Day 4-5 updates....

Hello all...currently 4:15pm on Thursday here in Changzhou, China. Spent yesterday traveling from Beijing and getting a first hand experience of some very interesting Chinese customs/practices......for example....

Unlike US airline travel, there is no organization for boarding an airplane in China. They announced boarding and everyone headed for the line and onto the plane. Once on the plane (booked to capacity I might add), the Chinese don't have any issues with sneezing, picking, coughing, and hacking in public....in fact, I had not realized that the airsick bags were also available to catch anything that one might cough up.....what fun.

No headaches to speak of, flight was uneventful and our hosts picked us up at the local airport. The hotel here in Changzhou is AMAZING....4-5 star hotel for $80 a night. Huge room on the 19th floor gave me this view when I wake up in the morning.

Spent last night at a Karaoke club with our hosts. I refrained from starting an international incident by staying away from the mic and just enjoying the company and a few beers. Slept well last night and conducted an audit today at our wallflower manufacturer. Everything went well.

I really have enjoyed the trip so far, especially the dining experiences. Had a great Indian meal last night and then a very good traditional Chinese meal today for lunch. Everythign served family style on a lazy suzan that allowed everyone access to whatever they wanted. I am slowly progressing with my ability to use chop sticks for dining, which gives some additional entertainment value to the meal for everyone else as they watch me try and eat. Also tends to slow down the meal, so I've noticed that I don't eat as much, which is always a good thing.

Finally, one of the interesting things about Chinese construction can be seen below...

Scaffolding in China is made from tied together bamboo....this is a picture of some dorms that the company we visited today is putting together for their workers that live too far to communte and want to stay close enough to do the work.

Anyway, time to get some work done and get ready for dinner.....mmmm .....seafood. Will post more later...We're headed to Shanghai early in the morning (3 hr car drive) to make a 12pm flight to Shenzhen where we'll be staying for the next week. Not sure when I'll get to update again, but will on Saturday for sure.

ttfn.