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Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal Reviews, Best Entries and Miscellania |
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Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal Reviews, Best Entries and Miscellania |
Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal
A subtle conceit -- Blanchard is a fictional character who travels from Great Britain to the Orient and sends messages back to the home office. Blanchard is a sort of Flashman of the 1990s, but with typos, who chronicles his times and places. And like Flashman, Blanchard can be Western to excess. But how many levels are there to this journal? Blanchard mentions real hotels, restaurants, airlines, and such (and some of his comments are devastatingly on target) and gives a summary of doing whatever his business is in each of the Oriental countries (again, targeting local customs and, sometimes, customs officials).
So one has an account of several cities and countries on the Pacific Rim and the transportation to, from, and within. But Blanchard also ruminates on his life and lost times. He is a middle-aged, one-time hippy who is not successful enough to get out of these trips. Are his journeys allegories of the journey into middle age, with the loss of energy and idealism? Or is this really a reflection of business in the UK, a country no longer successful enough to keep its former crown colonies calling on British businesses? Now must the UK call on its former colonies, hat in hand? Is Blanchard an icon of the new world?
As a travelog and summary of the life of a western businessperson in the Orient, this is an interesting, witty, and informative site. But do not stop at the surface. Recommended.
Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal
A curious mixture of East and West, Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal follows the travels of a confused English business traveller through South East Asia. Updated every month or so with new entries, this site breaks all the rules of Web design. This site takes no advantage of the multi-media capabilities of the Web. Graphics are almost non-existant, but in its place, like a good book, the writer conjures up "pictures" in the mind of the reader of incongruous but simple situations, mainly set in hotels, bars, restaurants, airports and a selection of down to up market business settings, that focus on the precarious clash of Western and Eastern cultures. No "real audio" also, but references to the crackling piped pop music in hotel lobby's, restaurants, taxi's and buses provide again, with a good imagination, the background music. Blanchard visits Karoake clubs, hotels, convention centres, airports, and an assortment of Western and local bars, travels on taxis, and even buses, sometimes arrogant in his own pride wih his knowedge of local customs, but always meets his come-uppance.
Blanchard is the new "everyman" of business travel for foreigners in Asia. Comfortable in his own country, Blanchard is the "outsider" in Asia, not even a "white god" anymore, searched out by the locals for his influence and riches. He is more a pathetic visitor with his hands out, desparately clinging to his Western beliefs that less and less provide a meaning for the changes that he sees around him. Like Camus' "outsider", Blanchard tries hard but unsuccesfully to influence his environment, buffeted by the wiles of fate, but in this case usually the Chinese fate. B;anchard doesn't act on the world... the world acts on him... He rarely succeeds in anything, including business deals, bargaining a cab fare, or finding his hotel. His only success is in finding the best bars in the region, (and even that's a matter of taste..). And despite meeting much of the legendary Asian female company, he always goes back to the hotel ("hosterelie", in Blanchard-speak) alone, writing his diary on hotel stationary and hawker centre serviettes. Blanchard never gets the gal.... (or "comely lass" as Blanchard would have it... (at least, not yet as far as I have read!)
On the surface a travelogue which is in itself useful, though limited in coverage, more fun can be had by searching out the hidden meanings, double entendres, literary references and 60's to 70's popular music references. There is also a FAQ, and links to other Asian travel resources (hotels, restaurant reviews) with a business focus.
Published within the Asia Pacific Management Forum, which is far more professional in design but heavy in academic and business content, the lighter Blanchard columns, by evidence of his discussion group, commands a small, cultish and enthusiastic following. Certainly there are more successful Western business travellers in Asia, but few more entertaining.
Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal
Tired of ho-hum travel guides? This witty, "alternative" travelogue follows Blanchard, the "everyman" business traveler in Asia, who "stumbles on things which are more interesting and real than anything you will see on a bus tour." Within entries you'll find information about everything from business style in Singapore to barbers and buses. You'll also find a FAQ list on Blanchard, but in this case it's "Frequently Avoided Questions.".
Asia Pacific Management Forum (Networking)
The mission of APMF, which believes that globalization has increased the need for East-West dialogue and that Asia-Pacific companies must learn what to accept and what to reject from Western experiences, is to enhance management and organizational development. You'll thus find calls for papers, research abstracts, case studies on team development, and executive job postings. On the light side, Blanchard's Travel Tales are good for a few laughs and a new section reviews bars and nightclubs that business trippers are likely to end up in. Sister forums, discussion lists, Jimmy's Letters, and Tales from the Shop Floor add personal touches.
Site name: Asia Pacific Management Forum
Why go? To network with peers from the Asia Pacific region. To keep up-to-date with published and unpublished research. To find a new job. To enjoy the columnists.
The Asia Pacific Management Forum is a very big site! It has been included under the heading 'Networking' because it is an excellent forum for discussion, and a good place to find out about new job opportunities. The editor describes the site as 'Networking, columnists, and resources on Asia Pacific organization, business and management development.' Everything at the site is free of charge to all. Some of the highlights include: Asia Pacific Management News, APMF Network, The Blanchard Pages. The site is particularly strong for those wishing to be published, including resources for writers and researchers, and a tutorial on publishing your research, together with valuable back up material such as biographies of researchers active in the region, an alerting service to management research about to be published and calls for papers. However, you may choose to just look up 'Academic and research vacancies'.
Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal One Useful Thing
"Wherever have you been, U/C?" you're all howling. Please to be shutting the mouths, U/C's been busy rolling out the new Teleport web site. It's very, very big, and required quite a lot of rolling, not to mention smoothing out, which she's still doing. Anyway. On to today's Useful Thing, the alleged travel diaries of Blanchard, an English businessman who does a great deal of traveling in Asia. U/C suspects it's really a rather clever way of reviewing Asian restaurants and hotels, but it doesn't really matter.
Blanchard's Oriental Travel Journal
Unusual travel stories about an Englishman in Asia.
© Orient Pacific Century 1996-1998
The Civilised ExplorerWell we showed this review to Blanchard, who was a bit insulted by the insinuation that he didnt really exist. His face got even redder with rage when he read the bit about the decline of the British empire. Its OK..he's cooled down now... (Eds.)
Cool Site of the Week (URL
misplaced, please advise if you find it...)
Well thanx whoever wrote this! Yes indeed, translating Blanchard's scrawl from stained serviettes, Please make up my room door hangers, and the back of boarding passes is not a favourite task here. The worse point was reached when we got the whole tablecloth from the Ferringhi Beach Rasa Sayang Resort for the Xmas Update. Note to Housekeeping staff..if you're missing a tablecoth..we have it! (Eds.)
Netreviews: Travel/World, Travel Savvy, Travel Guides/Travelogues
World Class Sites One of our first (positive..) reviews. And we ended up with a coveted Gold Tiger award. Thanks for the prescience guys...(spello sorry..just where is the Oxford dictionary when you need one?.... (Eds..)
"Cool Management Sites" Anbar Complementary ResourcesWhat! ..work before Blanchard?... A serious chappie this one obviously.. (Eds.)
One Useful Thing and One Cool Thing for Monday, 6/10/96 "Alleged"! Heh, Blanchard even has his own email address! (..Eds.)
Favourite Links: (URL
misplaced: Please email if you come across the link)
Not that unusual we hope.... (Eds..)
And for you nostalgia freaks.. Some of Blanchard's old entries. Some even in glorious
battleship grey and HTML Version 1.
Ambassador Hotel Bangkok, Saturday 5th September 1994
Getting
on the wrong bus in Kuala Lumpur, Thursday 20th July
The
white ghost meets the hungry ghost, Wednesday 19th August 1995
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