Our 1st Time Consulting in Mexico with stay at Camino Real Hotel Mexico City

 Already in October of 1993, during a seminar that husband Pieter did for Campbell Soup at the Holiday Inn in Santa Cruz, California, we met with people from the Monteblanco group in Mexico. One of the owners, Agustín also attended Pieter's seminar and he invited us to come to Mexico for some consulting and training.

Also during another seminar in December of 1993, that Pieter did in Texas, again for Full House customers of Campbell Soup, we met more staff members from Monteblanco, Mexico.

On February 18 of 1994, we both departed for the airport by 6:00 o'clock, driving the two hours to Atlanta and our flight via Houston, Texas into Mexico City.

What a gigantic stretched out city Mexico City is from the air! No wonder it ranks the world's 5th by population and at that time there lived more people than in our entire birth country The Netherlands...

At present some 22,000,000 are living there!

It also is a very unique airport at an altitude of 2,230 meters or 7,300 feet, one of the highest in the world.

And a very fertile plateau with a pleasant climate!

The population is very young, contrary to the aging population of the west.

Traffic is of course a hell! They had already set up one day a week for each car driver to leave the car at home, in order to slow down air pollution. 

It also was the most beautiful city that we EVER saw in our lives!

It is a pity that also the crime rate is high... affecting the safety of the population and its visitors.

So incredibly green and beautiful with large parks and beautiful tropical flowering trees along the streets.

Other countries have botanical gardens but in Mexico City it is inclusive...

 The USA could learn a lot from that. 

Spaniards and Italians in general, love plants and trees for adding color to their lives. 

Trees are also the lungs of such a city; thus a double function.

Camino Real Polanco Mexico Hotel

We were being dropped off at the Camino Réal Hotel, after our visit to the company's main office...

We always loved its special architecture, a kind of Aztec style, with thick bearing walls due to the earthquake region!

That's probably why we also love to stay at the Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest as mentioned here in a previous post.

Parque Mexico just click to see more beautiful places within Mexico City.

WISH we would have had more time for walking and exploring... but we worked a tight schedule!

Arriving by car from the hustle of this vibrant city, you enter the very unique Camino Real Architecture, to break the noise from outside and offering a tranquil oasis to its guests.

The Pink Wall Outside Camino Real another of its architectural design.

Camino Real Hotel Bearing Wall and Pool This gives you a very good idea of how the five story hotel is being built with bearing walls.

This is me on a Sunday, March 22 of 1998 after arriving here on one of our next consulting periods.

Relaxing at the pool in my La Perla bathing suit with skirt (seen in photo below!

Those were the perks of doing International Consulting!

Staying at this beautiful hotel, one of the top hotels in the world, in the line of the Mandarin Oriental (where we stayed a few times in Jakarta, Indonesia), Ritz Carlton (where Pieter met our Indonesian boss once in Los Angeles) etc.

We both have been treated royally, all those years of doing international consulting and the fact that over a period of twelve years they had us come back to Mexico speaks for itself.

View of the pool at that time, from a post card we got.

On that lawn, we've seen beautifully decorated tables for wedding events...

Yes, they have a tennis court as well and several fine restaurants.

Also an arcade of shops inside their compounds.

On the walls in the reception area hung portraits from royalty that had stayed with them, such as Queen Elizabeth from England.

We found this on our pillow, next to some chocolates...

We had a very good night sleep at this hotel; so quiet!

You sure can tell that the influences from work have come home with us...

Our home is in the color of the Caribbean (Curaçao) or Mexico and we love this Golden Mist color, see post below.

Previous post:

Working Alongside a Retired Portuguese Style Bull Fighter... in Mexico | from my very 1st work period

{Our Home with Aluminum Interlock Roofing and Benjamin Moore Golden Mist Exterior} | previous post

{What Type of Feet do YOU have?} | photo of me taken at Camino Real

Yep, both of us have been TRUE DARE DEVILS!

 On January 18, 1994 we just had come home from India, the previous day at 16:00 o'clock after two weeks of consulting work there, see link below: My 4th Consulting Trip to India after HUGE Landslide.

Guess we were getting some serious DANGER TRAINING...

