like, but it’s the truth.
The Peso continues to take it in the shorts via the dollar. When we bought/built Corona, the ratio was $1.00 = $11 pesos. As I write this, the dollar equals 20.5 pesos! For those of us who live/visit Mexico, this has made a huge difference. It’s generally a good time to be an American tourist in much of the world in terms of currency.
Here’s one practical example of the impact of the dollar/peso devaluation on our life. We have a wonderful maid who comes to Corona five days a week from 10AM to 3PM and we pay her $7000 pesos/month. That equals about $340 dollars a month in today’s valuation!
Here’s another. I recently had to get the Iron Duke fixed. He needed a new coil, plugs, distributor, oil change, radiator repair, tune-up and an ECM unit fix. Total cost was $3700 pesos = $180.00. PICKED UP AND DELIVERED:)
The dollar is at all time high via the British Pound, Euro, Egyptian Pound, Mexican Peso, etc. Lesson to be learned: never, never keep your money in a foreign currency even if you live abroad.
An invitation to LBS is anything but a day at the beach. Here, Larry Jones works on one of KR’s innumerable projects.
Our palapa in the jungle, “Little Big Sur,” continues to be a challenge to upkeep and rent remotely, but remains a joy to actually use. LBS is best understood as a land-locked version of owning a boat; just keep putting money in and every sailing is actually a repair/maintenance outing:) Our annual Jungle Storm event turns into an all out “invite your friends to the jungle to repair and fix-up LBS.” Every visit to LBS is preceded by a visit to Home Depot:)
Two Seismic Events
The Grand Opening event for our new campus on October 7th was the result of more than five plus years of labor and $47M in capital investment. 2300 VIPs, stakeholders, sponsors, and friends RSVP’d to our event. Two Mayors and assorted other VIPs gave speeches, cut the ribbon, took part in tours and gave press interviews. The new 60,000 square foot purpose built campus is the Taj Mahal of cleantech with desks for over 250 entrepreneurs, a chemistry lab, electronics lab, an advanced prototyping center, micro grid, and a model ‘smart home of the future’. The La Kretz Innovation Campus elevates LACI to a new level of prominence in the world of clean technology innovation.
Karen, MIke Swords and a couple of hundred HRC supporters watch the election results in disbelief. There was a major run at the bar
Thirty one days later and the Trump Trampling washed over LACI like a tsunami. We literally had to send out “keep calm and carry on ” notices and hold numerous counseling sessions as everyone is this building believed that the sustainable world as we know it was coming to an end. And frankly, nothing that has happened since the election gives us hope he was “just kidding.”
My view is that LACI will survive and prosper no matter what. Market forces and mega trends are at our back. But, I’m worried shitless that the New Administration will step away from its commitment to sustainable sources of energy and the steps necessary to reduce/slow climate change. This won’t really impact us here in the US as we’re all comparatively rich. If it gets hotter, we’ll just turn the air conditioning on. Drought and crop reduction? We’ll just pay more for food. No, its the poor who feel the brunt of the effects of climate change. The World Bank estimates that climate change will push another 100 million people into poverty by 2030. This is serious stuff that the Leader of the Free World doesn’t seem to understand or give a shit.
And please, don’t talk to me about “clean coal.” Coal is as likely to be clean as the Lock Ness Monster is likely to jump out of the lagoon tomorrow.
To the Future, we go!
I’m looking forward to what 2017 will bring, none the less. KR and I have plans and ideas of what it will entail, but who knows? We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a great and prosperous New Year!
Here’s what all of this looked like in pictures.
CAIRO (DEC 2016)
Fred of Arabia. Getting ready to lead my Desert Marauders into battle. Those pointed things in the background are the pyramids:)
KR has a lot more experience than I on camel herding, having ridden a camel when she was last in Egypt. Look beyond the pyramids and you can see that the city of Cairo is right “there.”
The pyramids become even more impressive up close and personal. Each one of these stones in 4-6 feet high. They are the rough under pinning as each pyramid was supposedly covered by a smooth gold leaf surface. 3000 years has a way of wearing surfaces away:) These things are massive.
Cairo is a city of abut 20 million, most of which appear to live in pretty drab apartment buildings. This is a view of “old Cairo,” which makes the US’s city with the most polluted air (LA) look like a rainy day clear paradise.
We took a short sail across the Nile in a “felucca.” I happen to be sitting in the same boat as a guy from Korea who supplied the solar panels to LACI’s campus in downtown LA. There’s less than 6 degrees of separation in the clean tech world.
Butcher shop in Cairo. Cut to order right in front of you and all the other pedestrians. Not exactly an appetizing display of one’s goods except you can’t argue with freshness.
Like most emerging/developing countries, car repairs are done in the street. This one is under a Cairo expressway.
Our Egyptian guide not only gave us a quick tour of Cairo (Pyramids, a camel ride, two or three shops, three churches and the Egyptian Museum) but also explained the Muslim religion in a way that was understandable and appealing (for someone into religion). All in all, a very nice young woman who taught us as much about daily Egyptian life as the historical sites.
The very first mosque I’ve ever laid bare foot in. Big, very big. This is in Old Cairo, about a 100 yards from a very old Christian church and Jewish Synagogue, proof that at some point we were all able to get along.
The aforementioned Belly Dancer gave KR a lesson. She’s promised to keep practicing:)
This electrified Whirling Dervish was the opening act for the Belly Dancer. All this occurred on a dinner cruise on the Nile.
The last couple of trips have been the Walti’s version of the Wedding Crashers movie. Here KR gets her picture taken with a happy Egyptian bride willing to get her picture taken with anyone. See India below for the Wedding Crash of all time.
Entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs, no matter where. This is the technology exhibit at the “Rise Up!’ entrepreneurial conference I was invited to speak at. Young lady in the middle is pretty serious about demonstrating her technology.
