ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - October 29, 2004

As we start out on this trip, I cannot be sure what sort of Internet access we may have along the way, so I am setting up several issues of the EHC in advance, just in case.

One of the things I most like about travel is that I notice things in other cultures that I do not see at home, only to realize that they are equally applicable in our country. I trust there will be an "aha" or two in Peru. We shall see.

Peruvian Perspectives
After a couple of days in Lima, we are now high in the Andes in Cuzco, the former Inca administrative center. At 11,000 feet, this is the highest elevation of the trip and we are taking it slow.

The Plaza des Armas is the center of Cuzco and shows the Spanish influence. I find it interesting that many of the stone structures built by the Incas ... with no mortar ... are still standing and are often in better shape than this "new construction."

Tomorrow we take a trip through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytampo, the Inca fortress town and on Sunday we take the train to Machu Picchu. We will be in Machu Picchu on Monday for my birthday, then back up to Cuzco on Tuesday. Wednesday we fly back to Lima where we leave for home at 1:00am on Friday.

Good thing I am still young and resilient!

Check out the daily trip report.

BYO Revisited
I had another thought on the BYOB idea I discussed last week. If you decide to implement a promotion like this, it would be worthwhile to keep some notes on what wines guests bring in when they can bring their own. It would provide good research data on what sort of wines they like to drink and what prices they will pay so you can make your own wine list more responsive to guest needs.

BYOB night would also provide a wonderful reason to open a dialogue with guests about wines in general, what they would like to see on your list, etc. You want to make people feel good (and smart) about the wine choices they make and BYO could provide just that opportunity. Don't miss it.

The Perpetual Question
What did you learn from your staff today?

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