Maxi visits China (July 2010)

Shanghai is only a short 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo. We took the convenient and fast bullet train Shinkansen Nozomi 700 from Nagoya to Tokyo before taking off to China. We spent five days in sunny and super hot Shanghai where we visited the World Expo, Yuyuan Temple and Gardens, the modern Pudong district, the Bund and the Unesco World Heritage Sites of Suzhou.

The World Expo site is majestically located along the Huangpo river in the middle of Shanghai, easily accessible via river ferry, subway or taxi. The outside shape of almost all Pavilions is architecturally very interesting, so it was still a delight for the eyes even though the long wait held us from getting into some of the Pavilions (10 hours for Saudi Arabia, 7 hours for Germany, 5 hours for Korea, 4 hours for Japan). Luckily, some pavilions offered priority entrance for families with babies. We were very lucky to get quick access to the China Pavilion which normally requires reservations one day in advance. The security guards let us into the Pavilion only because they thought Maximilian was cute! One could easily spent 10 days visiting all Pavilions since they all have interesting exhibits, great authentic restaurants and souvenir shops. While we enjoyed the outside architecture of all pavilions we were only able to visit the inside exhibits of China, Australia, Italy, Africa, Cambodia, Philippines, Cuba, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile, USA and Japan's Corporate Pavilion in two very long days. The Chinese really loved Maximilian and stopped very frequently to take pictures of him - he felt like a star!

Our hotel was in walking distance of the beautiful Yuyuan temple and gardens of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. A picturesque and vibrant local shopping district, where our friend Asarel helped us bargain for low prices, was near our hotel as well. Asarel, whose husband is working as an expatriate for Bosch in Wuxi and who used to live in Nagoya, invited us to celebrate Father's day at her new home in Suzhou. Suzhou is one of the oldest towns in the Yangtze basin, founded in 600 BC and is referred to as "The Venice of China" with its interconnected waterways and Unesco World Heritage river walk.

We viewed Shanghai from the Sky Walk located on the 100th floor of the Financial Center. The Sky Walk floors and side walls are made of glass and are currently the world's highest observatory! We took a romantic evening river cruise along the colorful night lights and strolled along the Bund, Shanghai's international waterfront (it's architecture reminded us of Paris' "Rive Gauche"). These vibrant and colorful impressions of Shanghai left us feeling nostalgic, thinking that we will return someday to see the many other sites that this city, with its historic vicinity, has to offer. Nevertheless, we were also looking forward to getting to our next destination – Hainan Island.

Hainan is known as the Hawaii of China and deserves to be China's number one honeymoon destination with its tropical vegetation, warm climate, soft beaches and clear warm waters. Yalong Bay is a very nicely manicured resort area with lush green vegetation and beautiful tropical flowers. The gardens of the Hilton resort have lots of Mango, Papaya and Banana trees. We enjoyed fresh coconuts directly from the resort's garden every morning. The pool and lagoon area was beautiful and we thought Maxi would grow webbed feet since he spent many hours in the pool every day. The beach was bright and the ocean was turquoise blue and warm. We were fortunate to meet the Hilton resort's General Manager who even cooked dinner for us at the best restaurant on location and invited Tony to play golf in a nearby private golf resort. We had a really relaxing and nice time in Hainan Island and did not want to leave at all. Luckily we had one more interesting stop on our way home waiting for us: Hong Kong.

Hong Kong greeted us with great weather. We had a fantastic view of its impressive skyline and picturesque peaks and bays during landing. Hong Kong is a perfect merger of East meets West. It has lots to offer with its vibrant business and harbor district on one side of the island as well as its quiet and lush seaside. We enjoyed the nightly light show and Soho's nightlife along the world's longest escalator as well as a relaxing seaside afternoon in Repulse Bay. Three days were not enough to enjoy all of Hong Kong's sites and we hope to be able to visit again.

Please click on this link below for more photographs:

http://picasaweb.google.com/atmunoz/China2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKzBgsKB9pnvBg&feat=email#

Maxi goes to the Japanese Lowrider Car Show

We attended the Japanese Lowrider Car Show in Nagoya, Japan this past May. It is amazing how the American automobile and the Latino/Chicano culture is embraced by the Japanese. The pictures tell the story....

Japanese Driver's License

Do you remember when you applied for your first driver’s license? Do you remember the day when you took your first driving test? I took the Japanese driving test last week. Up to this point in time I was driving under the authority of my international driver’s license but it will expire in a few days. However, by law, I am now required to have a Japanese driver’s license.

It is very difficult to pass the driving test in Japan. About 6 out of 10 people fail the test the first time around. A lot of time is required to get a license. One day was spent taking the written test. Another day was spent taking an optional driving test. Today I spent 5 hours at the Hirabari driving center waiting in lines and completing forms before taking the actual driving test.

I think the test is hard to pass because the Japanese are sticklers for detail. Most of the general, common sense rules are the same as in the U.S. but there are a few things that are different in Japan. There is a proper way and order of getting into and out of the car. When chaning lanes you have to look first in your rear view mirror and then the side mirror and then look forward and then change lanes. Nevertheless, you need to get every detail correct, or you will fail. Also, you are required to memorize the driving course route to boot.