Basic staging:) This panel discussion included two really bright guys. The guy on the left is the Founder of Cleatech Arabia and wrote one of the most inciteful economic analyses that I’ve ever read. The guy on the left if the Founder of a British solar-in-a-box product aimed for poor farmers in Sub Sahara Africa. Cost of his product in $250 dollars, which would not have been affordable without Kenya’s micro payment system via mobile phones.
All tech conferences must have after parties. This one was held on the lawn of the Ritz Carlton.
My first real Egyptian meal with folks from the World Bank, USAID, and various entrepreneurs invited to the conference. Only afterward did KR inform me that the food was Lebanese:)
The Marriott hotel in Cairo was first built to house all the dignitaries for the Suez Canal grand opening. Located on an island in the middle of the Nile. Always something happening: we arrived at two in the morning after a 22 hour journey and found that the restaurant was still open and abuzz.
As close as I got to Christmas cheer this year was the tree out front of the Cairo Marriott.
INDIA (OCT 2016)
First night in Delhi and we crash a wedding that was being held on the lawn of our hotel. Everything you see was constructed in a day and then torn down in the next.
This was by far the most elaborate, outlandish, marvelous wedding we’ve ever been to and we were crashers! Wedding’s are big in India, lasting three days. This was the final reception which began around 7 at night. There was the bride/groom receiving line, two or three dance numbers on a stage, then the full course meal seen here, followed by dancing in the Hotel’s bar. All in all, it was great fun.
KR talking to a fellow guest in the specially built Hookah lounge.
This blotto young man is the groom about two in the morning. He happily danced with KR, whom he’d never met, and posed for this picture. After all, with a thousand guests, there are bound to be people from the Bride’s side who you haven’t met yet:)
The first time I got a greeting like this was pretty weird. The Vice Chancellor is on the left and he and many of his faculty met me at the sweeping driveway entrance to his university. I’m holding the obligatory gift, this one an engraved plaque. After a couple of these greetings, you kinda get in the groove and go with the flow:)
They misquoted me in this Indore newspaper:)) My first ever “news event” in which one sits down in the middle of a room with a dozen reporters and answer questions resulted in a number of stories in Indian media.
Nice looking hospital in Hyderabad. Not sure I would want to try it out.
An Indian version of the universal family sedan:) Mom, Dad and three children ride in Indore traffic.
The view from the “Ambassador Club’s” lounge in the Taj Krishna hotel in Hyderabad. Taj hotels have the finest service of any hotel we’ve stayed in the world. They made it easy to hang in the hotel.
LOS ANGELES (OCT 2016)
Back in LA, October 7th was a big day as we celebrated the Grand Opening of the La Kretz campus. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony included the two architects on either end of the ribbon, then from the left: the GM of the LA Dept of Water and Power, Mort La Kretz’s daughter, Mort, the Mayor, me, and then two VIPs from the SBA.
It’s difficult to say how many were there, but 2300 people RSVP’d.
My favorite shot: the current Mayor, Eric Garcetti on the left and his predecessor, Antonio Villaraigosa, on the right. It wasn’t easy getting them in the same room, but without their support, LACI would not be what it is today.
Typical night in downtown LA — a free concert in a park. I’d never heard of the band, but most of the crowd had:)
It takes a village to put together a motorcycle rack and get it on Thor. These are folks who work at LAC: KR, Squirt, Neal, Liz, Ernie, and Brandon.
MEXICO (DEC 2016)
Our trip to Mexico started by driving Thor to Puerto Vallarta. Here Thor rests in an PV RV park.
The reason we have Thor; Bogart and Squirt. Both are good travel dogs, although applying the word “good” to anything related to Bogart is an exaggeration.
Every trip to Little Big Sur starts with work, even for friends. Here Larry Jones repairs a chair that lost its ten year battle with the jungle. Other recent repairs to LBS include refrig, inverter, lights, toilet, and outdoor bedroom.:
KR took a new “let’s simplify” approach to LBS this year. This is not trash in the normal sense, its “stuff” we don’t need in LBS. She’s holding an electric chain saw, which would be useful if we had enough juice to run it, which we don’t:)
Jones is waiting for the storm, which was probably the biggest we’ve experienced in all of our times at LBS. Climate change, anyone?
ON THE ROAD HOME (DEC 2016/JAN 2017)
This is the living room, dining room, office and kitchen of Thor. We left Puerto Vallarta a few days after Christmas on our way to Vegas to drop Thor off at the dealer. More on that in a minute.
And the “master suite.” This works fine as long as the master is pint sized like KR and me. Frig is conveniently close for late night beer runs.
View out the front window of Thor towards the beach at a RV resort in a small Mexican town. We met Dennis and Debbie here. In the background, an Ex-Pat Texan makes another beer run.
Best RV park so far was this five space mini park right on the beach at Playa Matanchen, a couple of hours north of PV.
Two generations in more ways than one:) Ancient Dodge on the right has SIX twenty.-somethings from France and Belgium on their way to South America. Brand new Chevy on the left has two none-of-your-business somethings and a couple of dogs on the way north.
Tight parking job or improvised ladder? I needed to get on the roof of Thor to pull off the remains of my air conditioner and satellite dish since I trashed them under the awning at a Home Depot parking lot. I’ve buried this f___ up deep in the blog so that most of you will miss it:) This is one of many reasons we need to get to the RV dealer in Vegas.
Yes, there is an RV in there somewhere:) We came across this RV resort in Mazatlan, which was by far and away the most unique. Each owner puts their trailer in their space and then proceeds to build a palapa around them. They are therefore no longer movable, but very very creative.
Not your normal RV park with a pool overlooking the Pacific. Nice, very nice.