We drove to the Atlanta airport on the 18th by 13:15 but there was no flight to Philadelphia because the airport was covered in ice and snow. We had to do another training seminar for mushroom growers as a courtesy of Full House from Campbell Soup.

So we slept at the airport Sheraton in Atlanta...

On January 19, at 7:00 we flew to Philadelphia but our flight to Reading got cancelled; the weather was too bad!

Piper Cub we flew Jan. 19, 1994 from Philadelphia to Reading due to cancelled flights

We called back and forth with Jack McDaniel from Full House and he directed us to a special phone within the airport, that connected us to a private pilot with whom he'd already arranged to fly us in a small Piper Cub to Reading...

Remember, there was NO INTERNET YET!

The pilot handed us his card (see above) and he assured us that this small plane was safer to fly, due to absolute no ice on its wings as it stood inside Hangar # 1.

There we went with a small Piper Cub, the three of us, including the pilot, who must be some kind of a stuntman for daring to fly.

The sight of a totally white Pennsylvania beneath us, gave us a sense of hyperbolically not being right in the head...!

We made it down, rough and bumpy on the ice and in the snow. 

Tom Richard, Jack's colleague was there to meet us and he helped us with our carry on; that's all we had, over a mount of frozen snow that got pushed to the side. That's how we made it into his car.

Bitter cold and mirror smooth roads with ice and snow!

We made it JIT = Just In Time for our Full House Seminar for Campbell Soup.

A number of participants could not make it, coming from Canada or else.

January 20, we continued with our seminar at Kenneth Square, riding with Tom Richard over still icy roads!

We also met with Juan Carlos Fuentes, one of the Monteblanco staff in México, he'd flown in earlier, and didn't face these severe weather problems.

My Quality Picking demonstration at the South Mill mushroom farm for 11:00 got cancelled due to being unreachable because of too slippery roads.

Red Rose Inn - Baltimore Pike Jennersville, PA 19390 Painting done by T.L. DeMott

Pieter gave his Grower Workshop from 13:00 - 17:00 at the Red Rose Inn, Jennersville, PA.

Followed by a buffet and Tom Richard did drop us both off at the Piladelphia airport where we spent the night at the Holiday Inn.

January 21, Indeed a very short night as we had a 7:00 flight back to Atlanta. How convenient for traveling only with carry on! Then our 2.5 hour drive home...

On January 22, we again went to Atlanta with our carry on (changed of course!) for our next flight to Amsterdam, Manchester UK and then Dublin, Ireland.

 Often certain connections were cheaper.

Our landing in Manchester got disrupted due to an aircraft being on the runway!

Almost touch down and then steeply up again; there was a moment of absolute silence...

Such an alert pilot!

With this manoeuvre however, we had missed our Air Lingus flight to Dublin, Ireland.

Just waiting FOUR hours till the next available flight.

BUT, recalling the Tenerife runway collision where 583 lives were lost; we felt grateful!

Related posts:

My 4th Consulting Trip to India after HUGE Landslide | We just were home 1 day from this trip...!

Red Rose Inn | The Historic Red Rose Inn being restored thanks to Jim from The Road to Parnassus for this happy update!

Special Mushroom Friends Don and Donna Richards

 We both flew to San Francisco, California on Wednesday, March 6 of 1985, and got picked up by one of the  Pescadero mushroom farm people; Ed Zoliniak.

Pieter had to do a farm review for Campbell Soup.

We did not get dropped off at a hotel, but instead at the home of the manager... Don Richards or Daddy Don as he affectionately got called. 

His wife Donna was partly paralyzed... she toured me around on my very 1st visit in October 1983 and we'd gathered at their home before going to dinner at the Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola, California.

~

We got the home key on Thursday, and also their Ford LTD, for going to the farm till noon and then to the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton together. 

A HUGE Redwood tree...

Even both of us together still do dwarf in front of this Redwood giant...

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Admiring a spring garden, probably at The Greenhouse in Soquel, California.

Flowers and plants always make me so happy...

My blouse from Hungary with hand embroidery blended in well here.

Don Richards, the Pescadero mushroom farm manager with his wife Donna and Pieter before they left with us, back to the SF airport for our flight...

