Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good

 When I was coming home from Rwanda, a security woman in the Belgian airport almost called the security dogs on me, because she couldn't possibly believe that I had two weeks of clothes, shoes, and unmentionables in a tiny rolley bag and backpack. If she'd realized half the backpack is a camera and lenses, she would have been all the more shocked, no doubt. I got a more favorable review of my light packing genius from a male friend who said I should teach classes....specifically to his wife.

So here's a tip for the ladies on packing light: Flats. This may sound dumb or obvious, but heels just do not pack well. There is no way to squeeze anything around them efficiently enough to make them worth bringing. The shape is as impractical for packing as it is for, well, walking.

Now, I am a massive fan of heels, and when flats started becoming popular again I swore I wouldn't wear them. I even wore heels the year I was writing my last book-- a time I didn't get haircuts, wear much makeup or wear a single dress if memory serves. Once I was clomping into brunch with Jay Adelson wearing my favorite black heels and a homeless woman stopped me and said "Are those actually comfortable?" "What do you think?" I answered. They weren't comfortable. But sleek black heels have always made me feel like I could take on the world.

Oh well. At least there are a bevvy of cute flats on the market. I only take one pair per trip and swap them out each time so I don't feel dowdy.

That's right, I have become a full-on flats convert with this book. Well, almost. I keep packing one pair of Tory Burch shoes just for when I want that heels boost. But it's a sacrifice. Look how much more room they take up!

I told them they could come on one last trip to London, but it's all flats to Brazil!

Editor's Note: I suck, guys. I wrote this on the flight to Rwanda and forgot to post it. But good news! You get another tip tomorrow when I head to London!

Here I am in seat 20A embarking on another long day of international travel. This time I’m headed to Rwanda. It’s my second trip this year, and I cannot wait to get back. Only about 28 hours to go! Mr. Lacy is joining me for the second week of my trip. This cute guy pictured here is one of the famous Rwandan silverbacks. I snapped this on my last trip. We’ll see if Mr. Famous-Photographer-Geoffrey-Ellis can do better…

But let’s get down to business. Another flight means another travel tip for you. This one is a site called Cheapoair.com. Ever heard of it? I hadn’t before a few months ago. I found it because it was one of the only sites online that would sell me a plane ticket to Rwanda. In fact, when I booked my first ticket to Rwanda on it, I worried whether it was actually legit.

Cheapoair doesn’t have the best interface or functionality, but unlike most online travel sites that basically show you the same fares, Cheapoair has a way broader selection of international flights, including ones operated by niche foreign carriers. (I’m on a Brussels Air flight now, for instance.) Downside: A lot of times there are steep  foreign taxes, so make sure you look at the taxes (in parenthesis on the main listing page) before you get excited.

And although the fares are frighteningly expensive, both my flights to Rwanda were far cheaper on Cheapoair than ones I saw elsewhere. The one I got in February was thousands of dollars less than the competition. (Not quite so lucky this time around…)

God forbid I sit still for more than two weeks. I've still got my Africa jet lag, but I'm already planning my time in London July 4-16.

The first week I'm traveling with a group of videographers, bloggers and authors called "The Traveling Geeks." I went on the first Traveling Geeks trip last year, which was also my first trip to Israel. Most people know I usually like to travel alone, but every once in a while experiencing another culture's tech scene with people from slightly different media disciplines can be eye-opening. Plus, they needed someone in charge of pub crawling. (Ahem, London readers, leave your suggestions in the comments...) I'll also get to present an award and do my best Michael Arrington impression at the UK TechCrunchies, or as they're actually dubbed the "Europas." I'll be blogging here and on TechCrunch, as I try not to step on Mike Butcher's capable TechCrunch Europe toes.

If you want to hang with us, get your ticket to the UK Crunchies or come to our Tweet-up. Tweet-up tickets are half-price until Friday, if you say you read about it on SarahLacy.com. (Just kidding, they're half-off for everyone until Friday.) Our full agenda is here in case you want to just STALK us the whole time.

