Adam in the blogosphere

Take a moment to visit Adam's other blog, Gadfly, which takes an irreverent approach to examining Harvard and world news.

www.thisisgadfly.com

San Francisco, Last Stop!

The Harvard Din & Tonics World Tour 2006 is officially over. Many tears of bittersweet joy, nostalgia and appreciation have been collectively shed in the Brondfield residence, the home base for our final tour stop back in the USA. I have never felt so loved, happy, proud and honored to be a Din and particularly one of the Dins of 2006. These guys really have become my best friends in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you to the many parents, tour contacts, Dins and others who have made this unbelievable experience possible. And more than just possible - incredible.

It's been an incredible journey. How will we ever recover?

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Three hours till I head back to Singapore. Yay jetlag and trans-Pacific flights!

This is the end...

Created at world66.com, here's a map of the countries we visited on World Tour 2006. We just gave our last concert to a completely full house of family, friends, and alums at Town School here in San Francisco. Today is the last official day of tour, and tomorrow we all fly home. I, for one, am in a state of total shock. Did we really just go all the way around the world??

In Dindom,
165

Australia

Hey everyone! Sorry for not having posted so long. I poured a great deal of effort into a prodigiously long and detailed entry in Kyoto, and was happy to have a nice record of what was quite possibly my favorite tour stop. However, being rather compulsive, I noticed a comma in front of a "however" rather than a semi-colon, or something equally unremarkable, and could not proceed until I had changed it. However, the computer was entirely in Japanese, and while I thought I had pressed the button corresponding to "edit", I had in fact hit the button corresponding to "delete." Despite my best recovery efforts, this testament to my time in Kyoto has vanished into cyber-oblivion. I was so devastated that it has taken me until now to regain the motivation and spiritual fortitude to write an entry.
Anyway, now we're in Sydney, and are unfortunately leaving for the airport in about eight hours. Other Dins have written about the other tour stops, so I'll just briefly recount some experiences from down under. Some Dins and myself spent a couple of nights hanging out in various parts of the city. The first night, we went to the Harbor, saw the Opera House, wandered around the Rocks (a historic area; apparently the first settled area and hence the site of the oldest buildings), and even went to a Belgian Beer cafe. And I must confess, their selection of Belgian beers was more extensive than anything we had seen in Belgium. The prices, however, were similarly magnified. The next evening was a dinner party for the Harvard Club, during which we all met some very interesting and friendly people, and sang for our supper. I spent one day at Bondi Beach, where I walked along the cliffs to Bronte Beach, and was treated with an endless and breathtaking view of the coastline. It brought to mind the Hill of Howthe overlooking Dublin Bay, which some of us experienced what seems like ages ago during our first tour stop, and seemed an appropriate bookend in a long series of beautiful landscapes around the globe.
The following day, I took off on a train to the Blue Mountains, to a tiny village called Wentworth Falls. Two hours later, I disembarked and set off to find the trailhead. After cutting through some parking lots and walking along some highways, I found the Blue Mountains National Park. I planned my route, and swiftly deviated from it (unintentionally) as I am wont to do. The scenery was gorgeous, with sweeping views of the Blue Mountains, waterfalls, rainforest, cliffs, and a wide variety of colorful birds. I returned to Sydney that evening exhausted, and promptly fell asleep. The next morning, the mountains called irresistably, and I hopped aboard a much earlier train, intent on exploring more of Wentworth Falls. I took the Valley of the Waters trail (which snakes downward through a series of gorgeous waterfalls) to the National Pass (which is a narrow path cut into the rock along the side of the cliffs), and took Slacks Steps (a large series of ladders which descends from the top of the cliffs down into the valley) to Wentworth Pass (which is a more rugged trail through the rainforested valley beneath the cliffs and waterfalls). Upon reaching the end of the Wentworth Pass, I decided to veer to the left and try my luck at finding Vera Falls. The sign and various guidebooks said the following: "Expert. High level of fitness and navigational skills required. Minimum of three in a group. Do not proceed unless accompanied by an experienced navigator. Inform police of destination and approximate arrival times." Let's see...I'm certainly no expert. My "navigational skills" render me virtually incapable of finding my way down the street to my own house. There was only one in my group, and there was a noted lack of an experienced navigator. And only two hours of daylight remaining. But hey, you only live once. So on I went. It ended up being a lovely trail, rugged but not impassable, and easy enough to follow with the little arrows I carved for myself in the questionable spots. Previous bushwalkers had also left a fairly well-blazed trail in addition to various markers, so I had a wonderful time in a very tranquil area of rainforest and waterfalls. I even saw a brilliantly-colored pair of what looked like parrots, nibbling on some seeds a mere yard away from me, in addition to the swarms of cockatoos and colorful little birds flitting about the branches and ferns. On the train-ride home, I had a long conversation with an elderly Australian man wearing various military medals who was returning from a commemoration of the Battle of Long Tan in Vietnam, in which a number of Australian soldiers were killed. His opinion of LBJ, as well as of that of Dubyah, were of course rather low. He was very friendly, though, and ended up describing his dog, who was going to be waiting in the car at the train station with his wife. "Her name is Lily. L-I-L-Y. She's about this big. Boy, do I love that dog." Nice guy.
Upon returning, the Greiners (our wonderful hosts whom Ricardo described briefly) had left a note saying to meet them at a nearby Chinese restaurant. I threw on a sweater and a blazer, and dashed off to a lovely dinner. Sydney may not have been the most eventful tour stop, or the most exotic, but the scenery and the city are beautiful, and we have met some truly wonderful people.
So, that'll do it for my entry on Australia. I hope you're all doing well, and have a great rest of your summer!