In the RV world, there’s something called “Wild Camping” or “Boon docking” which refers to camping overnight on a street, in the mountains, in a parking lot — basically anywhere you don’t pay. We took the concept to a different place as we “broke into” a failed beach development in a little town on the Pacific Coast. KR literally had to take the chain down that cordoned off what was left. So, we decided to camp on an abandoned street.
KR explores the ruins
This is the pay off — miles of deserted beach that Bogart and Squirt can play until they drop, which is a long, long time.
This is my punishment for not reading the owners manual thoroughly — 30 degree morning in Vegas. I didn’t figure out how to turn the furnace on until afterwards:))
Everyone was cold and under the covers. Karen, Squirt, Bogart and FW. We dropped Thor off at the dealer and rented a car back to LA.
I promise to write more often.
fw
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Just to show you that a day at the beach is not all that its suppose to be, here FW is in the process of painting the whole damn palapa so our soon-to-arrive rental guests can live the Palapa Life. This was a banner repair trip as I repaired the refrigerator, painted and painted, got the hot water heater to work, hung mosquito nets, and replaced the shower faucets. Oh, and I conferred with my engineering expert (thanks Bill!) to supervise the rebuilding of the solar system.
I don’t have much of a life in Los Angeles if one defines life as something other than
New office at LACI is purposeful as is life in LA
work. This is not a complaint, just a fact. LA is primarily for LACI and anything else needs to be fitted into the creases. Mexico is the reverse for me, it’s about living, not making a living, and I spend most of each December and part of January in Puerto Vallarta with The Boss of Corona and her best friend, Squirt. This post is what its like to go back home to Mexico and hang for a month.
It’s surprising how quickly comfortable being home in PV is, even after 11 months of being away. Well, its not quite immediate as it usually takes KR a couple of days to get use to me being around and for me to put away my CEO ways. After this initial roughness though, it starts being as smooth as a cold Corona (the beer, not the house) on a hot day.
First thing is the house. I would never have believed that 6200 feet of house would be comfy, but it is. Corona just flows right. We spend most of the time in the master with forays to the pool and top deck. The kitchen and dining room are usually for breakfast and entertaining. Most other meals are taken in bed or eaten out.
Command Central: our bedroom
Our bedroom is really Operations Central. It’s on the third floor, with a balcony that I often wonder onto to check out the neighborhood or look at the skies or take in all the various water craft zooming along the beach. Size matters when it comes to TV’s and we have a large “smart” TV in the room. (let’s not go into how useful a Smart TV is with a dumb owner). KR usually has the TV on 24/7.
I’ve also slid a small desk into the corner next to the window overlooking the Bay of Banderas and do all my work here. There are very few better views around, especially for an “office.” I spend 80% of my day there, hitting the keyboards, gazing on the street below, taking a Skype call, or swiveling the chair around to catch Wolf Blitzer giving yet another perspective on the 14th Republican debate. Squirt provides the other source of constant entertainment.
KR does most of her B&B administrative work in bed as well, so
KR in her happiest state — muddy.
having the three of us in the bedroom as headquarters works well. Very well. Beyond our bedroom door looms two irresistible lures. At least twice a day I walk out the door, take five steps, and jump into the pool. Swim around, take in the view, listen to the cacophony of neighborhood sounds, and then hit the rays. KR can’t resist the 3rd floor garden that surrounds the Pool Deck. She’s always been a gardener and having three gardens (1st, 3rd, and 4th floors) and more planters than I can count means multiple chances to get covered in mud. This is a good thing.
Here’s a question for you: When was the last time you walked down your street, talked to your neighbors, watched kids play, and then stopped in the local grocery store to buy some food for lunch? In LA, my answer is never, and I’m not just speaking about the Factory Lofts in downtown LA. My answer would be the same for the Hollywood house.
In Puerto Vallarta, it happens every day, usually more than once. This isn’t by accident as we purposely moved into a “mixed” (read Gringos and Canadians along side Mexicans) neighborhood in the hills of PV. Our neighborhood consists of the small street in front of our house (Corona) and the two cross streets (Miramar and Metamoris) which happen to be the only ways up/down the El Centro Hills. This accounts for lots of street activity most days and most times of each day. And since most Mexicans around us live in something less than 6000 sq ft., they spend their free time sitting outside their houses on the porches or curbs.
Last night was typical. We went out the front door and started walking downhill toward the Malecon (boardwalk) to get something to eat. Karen dropped off some discarded clothes to the very extended family next door. Eduardo, the father and someone who I’ve taken tequila shots with at 2 in the morning, commented that I was looking a little gordo (fat) and I should keep eating so they could get more of my non-fitting clothes. We all laughed out loud.
To hear and see jazz, one has to be at the club later than 7:30PM:)
We found a new place to eat on the Malecon, the Jazz Foundation, which had so-so food, great music, cold beer and really nice waiters who helped us map out our next trip. Walking up the hill on the way home, we bumped into a neighbor we’d met a year or so ago and invited him back for a cocktail.
These encounters happen every day here.
Noise is a controversial subject in our house and among our neighbors. Up the street there are a group of kids, mostly in their late teens or early twenties, that think there’s nothing better to crank up the boom box at all times of day or night. A couple of neighbors have called the police to complain, which generated a visit from the local police only to find out the primary source of the noise was…. an off duty policeman! The music keeps on playing giving us a dose of Mexican justice on a local level.
The young children next door play soccer in the street below us. Most Mexican cars make the Iron Duke look like a limo and announce their passing through their non existent mufflers. Roosters crow too early even for farmers, of which there are none that I’ve seen. Three blocks away the church bells ring at intervals that I can’t figure.
Noise, of course, is a two edged sword. It’s annoying and interuptive and … well…life affirming as well. This is a vibrant neighborhood in which life is visible and audible to all.
