The Triple Bottom Line

My short stint for training in Kuala Lumpur was interesting and inspiring. The seminar was on standardization and certification for the tourism and hospitality industry. The program works in a holistic triple-bottom-line approach considering the economic, ecological and social dimension of sustainability of different kinds of operations. It measures the performance against industry and sector best practices and aims at carbon reduction and the enhanced consideration of community needs in the industry. It was exactly what I was looking for and I will definitely continue to pursue further trainings and research on the topic. Apart from the seminar with nice facilitators and participants I haven't seen much of the city. KL felt a bit like a less developed Singapore. Also it was quite strange being in a country for the first time (except for English speaking countries) where I could speak enough of the language for basic conversation (Malay is similar to Indonesian) and negotiations of fair taxi prices. It seems that the locals are crazy about shopping, at least to judge from the fact that there are so many oversized shopping malls. I enjoyed mainly the food, from a fat quarter-pounder at McD to the vegetarian corner of a food court offering the culinary delights of the destination. There was tofu, Tempe, cabbage rolls and all sorts of sautéed vegetables which came with steamed rice and delicious sauces. Malay food is definitely one of my favorites. Having had two hours on the way to the airport for my departure flight I went to the national museum near the central station in retrospect of my time at the seminar for Southeast Asian studies at the University of Bonn. I am missing academic life!

  KL's landmark - the twin towers at night

 two workers painting an old facade on Jalan Pudu

a tower seen from Jalan Bukit Bintang

  shopping centers and consumerism in Malaysia

 Chinese restaurant in Jalan Imbi

  dining and nightlife in the city is said to be superb

 

McD in Petaling area / China Town

 

 vegetarian corner at one of the food courts of ...

...the malls of the multi-cultural city

 

 a Chinese tea shop in Petaling area / China Town

 

 Chinese calligraphy brushes and bamboo containers

a Hindu temple in Petaling area during a walk...

 ...along the arcades and through the backstreets...

 ... and past backdoors of the old Chinese shop houses of Petaling Street.

 

 Muzium Negara - the national museum...

 ...with prehistoric relics from the region...

 ....that was once intereconnected by land masses...

 

 ...and later trade routes, and which is today one of the most dynamic of the world.

On the move

Over the last months I have spent my rare leisure time writing articles for academic journals until late night. Also I started doing something good for me and go to the gym again at least twice a week and use the pool as much as I can, almost every day for at least 20 minutes. I am now for the first time holding an official work permit for Vietnam and am also a permanent resident of the Socialist Republic. I still enjoy the lovely place that I am living at and learn much at work and beyond. Other than that there is nothing much new, except possibly for the fact that the next months will be quite some traveling. I just arrived in Kuala Lumpur for an EarthCheck workshop which I will attend to learn more about sustainability and carbon reduction in the tourism and hospitality industry. It will be a good investment with regard to working in this direction in the future. I am on the move again.

In May, there will be a trip with business partners to Laos and Cambodia which will for sure be interesting. I haven't been to Laos and it is one of the few countries in the world where time seems to have stood still. The capital Vientiane is said to be a tranquil town whereas other Southeast Asian major cities are usually downright the opposite. Another few days with meetings in Bangkok will follow. In June finally I will go on my long-desired trip to Bali with many plans for the stay. As in Saigon not much has happened over the last months and life consisted mainly of work, and a few nice weekends at home and on the shore, below just some impressions from everyday life in Saigon:

(9^th April 2011)

 new high rise over old houses, the commercial word kills all originality

 

on level 49 inside the new Bitexco financial tower - tallest building in the country

 

livingroom above the city

 

Saigon central from the top

District 4 from above

rush hour slowly starting on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street

view from the tower to Binh Thanh District, with my apartment on the river-island indicated

 

my home resort seen from the river upon a sunset cruise

a bridge over one of the arms or Saigon River not far from my place

a mystic water temple somewhere in the outskirts of Saigon between Binh Thanh and Thu Duc

the city is ever growing and property developments replace mangroves and palms...

...as the economy is accelerating at unseen speed

the new skyline at night, a city and the whole world steering into an unpredictable future

 

in between on Pham Ngu Lao Avenue an old circus…

…telling the story of the Vietnamese people

people here can sleep anywhere, anyway, a non-spectacular example

a hotel lobby in Ho Chi Minh City: cooling dowm the air temperature by 10 degree Celsius for air-conditioning and then burning oil for design purposes - environmental sins in the hospitality industry

a short surf trip to Vung Tau, 5am waves viewed from the hotel room

a truckload full of ice midnight on a street in downtown Saigon

everything under control