Bali and Australia

The last two weeks of tour have been my favorite because it's a nice way to unwind from the craziness that was Singapore. I mean...singing for 4 hours a day for 3 days in a row was nice and all, and getting great food from Mrs. Yeo and the Singapore Hilton was a nice perk, I'd much rather sit on a beach all day and tan/burn...in fact, that is just what I did in Bali.
When we arrived in Bali, we were welcomed by two signs. The first was located just inside the airport and read: "WELCOME TO BALI, mandatory DEATH PENALTY for drug smugglers." The second one, though not as straightforward, greeted us at the Swiss Grand Bali, and read: "Welcome Harvard University Students." Obviously, I preferred the latter of the two as it held no mention of death...or drugs. The hotel we stayed at was incredible, and reminded me of the open-air hotels of Mexico. Shortly after arriving to the hotel, Evan and I were bussed to the hotel's beach, where we walked along the beach and tried to swim a little (due to the low tide, the water was extremely far away). In Bali, I roomed with Mr. Wise, which is not the greatest idea. This is not because we disagree or argue or anything...it's because out of all of the dins...we are the ones who love sleeping the most. I think at all times in Bali, one of us was in the room sleeping. The next day, we all (except for Wise who was sleeping) went to the beach to lie out in the sun. Some people got massages for something like $5 an hour, while the rest of us got sunburns for FREE! I, having learned my lesson (kinda) from Athens, took the sun in moderation and only got slightly burned, but Jeff Barnett wasn't so lucky. Having no gigs in Bali was a plus, allowing all of us to stay up late, wake up late, and go out late. The more adventurous dins tried some street food for an incredible price of $.50...however they paid for it later...if you know what I mean...ahem ahem...nudge nudge... (these people were Wise and Yeo btw). We also went to Kuta where there was a shopping district where we tried our skills at haggling. Several of us bought movies, video games, belts, and other last second gifts for friends and relatives at these shops and justified the purchases by saying "had we bought it in the US...it would have been 10x more expensive." All in all...Bali was the most relaxing tour stop ever...except for Garuda. As we stood in line at the airport to leave Bali, Garuda (the airline) kindly informed us that the luggage limit for all passengers was 20kg, and that the overweight charge was $5 per kg. Now, that may not seem so outlandish, however, I last weighed my bags in at 44kg (the size of a small whale) and was not about to be charged close to $100. After fruitlessly arguing with them about how other airlines had made exceptions and this and that, I unloaded one entire suitcase into a carry on (which is able to expand to the size of a suitcase) and weighed the bags again...35kg. I took it and went and paid my fee of $75 only to be informed that they had just raised the limit to 30kg, so I had to void the receipt, and pay again. My troubles might have been over, but when I went through customs, the garment bag that I had unceremoniously forced 1 overcoat, 3 suit jackets, and my tails into, exploded, so I had to shove that into a backpack and get on the plain.

well...now that I’ve vented, I can talk about Australia. We arrived in Australia (having traveled since 9AM Australia time) at 6AM. We flew Singapore Airlines though, so we were all extremely comfortable and were kept entertained by 80 different movie channels as well as personal Nintendo players. Evan and I taxi'd to our homestay, where we met our hosts...the former premier of South Whales (husband), and the former governor of Sydney (wife), affirming my suspicious that I have incredible luck with home stays. After taking a brisk walk around centennial park to gather our bearings (though we were both incredibly tired) we fell asleep and succumbed to jet lag. In the afternoon, our host father invited us on a walk, and not wanting to be rude, we accepted. the walk turned into a mini marathon around 2.5 miles...luckily Evan was able to maintain conversation as I was to busy focusing on not dying. That night we made ourselves some sandwiches and pasta and just relaxed in the most familiar stop thus far on tour (however I still get the urge to speak to people very slowly and only in 3 word phrases). The next day I walked to Sydney and back (big mistake...it was like a 4 mile walk) and rested my feet for the rest of the day.