No week would be complete without visits to Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, the bank, Office Max and the assorted stores needed to keep a Gringo’s Mexican households running and in order. I’m not ashamed to admit, I’ve become a Kirkland Man, wearing Costco underwear and “dinner” shorts & shirts, drinking Kirkland wine and vodka, BBQing Kirkland ribs, and eating Kirkland ice cream (the Vanilla is the best ice cream yet created on this earth:)
Of course, not all is fun and games when you’re a B&W innkeeper. We have a staff to supervise, which KR keeps me away from, that includes a property manager, a maid, a pool guy, a carpenter, a handyman, an electrician and plumber. And this is just for Corona, as there’s a whole ‘nother crew for Little Big Sur. There are walls to paint, solar systems to repair, pool pumps to maintain, windows to fix, and…. on and on and on. Is there no rest for the weary? Don’t answer that:) Yet, I had it easy compared to this young man who went out to LBS to rebuild our solar system. It’s worth it to read his report:)
Finally, let’s talk money. Living in Mexico, even a tourist town like PV, is relatively inexpensive and getting more so every month. When KR and I started coming to PV, the dollar was worth 10 pesos. Last year around this time it was worth about 13 pesos. Today, the dollar is worth 17+ pesos, which is a very good thing if you’re a Gringo, less so if you’re a Mexican. Certain things remain expensive: gasoline is $3.20/gallon, electricity ranges from $200/2 months to $900/2 months depending on the use of A/C, and anything imported will have a duty of between 14-140% tacked on. Labor, food, rent, property taxes and such remain incredibly low, which is why this place continues to grow as a gringo/Canadian hang out during good and bad times. Please don’t tell anyone how good this is, we have enough folks here already:)
Well, that’s my report on life as a pseudo Mexican.
Mas Margaritas por favor!
This news just in! Karen has become so successful as an innkeeper that we don’t have a place to stay during the next six days. True to form, KR threw some things in the Iron Duke, made sure Squirt was comfy, and said, “Let’s head south!” Uh, what about a reservation or some place to head to? Over rated, I guess.
Here’s what everything looks like in pictures.
Mean streets. KR, Squirt and I were walking up a street and Squirt barks at a dog, then quickly retreats as said dog chases Squirt. Quicker than you can say, “What the F?” a giant-sized cat flies out the door with claws and teeth bared, jumping on KR, resulting in a 45 minute street-side emergency medical help session by the cat’s owner. Squirt hid in the bushes during the entire episode
Neighbor gets his house painted. Not sure I’d want to walk on the home made scaffolding.
I have my own worries, though, as the carpenter works on one of KR’s many “improvement” projects, this one on the pool deck
Rain or shine, kids gotta play. Five minutes after the rain, the game continues
LACI Mexico headquarters. Don’t know where Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is? Just take a look at the world map as desk top:)
A crime and protest of passion. A 19 year old girl was murdered by her x-boyfriend down the street from us. A couple of days later there were 120+ people holding a demonstration demanding justice for Lupita. Sound familiar? Big difference from the U.S., though, the boyfriend was still on the loose at last report.
We look at the memorial created for Lupita
Later that night, we happened across this sign at a marriage ceremony on the beach down the block from our house.
KR says as innkeeper, she’s a captive to Corona
Everyone is getting into the festive season
Christmas eve dinner with the other PV orphans 🙂
Kids next door sing carols with a microphone and big-as-a-room speakers
Best part of Xmas Eve was going next door to Eduardo and Carmen’s house for pig’s ears, nose and feet all cooked in a festive broth. It helped to wash it down with a Corona
The party picks up steam on the Malecon
We await the water taxi to Chonchos and LBS
Job #1 in the jungle is to feed Her Man. KR scrambles up some lunch as
I assume Position A. It’s been pretty stormy the last couple of weeks
Stormy night, some music and appropriate refreshments
The best part of any LBS trip are the spontaneous dinner parties that happen. Here, Bill, Karen, Keith, FW Rick and Maryann chow down
The deck is ready
and so is the Living Room
Kitchen is spotless
Some things don’t change, like the view
Fancy new sign courtesy of Maryann probably sets expectations too high
Los Chonchos is getting popular. Gaggle of incoming and outgoing guests awaiting the return of the water taxi
This is what I had in mind when we drove south in the Iron Duke — Costa Careyes, a very very very upscale resort way south of PV. Hey why not? We had both properties rented out!
We almost ended up here, but it too was full:)
An “eco resort” was promised at the end of this road. If one counts a resort that’s being overtaken by Mother Nature, then its truth in advertising:)
We found a hotel with an alluring sign (on the tree)
But all’s well that ends well. KR with drink and squirt in front of our room, all for about $45USD
We stop at a small beach town, Melaque, about one hour north of Manzanillo. Great beaches and cheap rooms, not a bad way to bring in the New Year
The King is Dead. Long Live the King! Our last episode ended with Now Voyager making it back to LA. One week later he had a new owner. Before moving on, he set a new record: 730 miles in one day and averaging about 100 mph for more than an hour. He acquitted himself with honors on his last mission. Here he gets his first wash after getting back from Guatemala by our neighbor in Puerto Vallarta.
It’s difficult to summarize this past winter’s events. Where’s the theme in it all? It started with the following two-week travel sequence: DC – LAX- PV – Mexico City- PV – Guadalajara- LAX. The trip included meeting with the White House’s most senior energy staff and being told…”We talk about LACI all the time here. There’s no one doing anything like you guys…” I know that and $1.65 will get me a small Starbucks, but it was nice to hear anyway and certainly a 180 degree change from just three years ago. The trips also included signing an MOU with the Mayor of Los Angeles in Mexico City and being told “You’re exceeding expectations, Fred” by the Mayor. Please remember that when we’re asking for more money from the City to support LACI, I’m thinking:) Oh, and we began building a Global Innovation Network (GIN) which now has members in Germany and Mexico, soon to add Italy and the rest of Europe. And I’m part of the Mayor’s delegation on his upcoming trip to Asia this fall.