Our statement of ethics is going up on the site soon, and I wanted to bring it up since I've been pretty harsh on Pay-Per-Post. No one on this trip is recieving any payment in exchange for coverage. We do have sponsors paying our travel costs, so we could get a diverse group of attendees without worrying about income or travel budgets. We disclose those sponsors here. Our only obligations are to go to the events we've committed to and write about whatever we find interesting.

I love London and spent a good deal of time there last year, so I padded five extra days onto the trip so I can reconnect with friends and meet new ones. I've always got a list of startups to meet, but this trip, I'm particularly interested in ferreting out some London investors who are doing deals in China, India, Africa and South America. Most of the ones I know do more Western-centric early stage tech venture capital. Would be great to mix some European investing perspective into the book, so please let me know any suggestions.

Also, in case you were about to comment about the un-American-ness of my leaving on INDEPENDENCE DAY to go see the very people we declared independence from in the first place, Mr. Lacy has already beat you to it.

Well, it’s that time again. I’ve been wearing the same dusty jeans for much of the last two weeks, I’m sick of every single item on the room service menu, the mini-bar is crying for mercy, weird insect bites are covering my limbs and I sorely miss US television (THANKS FOR NOTHING NON-INTERNATIONAL HULU!) Also, my head is so packed with stuff I need to find the time to sit and write that I live in a near-constant panic it will all pour out of my ear one night during my sleep.

Yes, it’s time for me to head back to San Francisco for a few weeks, and as I write this I’m  24 hours into the trip home with about six more to go. I smell absolutely horrible, for the record. Mr. Lacy is asleep on my shoulder. I’m on my second glass of wine and watching “Last Chance Harvey” which is one of the more depressing movies I’ve seen on a plane, and yet, reminds me how petty our worries typically are as Americans.

Rwanda has been amazing. It’s my second trip here this year, and it was somehow more challenging and inspiring than the first. And that’s one of the more unoriginal statements I’ve ever uttered. If I had to break it down into percentages, the impact of Rwanda is 75% the people of the country, 10% the gorgeous setting, 10% the impressive job the government has done turning aid into sustainable economic development and 5% watching some of the most successful and powerful people from the West take in that other 95% and be immeasurably affected by it.

In the last two weeks my experiences have vacillated between hanging out with wealthy, powerful or well-known Americans doing work in the country and some of the poorest Rwandans just getting by. And guess what? Everyone would grant that the Rwandans display the most hope and resilience of the two groups. The Americans I know who have spent any time in the tiny, landlocked country are humbled by the Rwandan experience and spirit and can't wait to go back. There’s something magical about the country that brings together people in ways that just wouldn’t happen elsewhere.

Here’s an example: At a dinner party last week in the volcano park where the endangered silverback gorillas roam, we were sitting near Jungle Jack Hanna—my all-time favorite David Letterman guest—and, believe it or not, the decedents of the Von Trapp family who sang several songs from "The Sound of Music"-- one of my favorite movies of all time. But the spotlight belonged to a guy named Frederick, a Rwandan who was left to die when he refused to kill Tutsis back in a time of post-genocide uprisings and scattered violence in 1998. Guerrilla fighters cut off his hands and left him tied to a tree. By a fluke, the ropes were tied so tight, it worked like a tourniquet saving three-quarters of his arms and his life. He now works with orphaned children in Rwanda. He also plays the guitar and paints with no hands. This is the Rwandan spirit: It doesn’t want special favors or handouts. They just want a chance to compete and rebuild their country.

Here’s the wackiest part of that aforementioned dinner: We didn’t know any of these people before it began. We just happened to be at the same hotel, and Hanna invited us to join the group when we exchanged pleasantries at the bar. Somehow, that’s just what happens in Rwanda.

Below are some pictures of my trip and check out my TechCrunch posts about it here. (Working on another one as we speak, jet lag permitting.) I’m saving the bulk for my book though, sorry!

People keep telling me to "travel safe." For the record this is the only time I've been TERRIFIED FOR MY LIFE during my whirlwind of travel for my new book on global entrepreneurs. I'm going to let this video speak for itself. Mostly.

