Bay Area and Occupying Wall Street


When we came back to work after our wedding, Bastian got directly on a plane to the US for a 12-day business trip. The first part of the travel took him to the Bay area. He stayed over the weekend and met with some of our friends that we haven't seen since moving from San Francisco to Singapore. 

Weather was great and what could be nicer than a walk through Presidio Heights, one of San Francisco's nicest neighborhoods. Of course, catching up with 'best man' Arthur was on the agenda as well! Like back in the days, they went out to Ozumos, one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. Of course, the 'Mirror of Truth' Sake was quickly ordered... 

To sober up in the morning, Bastian walked over to the Ferry Building and got a coffee and a delicious waffle. Yamie... Seeing those pictures makes me miss the Bay Area!

Next stop was Austin, the capital city of Texas. Unfortunately, he had only half a day there and flew on to New York. As a proof of being there, Bastian took a picture of the Capitol of Texas building with his Blackberry camera...

Next stop: New York, the city of dreams... Bastian stayed in a hotel in Jersey City overlooking Manhattan side. 

Every morning, he changed train at the World Trade Center Station passing by the 9/11 memorial as well as the The New World of Trade Center which is currently being rebuild.

New York's Financial district was like a high security prison, locked up with fences and full of policemen ready to take care of anyone that wanted to 'Occupy Wall Street'.  

Pretty funny, when a delegation of Chinese was proudly posing in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Careful... Maybe they are slowly occupying Wall Street. 

Our firm's office just moved into a new space across Bryant Park. Its at a high floor and has great views of the cityscape of New York...

A typical day in the New York office... Hard hard work! 

Before heading to the airport, 5th Avenue 'the most expensive street in the world' was on the itinerary. Its a busy place, full of energy and a complete change to the calm and serene lifestyle in Austin and San Francisco. 

Walking by the Apple store, there were hundreds of people paying tribute to Steve Jobs who passed away a day before. 

Fans were laying down flowers and apples remembering the amazing life of Steve Jobs, someone our generation grew up with... 

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Honeymoon or "Luxury and Adventure"


It was a wonderful wedding, but after month and month of preparation we were ready for our honeymoon...  Our friends Jolie and Fabian came with us and we beforehand agreed on the theme of our honeymoon: It should be "Luxury and Adventure"! We decided to fly to Vietnam where we found just that... 

The Nam Hai, a 5-star luxury hotel near Hoi An at the China Beach, was the perfect getaway to relax and recharge. Beyond the private pools and palm trees are views of endless blue sea and, in the distance, the Cham Islands: It was magical!!! 

The weather through the entire stay was perfect and the girls enjoyed one of many day at the huge infinity pools... We just couldn't get enough of it.

The resort comprises 60 exclusive villas along a one kilometer stretch of China Beach, voted by Forbes magazine as one of the 'Top 10 Beaches in the World'. 

From our villa we had a sea view and could hear the waves, watch sunrise, sunset. The pool villas come with a butler... Heaven on earth!!!

We thought... wow... this is really nice, but why don't have a little more luxury... how about a private dinner at the beach. Quickly, the staff prepared a fabulous seafood barbecue and we were starting to feel home in the Nam Hai!!!

Next morning, we woke up early to get a glimpse of the rising sun. Small fisherboats passed by, an idyllic setting so calm and quiet.

The girls started playing around with their cameras and we took a lot of fun shots at the beach. The early morning sunlight was just perfect for that.

Too much early morning action made us hungry and we enjoyed the Nam Hai breakfast with all its variety. Yammmmmmmieeeee!!!

In the afternoon, we headed to historic Hoi An which is only 20 minutes away from the Nam Hai. Its a beautiful city and its Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next day was back to adventure again... We hired a private boat and headed out to Cham Islands which is great for snorkeling and diving.

The dives were exhausting and we made a stop at the Cham Island Restaurant followed by a walk across the island. We snacked some grilled muscles fresh from the sea...

We walked across the Island down to the fishing village... The island is green and lush, full of monkeys and other wildlife.

We rounded up our day full of watersport activities with a jet ski ride...  

Next day, the girls signed up for a cooking class at the Nam Hai. Of course, before you can start cooking you have to buy the ingredients... We went to the local market market in Hoi An and bought fresh food... really fresh food ;-) 

While Bastian digested what he had just seen, Evelyn and Jolie started cooking and prepared a number of delicious traditional dishes. We really enjoyed the Vietnamese kitchen and when I see the photos, I instantly get hungry again...

To get rid of unnecessary calories, Bastian and Fabian reserved the afternoon for golf at the Montgomerie Links, probably the best golf course in Vietnam...

With their two caddies, they looked really professional... Not sure, if Tiger Woods would stand a chance against those two golf pros!

It was so much fun and although Jolie and I never played before, we started hitting a few balls as well! Not so bad for the first time...