Flying to San Diego for the 5th North American Mushroom Conference.

Don, me and Donna Richardson

So glad that I did clean on Friday, all outside lower windows for Donna, as she could not do such chores.

Donna went to heaven early September of 1988 when Don lived at 1393 Pleasant Hill Street in Escondido, CA 92026

Wish one of their children or grandchildren would read this!

Related post:

My First Trip to California, Santa Cruz | previous post where I mention my lunch with Donna Richards

With Dad to Santa Cruz, Redwood State Parks, Pebble Beach, Monterey Sea Aquarium + Dinner at Shadowbrook Restaurant | Where I took Dad in 1993

Pieter Picking up his Campbell Colleagues and showing them TULIPS in The Netherlands

 We had been in The Netherlands since April 21, 1984. After a business trip to Switzerland and also to Ireland, on May 6, Pieter drove back in our rental car to the Schiphol/Amsterdam airport.

Picking up his Campbell Soup colleagues and treating them on the way south to Limburg by stopping by some real tulip fields.

These tulips are NOT grown for their flowers but for the BULBS only!

got this info from 'bollenstreek.nl'

Quite a sight these rows of tulip by color!

Pieter's Campbell Soup colleagues were quite impressed and had to capture this sight...

Pieter in return captured them.

That was a perfect welcome to The Netherlands!

Amazing Tulip Fields short 3 min. YouTube video

My 3rd Trip to Switzerland and visiting Jakob Schlaepfer Couture Fabrics Designer in St. Gallen

Lucky me on May 3, 1985 after finishing my sewing creation of cut out cotton voile couture fabric that I got gifted by our Swiss friends, after visiting the famous Jakob Schlaepfer in St. Gallen.

On April 02, 1985 we had traveled from the USA to Amsterdam and next we flew from Düsseldorf/Germany to Zürich/Switzerland where we rented a small Mercedes 190 and drove to Herisau.

It was great for seeing Hans-Jörg and his sister Barbara with husband Max again!

We went on to Austria by car to visit the Sohm family, see previous post below.

Back to Waldstatt where we had supper at Max & Barbara's home and talked till 23:00, mainly about the mushroom business...

Next morning breakfast at 7:00 and Pieter went with Max to the mushroom farm and in the afternoon they both took us on a tour at Jakob Schlaepfer in St. Gallen.

BAMBOLA, the Boutique for Fashion-Enthusiasts

Jakob Schlaepfer & Co AG, Teufener Strasse 11, CH-9001 St. Gallen

The famous Jakob Schlaepfer company's own embroidery boutique. It exports St. Gallen embroidery worldwide and supplies Haute Couture fashion houses.

Having studied fashion design before ending up in the mushroom business, of course I was having a ball!

By the way, Jörg Kuhn, Barbara's Dad also had been in the textile industry before starting into mushroom growing, using the old textile building first.

Jakob Schlaepfer is listed 2nd from the top on the left, among the leading Couture fabrics.

Some other famous Couture fabric brands...

Since 1904,  the Swiss firm Jakob Schlaepfer has produced couture fabrics for Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, Marc Jacobs, and Prada, among others. However, last year the company created a collection of couture-worthy textiles specifically for the home. For Jakob Schlaepfer's new Décor line, artistic director Michele Rondelli and his design team created 22 opulent patterns that offer all of the detail found in the company's regular fabrics but have been adapted for use in the home. Standouts in the collection include Evaliia, with embroidered metallic flowers on delicate tulle, each studded with a pearl or Swarovski crystal; Bojan, which is adorned with hand-embossed sequins densely overlapped like fish scales; and Amurpaille, a gold brocade woven with metallic thread, overprinted with a floral pattern, and covered in embossed clear sequins. The collection, available in the United States through Savel, is priced from $ 57 per yard for plain tulle to $ 690 per yard for the more intricate Bojan pattern.

This map also gives you an idea of where in Switzerland in the north east St. Gallen is located.

After first getting a guided tour where they explained the different weaving procedures, we ended up at this famous Bambola Boutique where I became the recipient of a fabulous piece of cotton voile with lace embroidery.