First, know a few things:

1. This was not staged, and clearly Geoff can read the future.

2. See how fast he left? The pictures don't show it, but that's how fast he came in. I happened to be reviewing the first part of this video on the FlipCam, and I heard Geoff yell, "HE'S BACK!" and looked up to a big snout a few meters away and closing on me. I froze, looking around for the staff to do something. But he had waited for the ENTIRE wait staff to go downstairs. Wiley.

3. In ten years of being together, Geoff says he has NEVER heard me scream as loud as I did this morning. I really thought I was about to get rabies or lose an arm.

4. Afterwards, my driver came up and said, "Come and look at who's on the roof eating a croissant!" Yeah, that'd be mine. 

5. Our cat, Mr. Vinnie, is on a diet. Our other cat, Boo, is not. So whenever he gets a chance Vinnie charges in the room where we keep her food and eats as much of it, as fast as he can, terrifying Boo in the process. I used to tell her to toughen up. Now I know how she feels. Sorry, Boo. 

6. He sat on the roof and ate all of the pastries he stole, then came down and his kids ran up. He didn't even save them any! They were like "Hey Dad, where's the food?" He's not even a good dad! 

7. Regardless of this video, I *highly* recommend the Akagera Game Lodge in Rwanda. The staff was amazing, and the scenery was beautiful.

Last year on my 15-city book tour, we were lucky enough to get to know Drew Olanoff in Seattle. He's a larger-than-life Web personality whose addiction to hats and tatoos is only eclipsed by one of taking care of anyone and everyone he meets. He helped turn one of the most *yawn* events on the tour into a fun discussion about the Web, followed by a late night at a local diner. (Ahem, the photos. Drew is sporting the bad electric blue drink we had, after Olivia, Danille Morrill and I indulged in individual "champagne" bottles, below.) Later that trip, he convinced Olivia and I to go parasailing, despite his own fear of heights.

Even if I'd never hung out with him since, I would know from those two instances that Drew Olanoff will absolutely beat his cancer. He's one of the most positive, resourceful, enthusiastic and fearless people I've ever met.

True to form, he's turning his diagnosis into something positive. He created a site called "Blame Drew's Cancer," and he's asking people to use Twitter to blame his cancer on anything and everything, by hash-tagging it #blamedrewscancer. He's hoping some large companies will step up and donate $1 for every Tweet, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society or Make a Wish Foundation. Given the electric branding potential of Twitter, this seems like a no-brainer for someone's charity budget.

 Get well soon Drew, and let us know when you want to hit the skies in a parasail again post-treatment.

 This is a guest post by my husband Geoff Ellis. Add him on Facebook at your own risk! ;)

Maybe it's just me, but I am tired of people assuming I will add them on Facebook just because they press the "add as a friend" button.
Maybe it's because I am old and expect people to have some etiquette.
Maybe I don't understand that the online world doesn't need to have the same rules as the real world.

Imagine someone ringing your doorbell, you go to answer it, open the door, and that person comes into your house without saying a word to you. They sit down, look around, go through your stuff and still never interact with you. This is what happens on Facebook ALL THE TIME. If you are going to friend someone, send a note along with your request. If I don't know you and you want to be my friend, tell me who you are and why you want to be my friend. My Facebook is way more "my space" than MySpace was for me. It holds a lot more personal stuff and if I don't know you, why would I bring you into my house?

The same goes for old friends. I have recently received requests from people I haven't seen in 10+ years. They sent no note, and I accepted them back into my life. Once I did so, I sent a note back with the "how's it going, what are you up to?" spiel. Guess what? Out of 6 people, I heard back from one of them. That was 6 months ago and still no word from the other 5. It's just plain rude. What are they doing with my friendship? Letting it rot as is was before? Hanging out on my Facebook pages silently and enjoying my stuff without ever letting me know?

I talked to a 24 year old who says she never thought about sending an introduction note to people she doesn't know. Is it an age difference? Or is it just me? There have to be other people out there who are annoyed by this sidestep of the social contract. If you lack decorum, please don't try to be my online friend. I will leave you in the forever limbo of the more than 2 dozen friend requests that I have not accepted.

