Greetings all from Wuhan, China...it is May 24, 2008 already and that means it is the weekend. One of the unfortunate things about my current project in Wuhan is that due to flight schedules it is next to impossible for me to head home over the weekend...even though Hong Kong is less than a two hour flight away.
So, that means I am hanging out in Wuhan while Randi and Henry are in Hong Kong...kind of sucks. Well, we had a long night last night at the office; I finally made it out of there around 2000 hours and then headed back to the hotel. I got a nice workout in (even though the gym is limited) and then I finished reading "Not A Good Day To Die" by Sean Naylor. This is a magnificent book abut Operation Anaconda. I strongly recommend everyone reading this book and "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell. These two books will remind you (vividly) that the United States is at war and that the great soldiers of this country are fighting and dying every day to ensure that radical extremism does not gain a foothold. Our soldiers are waging this war in extreme environments against determined fighters and they are conducting this war with honor, integrity, and morals. To say I am proud of our country is an understatement.
So, I stayed up until almost 0300 hours reading and am just waking up...well...actually waking up for the 2nd time today. I am not sure what happened this morning but at 0650 someone decided to set off some fireworks (the ones that sparkle and then explode on the ground) in front of our hotel. Now, I am not talking just a couple of fireworks...I am talking about enough to cover the entire sidewalk for a full block...I am not making this up. This...display...lasted for 5 minutes or so as firework after firework exploded. I swear for a second I thought I was on Takur Ghar.
Plans for today are not too exciting...one of the team members decided she needs to go into the office today...so...instead of heading out with the rest of the team to go site seeing in Wuhan; I am going to head into the office with her. Dad always told me to make sure that you never ask someone to do something you won't do yourself and I figured even though this was her idea...I shouldn't let her go in by herself.
So, I will take the time to study for the CFA exam which is just a few short weeks away. I am hoping that I am not going to be in the office all day. The rest of the team is going to go check out East Lake, which is a famous lake here in Wuhan, and then they are going to go to some museums and check out the Wuhan University. I think that would definitely be interesting...and maybe I will just go and site see myself tomorrow after I get the intel from the rest of the team on where and what to see and of course what to skip. I am here through June 4th...so, I have another weekend next week as well. We will see what I can figure out to do...although I am sure a majority of that time will be spent in the gym and studying for the CFA.
The hotel here has a little gym that has a few dumbbells, unfortunately the heaviest one is 25lbs. Now, at first I was a little disappointed as usually the lightest dumbbell I use is 30lbs when working out...but...I decided to just "rep-out" on everything. So, I have been doing 20 to 30 reps for each set in my workout...which is actually pretty tough. So, for my arm and back workout yesterday I ended up doing 6 exercises with dumbbells and I did 4 sets of 20 to 30 reps for each of those exercises depending upon the exercise. Let me tell you...that was actually a really good workout. My biceps were screaming to me after my 4th set of 30 one arm isolated curls...wow...I am actually a little sore this morning. I also did a lot of creative stuff and kind of used one 25lb dumbbell as a "kettle ball" and did some "dynamic" exercises working my core. So, even though a hotel gym may be limited you can still be creative and get a good workout. Also, the hotel has a pool and I always bring my swim gear so I can swim laps. Unfortunately, when we first arrived the pool was being repaired...but as of last night the pool is back in business...meaning I can get some laps in tonight.
Randi is in Hong Kong and I am sure right about now she is at Berlitz taking a Mandarin lesson without me. I have to say Randi is progressing really well with her Mandarin. I am doing all right...as I get to "practice" a bit on my travels...which is fun. I think she is going to go see the musical "We Will Rock You", which is set to Queen's music, tonight with some friends. I am sure it will be fun and when she goes out with the girls they always have fun.
Tomorrow is scheduled to be a Henry day and she is going to get together with more friends and their dogs and let the four legged friends play and socialize. I have to say Henry has some good "dog" friends here. In fact, our friends Phil and Lauren just got a new dog named Juno and Henry and her get along wonderfully. In fact, they get along so well we started joking that Henry has a girlfriend. Juno was at our house the other day and they played constantly for several hours just "flirting" with each other. Juno is a puppy so she has tons of energy and when Henry would collapse from exhaustion she would come over and nip and lick at Henry's face until he would get back up and go for another round of chase or tug-of-war. It was hilarious watching them play...the simple things in life are always so amusing.