South of the border, KR has become a world-class inn keeper as the Corona Adobe/Little Big Sur vacation rental business has exploded. No one is more surprised than KR and I at this new development. Corona Adobe has become a very popular B&W to the point that KR has had to escape to LBS because the house was fully rented. That option soon disappeared as well since the Corona Adobe/LBS “metropolitan living and jungle escape combo package” has been very popular. Last week KR had to stay in a PV hotel because we had no space in our own home or out at LBS. KR is coming to LA for the month of April partly because there’s no room in PV. And to see Her Man, of course.
All work and no play makes for a dull boy (which I’ve been accused of being), so there’s been a fair amount of that including a couple of days in PV with friends (Puerto Vallarta is just a great, great town), a Saturday night bar crawl like I only vaguely remember in my youth, and….. A NEW MOTORCYCLE!
We welcomed Now Voyager II into the family about a week ago. He’s a 2014 BMW GS with every gadget, gizmo and option that the German’s could think of:) I spent about two months evaluating various choices for the Walti’s new DreamMobile, but settled on the biggest, fastest, heaviest, and most expensive alternative. Go figure. He’s so big that I’m thinking of getting special elevator shoes made:) None the less, he’s handsome, fast, comfortable and handles great. Why has it taken me all these years to man-up and get a GS? Go figure.
Maybe the theme for this winter is it’s been a time of transitions. LACI is growing up — in size, footprint and reputation. One of these days it will be a real force to be reckoned with. Our life in PV has transitioned to that of part-time/ full-effort inn keeper which has pretty much changed what KR does south of the border. We’ve shifted to a new motorcycle, leaving the stressed-out Now Voyager behind and welcoming the fully-capable Now Voyager II into the fold. And, as we all face the challenges of growing up (finally?), we lost two of our friends this winter. One, Jack Foster, was one of the greatest creative people I’ve ever worked with. He certainly set the standard for how to have fun and do great work. Not a bad legacy.
The year started with my first ever Chinese New Years (its the Year of the Horse ) formal celebration. This one was given by Hong Kong’s Trade and Invest group out of LA. It was quite a fascinating experience as I was one of the few non Chinese heritage folks. Pretty crazy dragons manned by young women danced and danced. I got tired just watching.
“Fireside Chat” with the new Secretary of the Department of Energy in Washington DC at the ARPA-E conference. It’s a great conference, brimming with mind-boggling innovation.
Walking past the White House after a meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It was sunny, but nippy out. Barack asked me to stay for dinner, but I had something already booked. Next time.
How can the coolest motorcycle themed bar that I’ve been in is located in Washington DC? The Iron Horse Tap Room has the best collection of pristine 60’s and 70’s era motorcycles that I’ve come across. One of my all time favorite bars, but I doubt that there was a motorcyclist in the place.
Reception in Mexico City welcoming the Mayor’s “Invest L.A. “delegation” It was held in Carlos Slim’s museum named after his wife. Very, very nice.
This is what it looks like from the outside.
The Mayor, Eric Garcetti, giving the last speech of the day. His schedule was packed — eight meetings each day for two days straight — and he was brilliant in each and every one. Antonio was pretty damn good on his feet, but Eric is better, giving off a lot of warmth.
The signing ceremony in Mexico City
I didn’t get much chance to see Mexico City aside from a brief walk in Polanco, one of Mexico City’s most upscale neighborhoods. Walking the streets you’d think you’re in some European city as well-off Mexicans are very stylish people. This is the view from the Argentine steak house that I had lunch at.
Outside Carlos Slim’s museum in Polanco, Mexico City’s version of Beverly Hills.
The sweet smell of cement. LACI’s 60,000 sa. ft. La Kretz Innovation Campus under construction. Move-in date is summer 2015.
Morton La Kretz and his daughter Linda visit their namesake. You haven’t lived until you’ve walked around a site in a DWP hard hat.
The neighborhood’s most popular Bed & Wine stands over its domain:)
The two views of inn keeping. To get the cash, you
need to make sure the place is spic and span for the guests. My favorite inn keeper preps for new guests
Street life in Puerto ‘Valarta
It’ can be dangerous in Mexico; you never know what’s going to jump you. Here a man-shaped iguana gets ready to pounce.
This is the face of someone who’s going to pick up his new motorcycle. At the train station waiting to go to Orange, CA.:)
Picking up NV II at Irv Seaver BMW. Not sure who’s the most handsome, but the other one has 125 hp.
New parents document their baby’s first step, I document NV II’s first meal.
The second stop after NV’s meal is Ryan Reza, the ultimate BMW doctor. We (OK, he attached I watched) extra gas tanks and tool tubes among other gadgets and gizmos.
(Almost) fully outfitted NV II overlooking the Angeles Crest forest.
You can never have too many shots of the new baby
There are few better moments in life: a screwdriver and reading over the new owners manuals after a first day’s ride:)))))
This is just above the Mexican/Guatemalan border and the closest gas station of any kind is 50 miles away. Having the right tools/spares/know-how to make repairs on the road is mission-critical. A seemingly innocuous spare — straps — allowed us to repair the right pannier that was fatally damaged when it fell off while riding. We’ve had three panniers fall off during our trips. Yet, all the spares, tools, and equipment put a lot of weight on NV. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
I expect most of you will skip this post and I don’t blame you. The nuts and bolts of how two people travel by motorcycle for extended periods is pretty dry stuff. Those of you who do it, or will do it, or want to do it will find this fascinating reading, of course. This is for you!