We thanked our friends again for such a regal gift and drove back to the airport for our flight back from Zürich/Switzerland to Düsseldorf/Germany and driving to The Netherlands where we arrived by 22:15.

Mauzie, my Dachshund girl, was as happy with the result as I was on May 3, exactly one month later.

It was quite a challenge for cutting out the embroidered edging. 

With a very sharp, small special scissor I got that done.

Did create a kind of a cummerbund, for wrapping around the waist with buttons and loops in the back.

On September 3, 2000 I'd altered the length in a more usable length.

Still have this Couture gem!

Even the Queen of England used Jakob Schlaepfer for her Golden Jubilee 2012...

From the link below, about Mushroom Friends in Austria on April 15, in 1987, husband Pieter had gotten up at 4:45 for fetching his American Campbell Soup colleagues and driving to the Düsseldorf/German airport for their 8:00 flight to Zürich/Switzerland.

By 9:30 my youngest brother Jan called and told me that his boss needed to drive there by car, in the afternoon, for delivering a new engine...

So I quickly called him and offered for being his chauffeur instead. He gladly accepted.

Jan Thielen picked me up by 11:45 and with his lunch, he took a beer, after asking if I would do the driving. 

So I drove in his BMW to the destination of Full in Switzerland where the Kuhn compost business is located and arrived there by 18:30. 

Hans Jörg and his Dad Jörg Kuhn were a little surprised, Pieter had told them that maybe I would come along as well. By 19:00 Pieter arrived with his colleagues and we had a good dinner at the Bahnhof hotel all together.

Happily snuggled up with Pieter under the down duvet...

Next morning breakfast together at 7:15 and Pieter went on to the Sohm/Austria company, as I went with Jan Thielen to the mushroom farm in Full, and via another stop at a customer in Herrenberg, below Stuttgart/Germany. 

Via lunch in a farmers town by 14:45 heading for Horst, The Netherlands.

Did drive that day a total of 600 km and at a speed of 170 km/hr or 105 mi/hr and reached home by 20:30 where Pieter just had arrived at 20:20...

Some fun trip and for me it was my 4th Swiss visit... Both of us drove once more in 1995 to Switzerland for a visit and on to Italy but no photos, only video...

Related post:

Mushroom Friends in Austria and their Mushroom God Statue | After arriving in Switzerland we drove to Austria 

Previous posts:

Baroque Abbey of St. Gall and Library, UNESCO World Heritage Site 

My First Cross Country Skiing and Special Gift for Pieter's Years of Consulting

Happy Reunion with Swiss Kuhn Family & United States Consulate for our Permanent Visa

Pieter Co-Speaker at ISMS in Amsterdam-Wageningen 1965 | Mentioning Jörg Kuhn Visiting A.G.

Husband Pieter's Design for the Campbell Mushroom Plants in Dublin, GA and Hillsboro, TX

Linfield Mushroom Compost Facility in England | Mentioning Jan Thielen

{My Hand Knitted & Hand Embroidered Sweater} | About the Hand Embroidered Sweater that I wore

Husband Pieter Doing it ALL | manager August Enzler and Hans Jörg Kuhn on new patio in May 1985

With Dad to Santa Cruz, Redwood State Parks, Pebble Beach, Monterey Sea Aquarium + Dinner at Shadowbrook Restaurant

On Monday, March 1 in 1993,  husband Pieter was in Chicago giving a Seminar for Campbell Soup and I would go for one day to their Pescadero Mushroom Farm in Santa Cruz.

Thus, I checked out with Dad, from our San Francisco hotel and started driving South via Highway 101 onto Highway 1 along the coast via the Scenic Half Moon Bay drive.

This is Highway 1, along the coast... Near Half Moon Bay you view the eroded cliff sides.

Pieter and I have also been there at times that the road was covered with eroded rocks and sand and traffic blocked.

As I had to work next day for the Campbell Soup plant in Pescadero, we first went there.

Then I did take Dad back up to the north for driving the scenic Skyline Boulevard, Route 35 to show Dad the natural wonders of this region.

There was no GPS back then, all I had was some magazine info with the most scenic routes...