Well, that is all from Wuhan...I think it is time to get up and get the day going. Have a great weekend and remember to be safe, buckle-up, and treat everyone you come across this weekend as you would like to be treated. Oh...and make sure you smile and say "hi" to everyone you come across...you never know it might otherwise brighten someone's dreary day. Here are a few more pictures from Wuhan:
A shot of me on the Yangtze with a few co-workers Jacko (my right) and Sally (my left):
Larry knocking back some boneless chicken feet...yummy:
One place that I never dreamed of visiting when I was younger was Wuhan, China. I never dreamed of visiting Wuhan primarily because I had never heard of it. Well, here I am in Wuhan, China and I have to say so far the experience has been pretty good. I departed Hong Kong on May 18, 2008 and arrived in Wuhan a quick hour and a half later. The flight was nice and it was my first flight on Dragon Air. I have to say I recommend Dragon Air as the airline to fly in China.
Wuhan is a bit different than some of the other cities that I have visited in China. It is considered a tier II city and has a population of roughly 8 million. So, that should put China in perspective for you...a "medium" sized city with 8 million people...a city with 8 million people in the U.S. is huge.
I am scheduled to be here through the 4th of June, so I am definitely going to get some time to see the city. So far I have had some great food. Wuhan is in the Sichuan Province and they like their food spicy. On my first night we had some spicy crawfish (yes, real crawfish), even spicier than ones I have had down in Louisiana. I love spicy food so, I am actually enjoying the food here more than the food in Southern China (Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc.). It has been a good trip thus far with only a few "interesting" stories. We had a chance to be in the middle of the 3 minutes of silence that China undertook on the 19th of May and during the evening we went down to the Yangtze river where candle balloons were released into the night sky. I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the solidarity and support that everyone was showing for the victims of the earthquake. I hope that if our country suffered such a devastating natural disaster that we would show the same solidarity. I have attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
I think this is the equivalent of the little guy in the U.S. "relieving" himself on your choice of car manufacturers:
This is a shot of the actual "three minutes of silence" in China - it was impressive to see a city of 8 million stop. Very impressive solidarity:
This is a shot of the candle light vigil we were part of on the Yangtze River:
So, I am still in Shitzhen having an actually fairly decent time. I have to say the town has surprised me this time around. We have eaten at a few decent restaurants and even hit up a Haagen Dazs store the other night.
So, last night I realized the world was coming to an end...how you may ask? Well, we hit a very local place for dinner (I don't think I have to point out that the restaurant served Chinese food) last night and as I was eating my rice I noticed something was just not right. It took a few moments for me to figure out what was wrong...and then it hit me...the music. Now, I am the first to admit that music is universal...but, when you are at a very local restaurant in Shenzhen, China of all places and Jack Johnson is the ambient music of choice...something is wrong. Taylor, is just not a song one would expect to listen too while working your chop sticks.
Congratulations Jack, you've made it big and you know you have when you are the music of choice at a local restaurant in China where no one speaks English. Perhaps, music is indeed the universal language and I thought it was English all along.
Well, it is that time again...Shenzhen time. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to cross the border (in Hong Kong) and travel over to the PRC's closest city...I will give you a rundown on what Shenzhen is and is not. Shenzhen is a bustling city...it is relatively new as a lot of business and commerce has exploded in the last few years. You can probably get anything and everything manufactured here and you can probably buy anything that you want (real or fake). It is definitely an eclectic city as it is a migratory city with tons of "workers" from the rest of the country working in the thousands of factories that dot Shenzhen and the surrounding cities. If it is made in China...a safe bet is that part of it was made in Shenzhen. What it is not is a vacation destination or a relaxing place. This is the home of hustle and bustle. This is the one place where a local "driver" can actually get lost...can you imagine that. Can you imagine me directing a local Chinese person in China...it has happened. Shenzhen is also a place where you can see the transformation of an economy and the beginning of a middle class. If you think China you probably are not thinking of Mercedes and Lexus cars filling the roads. Well, come to Shenzhen and that is what you will see...here China's newly rich are not afraid to spend. You can head to the luxury stores...Zegna, Dunhill, etc. and get the latest designer offerings. You can also head to one of the many "fake goods markets" and get nearly the identical thing at a fraction of the price...I myself am not a large fan of fake goods...but...to each their own. So, we are here on a project for the next few weeks; which means that I have to travel across the border a few times a week...also an interesting experience. The contrast between Hong Kong and China is apparent as you cross the border. I do have to say though Shenzhen is not a bad place. The Intercontinental Hotel is a great hotel and I have to say it ranks up there. Shenzhen...not a bad place to spend a week but...not a great place either.
The Small Print:
No part of this blog may be reproduced or used without prior written permission.