My test appointment was scheduled for 11:40 PM. At 11:50 AM the 10 students in my test group were allowed to walk the driving course. The driving test started at 12:45 PM. Our names were called and we all lined up in numerical order, waiting to drive the car. We each completed the route one by one. After each person was finished driving, the test manager briefed each one of us on what we did wrong. I was getting worried while I was waiting because I learned that many of the test takers did not pass the test the first time around. One guy from Nigeria had failed the test seven times – no kidding ! Another guy from Sri Lanka was taking the test for the third time – yikes. Another guy from California told me that I could almost be guaranteed that I would not pass the first time around. This made me relax a bit.

Bye the way, an interesting note for all you Bruin fans, this guy from California looked a bit familiar. He was about 6 feet 9 inches tall and wearing a UCLA jacket. I asked him his name and he said JR… Then it dawned on me that he was JR Henderson (now known as J. R. Sakuragi, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._Sakuragi) who played on the UCLA NCAA championship team in 1995. Wow, what a nice surprise to meet another fellow bruin at the Hirabari driving center in Nagoya, Japan of all places. I chatted with J.R. about the good old days of UCLA Basketball.

I made a few mistakes on the driving course and was almost certain that I would not pass the test. My test group was required to go back to a waiting room at 3:15 to hear the test results. I felt like I was in the grammer school once again.

I got back to the waiting room at 3:16 PM just as my name was being called. I was then ushered into the next waiting room along with JR and six of the other foreigners. I was preparing myself for bad the news. However, the guy from Brazil told me congratulations. I was surprised because he informed me that I had passed the test. I was ushered into the room where photos are taken for the driver’s license. Everyone in the room was smiling and celebrating because they had passed the test. I gave a high five to JR and told him that we needed to do a true blue UCLA 8-clap and he laughed.

Anyway, I was relieved that the ordeal was over. A lot of time, effort, and money are involved in getting a driver’s license in Japan. Now I am legal. Bye the way, Bettina did not have to take the driving test. Bettina's license was issued on the spot because there is an agreement between the German and Japanese Governments to not require a written or driving test.

-Tony "Munuyosu"

Japanese Driver's License

Do you remember when you applied for your first driver’s license? Do you remember the day when you took your first driving test? I took the Japanese driving test today. Up to this point in time I was driving under the authority of my international driver’s license. However, by law, I am now required to have a Japanese driver’s license. This is not to mention the fact that my international driver’s license is going to expire in a few weeks.
It is very difficult to pass the driving test in Japan. About 6 out of 10 people fail the test the first time around. A lot of time is required to get a license. One day was spent taking the written test. Another day was spent taking an optional driving test. Today I spent 5 hours at the Hirabari driving center waiting in lines and completing forms before taking the actual driving test.

I think the test is hard to pass because the Japanese are sticklers for detail. Most of the general, common sense rules are the same as in the U.S. but there are a few things that were different. There is a proper way and order of getting into and out of the car. Nevertheless, you to get every detail correct, or you will fail. Also, you are required to memorize the driving course route to boot.

My test appointment was scheduled for 11:40 PM. At 11:50 AM the 10 students in my test group were allowed to walk the driving course. The driving test started at 12:45 PM. Our names were called and we all lined up in numerical order, waiting to drive the car. We each completed the route one by one. After each person was finished driving, the test manager briefed each one of us on what we did wrong. I was getting worried while I was waiting because I learned that many of the test takers did not pass the test the first time around. One guy from Nigeria had failed the test seven times – no kidding ! Another guy from Sri Lanka was taking the test for the third time – yikes. Another guy from California told me that I could almost be guaranteed that I would not pass the first time around. This made me relax a bit. This guy from California looked a bit familiar. He was about 6 feet 9 inches tall and wearing a UCLA jacket. I asked him his name and he said JR… Then it dawned on me that he was JR Henderson (now known as J. R. Sakuragi, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._Sakuragi) who played on the UCLA NCAA championship team in 1995. Wow, what a nice surprise to meet another fellow bruin at the Hirabari driving center in Nagoya, Japan. I chatted with J.R. about the good old days of UCLA Basketball.

I made a few mistakes on the driving course and was almost certain that I would not pass the test. My test group was required to go back to a waiting room at 3:15 to hear the test results.

I got back to the waiting room at 3:16 PM just as my name was being called. I was then ushered into the next waiting room along with JR and six of the other foreigners. I was preparing myself for bad the news. However, the guy from Brazil told me congratulations. I was surprised. I was ushered into the room where photos are taken for the driver’s license. Everyone in the room was smiling and celebrating because they had passed the test. I gave a high five to JR and told him that we needed to do a true blue UCLA 8-clap and he laughed.

Anyway, I was relieved that the ordeal was over. A lot of time, effort, and money is involved in getting a driver’s license in Japan. Now I am legal.

Maxi goes to Germany II

Maximilian and Mama are back in the Motherland. I am sure Maximilian is now confused and not sure what language to speak. Maximilian is speaking a lot of jibberish these days. It sounds part English, German, and Japanese. And the Spanish lessons will be coming soon...

Maximilian with Mama at the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin.

Maximilian with Grandpa and Jutta in their Berlin Flat.

Maximilian at Checkpoint Charlie on the lookout for Soviet troops.

Maximilian and Mama at home in the Chiemsee.

Professor Maximilian reaching for his eye glasses so that he can inspect the painting.

Maximilian taking a stroll along the river in Salzburg, Austria (near Lake Chiemsee). Where is Motzart Street? (Grandma Bruni is in the background).



Maximilian training for the Luge event in 2030 Winter Olympics. (Jah - das ist toll)

Maximilian reading with Grandma Bruni.