BUT after a stop and guidance from a guy on a tractor, we ended up in the Big Basin Redwood State Park.

We managed to see the burned out Chimney Tree but could not find the Auto Tree, one of the oldest and where a car can drive through. 

Dad was in awe, and he had me run back to the car, for fetching the camera and capturing at least some images with him!

Dad was eager for consulting his book at home, back in The Netherlands, and checking out the pictures and information...

Now it was on to our final destination for the day, the Holiday Inn at Santa Cruz.

We both did walk briskly towards the Fisherman's Wharf, before dark – showing Dad the seals and where they would jump onto the wooden beams at the board walk for sleeping...

See my previous post about my First Trip to California, Santa Cruz – below this one.

~

Next day I started around 7:00 with my consulting job at the Campbell Soup's Pescadero mushroom farm and worked all day.

In return, the manager had one of his staff members, Carmen, tour with us the entire following day for sight seeing the coming day.

Carmen, started out by taking us to another Redwood area, the Pescadero Memorial Park.

Memorial Park (2nd Hike) click link for seeing this exact tree with info as Carmen missed part of it...

It obviously is a kind of cut off tree on the side that is not visible from the top in our photo.

Dad tried to capture me against another redwood or Sequoia sempervirens...

Next, Carmen took my Dad and me to Pebble Beach click for more info.

Dad and Carmen at Pebble Beach...

Sand–polished Gems, you can read more from the above mentioned link.

Giving you a view from Pebble Beach, over the Pacific Ocean

More of the Pacific Ocean with a rather strong surf and lots of shore birds

A better view from Pebble Beach and its many shore birds

Center photo you can see the silhouette of Pescadero's famous Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz along the rugged San Mateo coast line...

It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast!

See better photo in my previous post below: My First Trip to California, Santa Cruz

Dad in Monterey, after our very scenic drive down Highway 1; belonging to the most scenic of the world.

Carmen and me on the rocks in Monterey at the Wharf

Dad in Monterey at the Wharf

It sure was a perfect day, and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Monterey Sea Aquarium where we found the Sea Otters the most funny! One was allowed to touch the smaller sea creatures; so educative and fun and Dad was very happy.

Near the Sea Aquarium with a happy Dad!

We got treated royally that March 3, with a dinner at the famous Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola, where Dad got to ride the Cable Car; one of the most unique restaurants in the West.

Pieter dined here with the Campbell staff on January 27...

Next day, I drove back in our Dollar rental car, my blue Plymouth, to return it at the San Francisco Airport.

Crazy 'triple' photo but you clearly can see the yellow Tidy tips, California's spring wildflower!

Called the Ramada Inn with the courtesy phone, and with their shuttle we arrived for checking in for one night stay at the San Francisco Airport.

On Friday, March 5, we checked out from our hotel at 5:15 and with shuttle to the airport for our early flight from 6:40 to Minneapolis/St.Paul–the first leg of our journey back to the East, to Atlanta, Georgia.

We arrived home by 18:30 due to the 3 hours time difference!

Did sleep in on Saturday, March 6, for nursing my Bronchitis and Sciatica...

Pieter got home at 14:30 from his Campbell Soup Seminar in Chicago and he took Dad for singing practice by 16:00 together with the organist at the First Baptist Church. 

Dad's solos were the Negro Spirituals: Thank You Lord and Steal Away, which he also repeated on the 14th of March at yet another Church in town.

Both the organist and my Dad sounded perfect, and it got rounded off with a standing reception and refreshments in their social hall.

Dad flew back home on March 20, together with his Presidential gift from Uncle Bo Whaley; a specially handmade Irish shillelagh cane.

Skillfully crafted by our local Easter Seal workers. The day before, the Georgia Governor got presented with one by our local officials during the annual St. Patrick's Joint Civic Luncheon, organized by Pieter's Rotary Club.

Even President Carter received one in August of 1980...

~

So much for one week in California and three weeks in Georgia, all the way from The Netherlands...

Related links:

Dad with me in San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge Cruise | previous post

My First Trip to California, Santa Cruz | previous post by me with Shadowbrook Restaurant where Dad now dined with me...