How we organize our stuff and where we put it
As faithful readers know, one of KR’s objectives is to makes sure we have everything we might “need”, or at least have the space to buy it on the road:) We have 13 storage areas on Now Voyager moving from front to rear:
- Two front soft panniers over NV’s gas tank: Rain gear, bike cover, and first aid kit.
- FW’s tank bag: camera stuff, most often used tools, on-the-road charging stuff, GPS and phones.
- Two rear hard panniers: Left side contains all the spares and some tools, right side is the electronics and administration side
- Two soft rear wet bags on top of panniers: left side is KR clothes, right side in FW clothes. All clothes are put in numerous soft containers which makes it easy to find, take out, and put back
- Three moto tubes under the hard panniers carry most of the tools and some of the spares
- Two gallon gas cans hold one gallon extra gas each
- Rear upper hard case serves as KR’s junk drawer
Of course, we can strap more stuff on top of this, which we have on this trip. Here’s a more detailed description of some of this stuff.
Motorcycle Clothing
- We each have a m/c riding suit, which we wear every day on the bike. It’s heavy, rugged and most importantly — has armor that provides some protection of the elbows, knees, and shoulders
- We each wear a back support best that provides armor protection of our backs
- They make under with butt padding that we wear as well, for obvious reasons
- M/c boots and gloves (two pairs each).
- M/c helmets with intercom
- Scarf to keep warm or dry
- Rain suit
- M/c goggles that have my prescription built in and are reading glasses for KR
You can imagine getting dressed or undresses isn’t a five minute project:) Here’s what I’d change/add:
- New m/c suits. Mine got fried on the muffler, KR’s isn’t comfortable
- New rain suit for KR
Street Clothing
- Flip flops for walking and use in showers
- Walk around shoes
- Socks, underwear, etc.
- One pair of shorts and swimming suit
- Long-sleeve and short-sleeve m/c riding shirts which can be washed easiy
- Short and long sleeve shirt
- Jeans
- Packable jacket
- Folding parka for rainy weather
What I’m going to change/add:
Electronics
- Two computers, both the same kind for KR and me
- Three phones: my Blackberry, KR’s U.S. Cell phone, and KR’s Mexican cell phone
- Headphone for Skype calls
- Three cameras (not including phone cams): Two small Canon and one G12 Canon. ALL the same brand with the same software
- Chargers for everything! Multiple chargers allow simultaneous charging.
- Adapters for every kind of socket
- Flash drives
- Charging device that connects to m/c and charges Blackberry when we’re riding
- Several types of reading lights
- Spares for important cables
- GPS with maps
What I’m going to add/change
- Video camera
- Make all cameras water proof
- Get KR a smart phone
- Maybe a small iPad for travel planning on the road that KR could put in the junk drawer
Software (on both computers)
- The basic stuff
- The basic Internet stuff
- Google Earth and Google Maps
- Skype
- All kinds of photo stuff
- WordPress admin
- AirBnB admin
- Online banking and bill pay
- Six email accounts: )
- Dropbox
Spare parts and stuff
This is obviously m/c specific and related to your past experience with the bike:
- Spare intercom parts and connectors
- Fuel pump and fuel pump sensor controller (both have been lifesavers)
- Two thermostats
- Electronic key ring (I’m not describing it right, but it controls if the key works)
- Spare keys for everything
- Hose and rubber/steal cement
- Clips of all kinds
- Straps, two types of bungee cords and spare buckles
- Temporary flat tire leak repair (cannister)
- Pressured air to re-inflate the tire on the bead
- Electronic air pump that works off the battery
- Duct and electric tape
- Plastic fasteners
- Rags and surgeon gloves:)
- I carried a spare chain for our South American trip
- Subscription to an online BMW repair manual
- Oil filters
- Small rubber tubes that can serve as gaskets
Tools
I carry most of the regular type of stuff. Here’s some of the not standard stuff
- Flashlights
- Full allen wrench and the weird-ass BMW wrench set
- Tire irons and anything related to changing/fixing a flat
- Special BMW oil filter removal tool
- Swiss army knife with corkscrew:)
Administration/Planning/Medical
This is for a relatively short trip like the present one. There’s a whole ‘nother layer of admin stuff for longer trips that require shipping, etc.
- Passports (kept separately from everything else)
- Drivers licence and credit cards (kept separately)
- Fake drivers license, out of date credit cards and $20 bill in case we’re robbed. This is kept in the most accessible pocket
- Int’l drivers license for grins
- 10x copies of: title, registration, passports, drivers license
- Fake “original” title and registration. This worked excellently in South America, not so good in Central America.
- I would now bring original title as well, but I would hide them and never bring them out unless absolutely necessary
- Medical info
- M/c insurance info for all relevant countries
- Telephone numbers that you’ll need when your computer/phones get soaked
- Business cards and brochures for Corona Adobe
- A full set of Garmin maps (absolutely!)
- A full set of paper maps (absolutely!)
- Paper guide books that can be read where there is no Internet
- All-you-can-eat data international plan from AT&T. Watch these charges closely
- Copies of numbers/contacts for all credit card stuff
- A full supply of whatever meds you need
- Medivac emergency rescue insurance
It’s Been Hard on the Equipment this Trip…
This is what we’ve run through so far:
- Complete clutch assembly
- Fuel pump sensor
- Front wheel
- FW’s m/c jacket
- KR’s m/c jacket
- Four maps of Mexico
- Two Canon cameras
- Right pannier
- Lots of clothes
Living Two Up on a Bike for an Extended Period
Three words come to mind when thinking about how we handle riding the bike for extended periods: comfort, communications, and entertainment. Comfort is fairly obvious when it comes to clothing, etc. Seating position is a little more nuanced. For KR, we’ve constructed a Barko Lounger affect with back and arm rests made of soft luggage. I’ve modified the seat several times and she’s pretty happy. I’ve modified my seating position so that I “fit” on the bike. Communications is the key to enjoying traveling two-up on a m/c. There’s nothing more important than a clear, powerful intercom as KR and I are constantly chatting about all sorts of things, commenting on the scenery, occasionally singing, and problem-solving in real time (like navigation). Sharing what’s going on before us, around us an under us is the primary reason we go two-up. Entertainment is individual of course. KR reads books, magazines and the like while riding on the back. I can feel the book cover on my back. She wants an iPad so she can look up hotels while we’re moving. Sound right to me. For me, entertainment is all about gadgets: navigation, m/c dashboard, etc. The more the better! We have not taken full advantage of entertainment options, especially in the music department. We will hook up the ipod/iphone for our next trip.
