Laowai

I spent the week in Beijing and my first time in Tokyo. It was a quick trip, much less than in the old days when I went for weeks at a time. It truly was strange to be back and return to the scene of the crime. The most notable thing to comment on in Beijing is the pace of change. There were a ton of new buildings since I was there three or so years ago. The CCTV building is a truly remarkable landmark and it was nothing but a few floors of bamboo scafolding when I was last there.

 

A few years ago, Kathy and I stayed in a hotel called the Shangri La Traders Hotel. She remembers when I went to a meeting during our visit she watched the migrant workers on a worksite outside the hotel window. They wore slippers and worked literally day and night. There was a rush to complete the outside of the building before amunicipal moratorium on building for the Olympics to keep the polution and dust down in the city. The workers did something pretty incredible though by the time they were done. Instead of a big hole teeming with slippered laborers, there is now a shopping center, several office buildings and a towering hotel and office building.

So then I head to Tokyo. On the way out of town, there is a brand spanking new terminal, built for the Olympics. It wasn’t terribly busy but I did see a rare sight –

 

He knows when to hold ’em (in terminal two of the Beijing Airport) and when to fold ’em (all over the US and everywhere else in the world).

 
On to Tokyo. It was a very busy time and I didn’t really have my camera out much. But I have two things for you –

The direct dial in the hotel is pretty funny and explains to anyone who doesn’t understand one reason I love Asia:

 
The toilet had a few special features. I decided not to try.

 

And now I fight the jetlag and try to watch a movie with Kathy before passing out.