http://www.robertrankin.org a site/blog/list by robert rankin Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:23:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Despite the ridiculous traffic in Saigon, I have decided that the best way to get around is on two wheels. (of course). My new two wheels are connected to a 1967 Vespa Super - 150cc. Check it out. Couple more pics on flickr. Incidently, about 30 minutes after I snapped these ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=142 This weekend, my company is refurbishing the office. The works... new carpet, new desks, new partitions, chairs, walls... Everything! Leading up to the this, they have offered all existing furniture to the staff at extremely low prices... like $10 for a desk, $6 for a chair, etc. The past few ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=141 Well.. after a year and a half.. I think I'm just about at the end of my tour leading career. So what's next? I do like my company, Travel Indochina, and I'm quite happy to spend some more time living here in Asia. So when an opportunity came up a few ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=140 Gettin' dusty 'round here, eh? Anyone still look here? I have been chasing clients all around Indochina for the past 2 months. Had some great tours, and some hard ones. A good Christmas and better New Years. I have worked every day in January except for one, and will work every day ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=139 Have you heard about the crisis in Burma? Burma is ruled by one of the worst military dictatorships in the world. This week Buddhist monks and nuns began marching and chanting prayers to call for democracy. The protests spread and hundreds of thousands of Burmese people joined in -- ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=138 Last week, I took my tour group on one of the fastest trains in the world, the Shanghai Maglev. At 430km/hr, it's a new record for me. (Hey SNART, can we use this technology at Maxton?) Here's a video and some pics. The start: The train: The speed: The ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=137 Three months and no update. Any self-respecting blogger would be ashamed. Good thing I don't have that holding me back.. Kidding. Sorry folks. Been busy and just not in the mood to write. I do have some cool pics coming up in the next couple days.. assuming I can't get around the ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=136 Hi Friends, Sorry for the delay, I have been on the road. I have just finished up the holy grail of tours - The Silk Road. It's 19 days in China from Beijing in the east all the way to Kashgar in XinJiang Province in the west - that's near the ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=135 I’ve been attracted to Chinese paintings for a while now. My favorites are usually those of landscapes, bamboo or flowers depicted in as few strokes as possible. Last week I visited the very wonderful Shanghai Museum and saw the following flower and leaf series by Wu Changshuo. http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=127 My Job in China is different than in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, we, as tour leaders have loads of support. My company’s main Asian office is there and if I have any problem’s I just call Queen Hang in the Saigon office and miraculously she fixes everything. I ... http://www.robertrankin.org/?p=133