It's about a week in, and I've been having quite a time in China. I found Shanghai incredibly frustrating and difficult to navigate, but I've really fallen for Beijing-- which is funny because every single person told me I'd feel the opposite way. "When are you going to stop listening to everyone? No one knows anything!" the curmudgeonly Mr. Lacy said over Skype when I told him of this stunning revelation. It's good advice except for the fact that as a reporter I'd pretty much be out of a job if I stopped listening to people. (Insert bad reporter joke here.)

Last night, we had an amazing dinner party starring Peking Duck and Mr. Kaiser Kuo, a Bejing rock star (literally), former editor for Red Herring Magazine and all around Beijing gadfly. Meeting him when you come to visit appears to be a rite of passage. And speaking of rites of passage, after dinner we went to Chocolate, a weird Russian nightclub in the Russian district of Beijing. Yes, there is such a thing. When I walked in I heard some warbling to Hotel California and excitedly said, "Oh are we karaoke-ing!?" Nope. That was just the house band. And they decided to keep coming back to that classic Eagles standard throughout the set.

Also, in this video is my fabulous traveling companion Mr. Tom Limongello. Tom and I met online (Remember when that used to sound sketchy? Ok, maybe it still does.) and he somewhat insanely volunteered to be a research assistant and China guide for free. I somewhat insanely agreed having never met him, hoping he wasn't an axe murderer. Please go follow him on Twitter NOW so he gets something out of this transaction. ;) In case anyone is wondering, I'm taking all applications for un-paid India travel companions. And no, I can't afford to pay for your travel. Also, I can't promise sketchy Russian clubs, I don't even know if India has a Russian district. But I can promise having to answer, "What time is our first meeting tomorrow?" over-and-over again and that you'll meet lots of cool companies. Don't all apply at once!

NOTE: If you feel bad for the tiny girl watching the racy pseudo-strip show, don't worry. There was a kids section to the bar.

When China, Russia and Day Care Collide from sarah lacy on Vimeo.

Growing up in BBQ country, I think my taste buds got seared off at a young age. As a result I love things extremely spicy. I seem to remember some report that Martha Stewart stashed some herbs in her bra before she went to jail. I’m like that with hot sauce. Well, it’s not in my bra. That sounds weird and uncomfortable. But every time I see a tiny bottle of hot sauce at, say, a fancy brunch restaurant or a room service tray, I snag it for my travel backpack.

I actually ripped this idea off of Brian Solis. It’s smart: You just never know when a tiny bottle of hot sauce will come in handy. It’s about to come in handy for me in about 30 minutes. Last night was the San Francisco birthday dinner for the incomparable Brooke Hammerling, and we went through about 800 bottles of very expensive wine, much of it older than me. As a result, I’m a little achy for my flight to Shanghai. A bloody mary is definitely in order after take-off. Make that a spicy bloody mary thanks to my little friend mini-Tobasco.

Note: Tobasco is actually my least favorite hot sauce but seems to be the only one in mini-bottles.

So first off, I know I have not been cross-posting things from Yahoo, BW and TechCrunch as I said I would. I'll do a best-of-what-I've-been-up-to round up this week, because I've been churning out a lot of content. In the meantime, here's a little gem for you. Mr. Lacy and I went to the Charles River Ventures Leadership Summit in Phoenix last week and one of the possible activities was Skeet Shooting. I signed Mr. Lacy up for that one and signed myself up for a relaxing afternoon of wine tasting. Well, you can see from this video who wears the pants in our family. We actually had bruises from that kick-back.

Note the fancy intro and please, Heart, don't sue me. I've been sitting on this beautiful piece of animation for a while. One of the many projects I was planning for this year was launching SarahLacy.tv and putting all of my video projects there: Morning Don't, travel lifecasting, embeds from TechTicker and Press:Here. Alas, we had some issues with Web designers, plus starting my book and unexpectedly starting to write for TechCrunch sopped up my last bits of free time. I'm still hoping to launch it soon, and if anyone wants to do some cheap work on it, leave your info in the comments! (The site isn't going to be monetized, so there's not much of a budget. Sorry.)

Speaking of people who do excellent work for cheap, a huge shout out goes to Sophie Askew who did the amazing illustrations, and Howard Kim who did this animation and the Morning Don't Intro. Enjoy!

SarahLacy.TV Feature Presentation ep. I from sarah lacy on Vimeo.