Kidnap Capital World Tour
Palo Alto, California
A Few Days Later, Sometime in February, 2013
The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions
Now it's getting really dicey. I'm back on Terra Firma, and I've just returned from dinner at a real PA spot, Palo Alto Sol. Let's get this straight: Little Missy has been coming to this quaint Puebla bistro for almost three decades. But Mark Zuckerberg discovered it! And he got the place to offer his version of chicken soup (so not Mexican). Never mind. I am home, and already Stanford has sent out a form, asking my opinion of the trip? First and foremost, what did I like best? And way down the list, What can be improved? Well, for starters, I will be sending Stanford the link to my blog and they can figure it out themselves! Which they may not as they are linked to the Development Office!
If you have been following the blog, you know that Stanford pulled some fast ones on us. And to be fair, they pulled some fast ones on Saudi Arabia! Saudi Arabia thought they were dealing with a group of ambassadors from Stanford University, when in fact it was a group of privileged, seasoned travelers, some with no connections to Stanford at all, just fun loving well-connected people who signed on to go to some "hard to reach places". And for the record, in case I didn't make myself clear enough, Saudi Arabia sucks. We went to a Science and Technology Center (OMG), and someone from the royal family was on the stage namedropping poor John Etchemendy, the provost of Stanford who I have known forever since we were almost kids and my former husband was mentoring him. That little incident caused me such anguish that I had to retreat to my room at the Riyadh Four Seasons for the next thirty six hours, missing the visit to nowhere in the desert which required a full day and a jet. Then we got duped into spending time in Cyprus, a real joke, when we were supposed to be in Beirut. The UK security team could have dropped us off and picked us up if overnighting the jet was an issue. But maybe for them it was an issue! It was a planning issue, and Stanford blew it. Then there was Dakar! Probably the most embarrassing stop of all, with all of us privileged ones flagrantly driving out of town with a berserk Senegal police motorcycle unit to a village to look at a Stanford affiliated eduction program. Oh Christ Almighty, No Way I thought! Just look at the clothes and the gorgeous people and pretend this is a movie! " I cried it was so moving", some of the women in the group were saying when we returned to the hotel. "That's what you were supposed to do", I said. Then, I got the reputation for being Cynical! Woe is me! You can't please everyone. Boohoo!
The staff was great, the people on the trip were great and no one really complained. The itinerary was dynamo, but hard to completely honor. Would I do this trip again? That's what Stanford really wants to know. And who would I recommend this travel program to? Little Missy is not saying! A woman has to have some mystery!
Finally, Here is a direct quote (with only the names changed) from the New York Times about the infamous divorcee, Carol, who attached herself to me and would not detach until Andria and Paul rescued me with their constant friendship: Harold and Carol had everything that money could buy. They took exciting vacations, owned several homes and 18 cars, and surrounded themselves with fine art.
I have changed the names but you get the picture. Money does not buy happiness! And I did have a good time! Stanford did not lie about one thing. It was "The World Less Explored". Now I have to return to reality. The mail is piled high with bills to pay, calls to be made, appointments and dates to be kept. My flight mate on the way home was Sue. She wears a gold bracelet that her mother gave her when she was young. It is engraved with the one thing I am taking away from the Less Traveled World:
To Thine Own Self Be True
Palo Alto, California
A Few Days Later, Sometime in February, 2013
The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions
Now it's getting really dicey. I'm back on Terra Firma, and I've just returned from dinner at a real PA spot, Palo Alto Sol. Let's get this straight: Little Missy has been coming to this quaint Puebla bistro for almost three decades. But Mark Zuckerberg discovered it! And he got the place to offer his version of chicken soup (so not Mexican). Never mind. I am home, and already Stanford has sent out a form, asking my opinion of the trip? First and foremost, what did I like best? And way down the list, What can be improved? Well, for starters, I will be sending Stanford the link to my blog and they can figure it out themselves! Which they may not as they are linked to the Development Office!
If you have been following the blog, you know that Stanford pulled some fast ones on us. And to be fair, they pulled some fast ones on Saudi Arabia! Saudi Arabia thought they were dealing with a group of ambassadors from Stanford University, when in fact it was a group of privileged, seasoned travelers, some with no connections to Stanford at all, just fun loving well-connected people who signed on to go to some "hard to reach places". And for the record, in case I didn't make myself clear enough, Saudi Arabia sucks. We went to a Science and Technology Center (OMG), and someone from the royal family was on the stage namedropping poor John Etchemendy, the provost of Stanford who I have known forever since we were almost kids and my former husband was mentoring him. That little incident caused me such anguish that I had to retreat to my room at the Riyadh Four Seasons for the next thirty six hours, missing the visit to nowhere in the desert which required a full day and a jet. Then we got duped into spending time in Cyprus, a real joke, when we were supposed to be in Beirut. The UK security team could have dropped us off and picked us up if overnighting the jet was an issue. But maybe for them it was an issue! It was a planning issue, and Stanford blew it. Then there was Dakar! Probably the most embarrassing stop of all, with all of us privileged ones flagrantly driving out of town with a berserk Senegal police motorcycle unit to a village to look at a Stanford affiliated eduction program. Oh Christ Almighty, No Way I thought! Just look at the clothes and the gorgeous people and pretend this is a movie! " I cried it was so moving", some of the women in the group were saying when we returned to the hotel. "That's what you were supposed to do", I said. Then, I got the reputation for being Cynical! Woe is me! You can't please everyone. Boohoo!
The staff was great, the people on the trip were great and no one really complained. The itinerary was dynamo, but hard to completely honor. Would I do this trip again? That's what Stanford really wants to know. And who would I recommend this travel program to? Little Missy is not saying! A woman has to have some mystery!
Finally, Here is a direct quote (with only the names changed) from the New York Times about the infamous divorcee, Carol, who attached herself to me and would not detach until Andria and Paul rescued me with their constant friendship: Harold and Carol had everything that money could buy. They took exciting vacations, owned several homes and 18 cars, and surrounded themselves with fine art.
I have changed the names but you get the picture. Money does not buy happiness! And I did have a good time! Stanford did not lie about one thing. It was "The World Less Explored". Now I have to return to reality. The mail is piled high with bills to pay, calls to be made, appointments and dates to be kept. My flight mate on the way home was Sue. She wears a gold bracelet that her mother gave her when she was young. It is engraved with the one thing I am taking away from the Less Traveled World:
To Thine Own Self Be True
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