All for now, We all can't wait to get back home to the US!
Ricardo

Bali, stop 21

Time for another rapid-fire travelogue summary!

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Hong Kong, stop 17: Wayne Fu was a lovely, congenial host, I was lucky to stay with him. The city was as exciting and vibrant as I recall, and I was glad to see Fiona again. Jon and I went to Disneyland, which means I've now been to all 4 Disney locations worldwide :) The Fringe Club performances were really fun. I didn't get to do much shopping, although I did make it to the Landmark Tower :D

Guangzhou, stop 18: The Pearl River was beautiful. I actually really liked the city. Too bad there wasn't very much time for sight-seeing. The concert was a lot of fun, and people really seemed to enjoy it. We definitely got the rock-star treatment from fans after the show, which was fun for me. The long journey from Guangzhou to Singapore was particularly memorable.

Singapore, stop 19: Home!! Such a busy tour stop, but people generally seemed to like it. We did much press, sang many gigs and sold loads of CDs. Plus we sold out our two Esplanade concerts. That made me very, very happy. That, and seeing so many of my family and friends, even if it was for just a few minutes here and there. And Jon very graciously let me sing a lot for them too. Yay!

Jakarta, stop 20: We sang a very chi-chi poolside soiree, the kind where there are floating candles and fabric-swathed chairs everywhere. Great buffet meals at the boutique hotel. FTV!! Dragonfly was a fantastic club, huge and beautifully-appointed/-populated. It was especially nice that our contact had a reserved table in the best spot in the club.

Bali, stop 21: Just another day in paradise. The beaches are spectacular, and I'm in love with the elegant, finely crafted, tranquil Swiss Grand Bali where we're staying. And the private beach club with masseuses on hand for hour-long massages under palm trees on the white sand beach.

Jakarta at the international school

Why is it that just because a place has the money, they put it all into air conditioning in these tropical countries? We're in Jakarta, Indonesia right now, and I'm writing from a computer in a music classroom, where the A/C is cranked to full blast - I'm in my tails in a ridiculously hot and humid country, and I'm freezing my tush off! Life is so hard.

Things are pretty sweet here. We're getting three meals a day at the hotel, and our contact, Erza, is a producer with amazing contacts in this city and is a lot of fun. He's taking us to his partner's restaurant tomorrow evening (his b-day evening) and then to the happening club in Jakarta, called Dragonfly. Sounds like it will be a great time.

Singapore was truly amazing. Jason did an outstanding job in organizing everything for us, and it was a lot of fun seeing J's hometown and meeting his family (speaking of which, the hospitality is incredible - a bunch of the Dins went to J's church on Sunday, and we were continually driven places by the Yeo's, and fed more food than we could handle. If any of the Yeo's are reading this - a hearty and great thank you!!!).

It's a bit sad that tour is winding down. We have Bali, Sydney and San Francisco left. 14 days=2 weeks, which is a full and long vacation for most people, and yet it feels like nothing to us, since we have spent 2 months and a day so far on this trip. Life is so hard :)

Okay, it's time to step away from the computer and be social. Have fun all - see you soon!

jeff

Indonesia!

This might make me the last Din to post on the blog. Here I am in an internet cafe across the street from our ultra-modern, not-quite-complete hotel. Today marks the two month point of tour! Several of us are eager to get home after spending two months living out of suitcases and duffel bags, and some of us can't believe that we've put two months of tour behind us. I'm going to wake up in my bed in San Francisco the morning after the Dins leave and feel like I dreamed the whole thing. I keep asking myself questions like "Wasn't I just in Munich/Dublin/Shanghai/Tokyo a few weeks ago?" I'm glad I've kept a journal even though writing in it got old very fast.

We celebrated my birthday last week in Hong Kong. Since I have a summer birthday and no one is usually around, this was the first time in about five years that I had a big group of friends with me to celebrate my birthday. And what a random celebration it was: a Russian restaurant in Hong Kong followed by Salsa dancing. "Salsa dancing" belongs in quotation marks because my salsa dancing is not a recognizable dance form.

A catch phrase of tour is "Life is so hard," which we use when we really have no right to complain about anything. A recent example is: "Life is so hard! Why does the delicious buffet breakfast in this 5-star hotel only go until 10:30 instead of 11?" Can't remember who said that one. Anyway, life is so hard. We have to wake up at 6 am to sing two short songs, be fed breakfast, and be adored by many young Indonesian fans. Speaking of concerts at schools, we had an amazing concert at a girls' school in Singapore. Picture more than 1000 girls screaming from start to finish! Most fun concert of the whole tour, in my opinion.

I would write more, but Jeff wants to use the computer, and I need to get to sleep. Jakarta, Bali, Sydney, San Francisco...is that really all that's left of tour??