110708

same as before, more backpacks, and more kimchee, and that's all

super brutal day at the factory yesterday, we recieved 10 packs to review. the process involves measuring and testing and making sure the pack is constructed to design intent; not always an easy task. still haven't gotten out much, the days routine starts with breakfast( kimchee and rice) and the we take a van to the factory and sit in a room going over proto's, emailing, updating, tracking, researching, testing and meeting with factory workers; then for lunch, we take the van back to the staff house to eat(kimchee and rice), then its back to the factory until seven or eight, then it's a van ride back to the staff house for dinner(kimchee and rice) and after a couple of the local beers it's off to bed. hopefully tomarrow will be a bit more mello. the products are looking good so far; so all is more or less well. at some point we'll go the shore (only a few hundred yards away) and check out the view, or climb a local peak. working hard, looking forward to sunday(my only day off)

110508

another long day yesterday at the factory waiting for prototypes. went on a facilities tour, the factory is a bunch of buildings that house different production tecniques, from sewing soft goods, to compression and thermo-molding, to aluminum anodizing and powder coating. the main compound is on the gronds of the former Ford plant. Mrs. Marcos wanted some free Ford stock, Ford said no, things got sticky, Ford pulled out. it is super cool to see products go from an idea to finnished good off the end of the production line. still haven't gotten a chance to really check out the surrounding area but hopefully today. i have been able to go for short walks in the mornings, this morning i found myself in the jungle, thick!

110408

second day at the East Cam tech, Dong-In factory in the Marivalies?, Bataan, Philippines. looking forward to a tour of the factories. Manila was interesting, stayed at the Renaissance hotel in Makati, Manila is more of a huge metro area split into large districts, than a city. the drive in from the airport was exciting. traffic laws are all but absent, vehicular anarchy. heavy security at the hotel, bomb sniffing dogs, armed security guards, metal detectors. hotel was nice! good size pool(+25yards) too bad i left my speedo at home, sauna and steam room in the well equipped gym. like the district of makati, the hotel was super clean and nice. the makati area is groomed for the "elite" of Manila, you can find all your top international luxury brands at the large greenbelt mall(s). not exactly my scene but there were some cool restaurants that served local fare, the adobo was of course the best; but still not as good as tristin's. the ferry to Bataan from Manila is no longer, so we drove for 3 hours to get here. most of the way was on a relatively new toll road that was smooth and fast. getting out of Manila was interesting. some spots of heavy traffic, but a nice glimpse of the street life that seems to exist in its own world outside of my experience moving through it. i love to see how different people exist. how they adapt and move through their world. very different experience than mine. the country side is beautiful. a lot of rice fields. rice fields always remind me of pheasant hunting in the rain with WWII surplus outfits and rubber boots, stuck with 20 lbs of mud....."...Derek you go and walk down to the end of this check and then come back up the side of the drainage ditch and flush the birds out, kyle, you on the other side.....". no pheasant, but a bunch of water buffalo. enjoy the pictures, more to come