Navigating
Don’t laugh, but our biggest upgrade on this trip versus the South American trip is that I got good maps for the Garmin GPS for every country we entered. It made a world of difference. In fact, I don’t know how we survived in SA with only guide book maps:) Still, we got lost in almost every city we entered as its difficult to match the Garmin real-time instructions with the real world flying by. Good paper maps are critical as well since they give a larger view and can be cross-checked with the Garmin Instructions.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Sam Hershfield was our Guiding Travel Navigator in the Sky (GTNS) and he has a powerful knowledge of how to use Google Earth and Google Maps for everything from route planning, to seeing what hotels are in a city, to checking out the weather, elevation and most other things one would be interested. Sam has been giving me on-the-job training on these apps and I’m making progress:)
“Team” Responsibilities
Over the years, KR and my responsibilities have become pretty clear. FW drives, navigates via GPS, makes mechanical repairs (OK, tries), packs and unpacks the bike, and keeps all electronics organized and running. KR is in charge of all trip planning, selects the hotel and/or wanders the city streets looking for one, registers, keeps all the money, pays all the tolls, and navigates via the map. I get her coffee in the morning and she gets me a drink at night. Simpatico:)
Packed up and ready to go. NV stands ready to deliver… KR’s purchases. This is a little store in a tiny village outside Oaxaca.
All trips should start at 5:30AM:) Now Voyager is loaded and ready to go outside my Factory Place apartment, in the Arts District of downtown LA. “Light” load included two spare tires, KR’s m/c clothes, my clothes, assorted electronics, spare parts and tools. Oh, and two spare gas cans.
I’ve been wanting to go south on two wheels ever since we got back from South America almost three years ago. Can it really be that long ago? Seems like a lifetime ago, but that’s a whole ‘nother tale. Exploring the remaining parts of South America and all of Central America feels like unfinished business. So, early this summer I came up with a plot to take Now Voyager to Central America during the holidays and sprung it on KR. I was half expecting her to say “have a good time,” but of course she said, “Great! When do we go?” “Sometime in December,” I replied and that was pretty much the extent of our planning for this trip.
Well, guess what? December’s here and we’re a couple of days from shoving off.
This is the second new member of the family – Izz the iguana. KR found him on one of the trees in the courtyard and has since adopted him. When he “got out,” KR and the neighbors chased him into one of the neighbor’s houses, found him on their Xmas tree and “trapped him.” He’s now hanging out in the garage watching over Now Voyager.
Preparation is concentrated on getting our house and business in order. LACI is now a burgeoning little enterprise that’s going …(hold your breath as this is really true) global. Ian H. and I recently spent a week in Berlin setting up the European leg of our Global Innovation Network (GIN – shaken, not stirred of course). When we get back its off to Mexico City with the Mayor, Washington DC to the ARPA-E Summit, and eventually the Far East with Mayor again in the Fall. Anyway, the good news is that one is never really disconnected in our world no matter how far you go or in what way. Which means one can always pull on the Oars of Commerce.
Getting our house in order has taken on new meaning around Corona Adobe, aka our Bed & Wine. Karen is working hard to be an Inn Keeper and has booked Corona for Christmas, New Years and much of January. Most of this will take place while we’re away, which adds a whole other level of complexity. We’re also renting out Little Big Sur this season which has necessitated a whole range of repairs and refurbishments. LBS now represents the ultimate in luxury camping:)
Getting Now Voyager ready consisted of buying a spare set of tires, changing his oil, and buying new maps for the Garmin. Done. Paperwork consisted of a temporary m/c permit for Mexico, some m/c insurance, an int’l drivers license for grins and copies of all documents that someone might want to take a look at. Done. I didn’t even have time to wash the guy.
What stuff? And this is BEFORE KR moves in:)
Sunrise over the northern Mexico desert on the way to PV to pick up Karen. I broke two personal records this trip: (1) 88 miles in one hour; (2) 689 miles in one day.
This is the face of a happy camper. First serious motorcycle trip in three years. My god, it feels good to be doing nothing but hauling ass down the highway.
Extra gas is a good thing, especially when I’m only getting about 30 mpg (see comment on 88 miles in an hour) and a touch more than 120 miles to the tankful.
The Paradise Hotel in Culiacan (see picture below) on the second night offers close parking facilities. This is a bit of a long story, so hang in. The night before leaving for PV, I saw a new documentary, “Narco Cultura,” about the music and musicians celebrating the Narco Life in Mexico. Think the Mexican version of Gangsta Rap and you get the idea. Fascinating and disgusting at the same time. Anyway, I find out that the headquarters city for this particular cartel is Culiacan, which I’ve never been to. Now fast forward and I’m on the road and read the GPS incorrectly thus getting stuck out on the highway late at night. This is the day I do 689 miles. I drive another 100 miles at night and pull into the next town… Culiacan:)
So, I hit Culiacan which is a very large city for Mexico late at night AND CAN’T FIND ONE HOTEL. Dozens of farmacias (I don’t get it), but no hotels. I spend 30 minutes driving through this Cartel Capital and nada. I backtrack to the highway and find one hotel. This one:) Well, I got charged 450 pesos ($37USD), had a clean room, a pretty damn good dinner, and the coldest Corona south of the border. Go figure
On the other side of the scenic scale was lunch in San Blas. Almost home (2 more hours). Not speaking Spanish has its downsides. It took me 15 minutes to convince my fellow diner that I wanted him to take MY picture, not the other way round. He had about four cans of Corona on the table, so it wasn’t all my fault.
Close to 1600 miles later, I pull into my Man Cave. 10 minutes later I was taking a swim and less than an hour we were on the beach having cocktails.
Ye of little faith, count the motorcycles in my Man Cave. True, there’s all that stuff on the left…
Once in PV, first order of business was getting the tires put on NV. Go to Honda dealer (we can’t do it), then Yamaha dealer (we don’t have the right machine), then a “real” retail tire store (we always give our m/c tires to Gordo down the street) and finally to “Gordo’s place on a little street in some part of PV that I’ve never been to before. Picture is of his showroom of his current stock for sale.
It takes Gordo about 30 minutes to change both tires with modern day tools. Total cost: less than $20 US
It’s been a very long time since I’ve gotten to work on my m/c in my garage. OK, perhaps not the neatest guy around and with a limited set of tools, but if Gordo can do it…
Remember I said we had TWO new members of the family? Well, meet No. 2, “Squirt.” Another long story, but I’ll get even with Debbie H once I get a chance. Seems Debbie rescued Squirt from two down and out kids on the Malecon only to immediately bring him/her? home to Karen. Case closed… Lilly now has a bed mate.
Road hazard Puerto Vallarta style. Close the street, put up a gigantic screen and have a party on a Wednesday night.
Calm before the storm? Still three days left of prep before shoving off, but there’s always time to gaze at the Bay and dream of what may lay ahead.
The “Cleantech Los Angeles Global Showcase” starts up early on November 4th. More than 70 speakers from 20+ countries talked global groping with 400 guests.
Some thought it was the height of conceit or stupidity (take your pick) to think that a 6-person nonprofit housed in a converted bus repair garage should put on a conference focused on the globalization of the cleantech business. Moreover, professional conference planners cried, “You’re ____ crazy!” to start planning this conference only three months out, rather than the one year planning period that’s normally taken. Our thinking was simple: we’re addressing global problems, it’s a global business, hence we need to start thinking about it in a global fashion. And, by the way, no one else was stepping to the plate, so why not? How hard could it be?
Well, the answer to the last question is its really, really can’t-sleep-at-night, this was my dumbest idea yet hard. More than once we thought it would be a disaster. Two weeks out and we only had 25 registered guests! And the cost of putting on a conference at the JW Marriott/LA Live facility was easily 5X more expensive than anything else we had done. Which, of course, requires generating 5X more sponsorship dollars than we’ve ever generated. We achieved a lot of these not so good “firsts” along with a few very good firsts. For example, we..
- We went from 25 to 400 attendees in less than two weeks.
- Had more than 70 speakers from more than 20 countries over two days. The Mayor, DOE Under Secretary, California Air Resources Board Chairman, the past President of the Int’l Brotherhood of Longshoreman, the Governor’s senior adviser on the Environment, three of the most prominent VCs in Southern California, 20+ leading entrepreneurs, the City’s Director of Import/Exporting, among many more.
- We raised more money from more sponsors than at any previous time
- We have been contacted directly by Germany, Mexico, Hong Kong, China and Israel to create formal MOUs. I’m flying to Berlin to review how they do incubators and to provide them with some best practices.
Not bad for six guys in a garage.
Five of those six guys got on a plane early the day after the Showcase for our first annual LACI South of the Border Strategic Retreat. Said retreat was held at “Corona Adobe” and “Little Big Sur”, both in Puerto Vallarta of course. First reports indicate no brain cells lost due to alcohol poisoning (though all the tests aren’t back yet), intense strategic discussions took place in between snorkeling, drinking, eating, and repairing my motorcycle, one jelly fish sting was incurred during an underwater expedition, and we found out that several of the team had pretty good pitching arms. All in all, we did a lot of work on vision, mission, strategy, business model, revenue-generation programs…
JW Marriott is a pretty happening place as its part of the Staples Center/Nokia Theatre/LA Live complex. I’ve never needed a drink more than the night the Showcase ended. Unless it was the night before the Showcase:)
LA’s new Mayor, Eric Garcetti, gave his first green economy speech at the Showcase and it was stellar. You don’t get to be Mayor of a large city without being able to woo a crowd.
Around the world in one day. We held presentations on the cleantech markets of 20+ countries from China to Chile. This is the German market presentation.
All aboard for Mexico. Ian Harris, Neal Anderson and I on the way to LAX.
Strategic Retreat begins discussing our vision, appropriately on the observation deck of Corona Adobe. Left from semi circle: Ian Gardner, Erik Steeb, Ian Harris, and Neal Anderson. The crew was overheard quickly reaching agreement, “Walti doesn’t know shit about cleantech, but he knows how to throw a strategic retreat…”
Culture is important for any organization’s health. Here, Ian #1 and Neal stand outside one of the art galleries we cruised.
An effective organizational vision needs to take into account many different views. The Strategic Retreat advances to LBS to get another such perspective.
LBS, our palapa in the jungle south of PV, was still standing after almost a year of non-use. Of course, during that year we put new support beams under the floor, repaired the railings, rebuilt the outside bedroom, repaired the refrigerator, and fastened the toilet to the floor again. This is a picture of the entrance. Front decks are on the other side.
Green, very green. The path to the “big beach” is luscious after a summer of rain. Hose across the path is our life line water supply to the mountain spring miles away. We had a lot of water interruption problems during our two days at LBS.