15/08/2010 - Lights and Fortune Gambling in Maccau

Having now soo much extra money (from the found of my wallet), I made a spontanous short trip to Macau. I went there with an american guy I met in the hostel. He is very humble and we have had of fun. We went by ferry appr. 1 hour and were in Macau. What is with Macau, I do not really know. It is - like Hong Kong - somewhat Chinese, but not China Mainland, and not everybody is allowed to enter. We get a 90 Day Maccau Visa at the customers control and surprisingly, it does not cost extra.
At the ferry gate are plenty shuttle busses to the Hotels and Casinos. It seems, this island survivies by gamblers only. It is kind of rainy, which is not unusual, beacuse it rains every day for a half hour in Hong Kong, therefore, it also rains for a short time in Macau. Welcome to the tropical islands :)
To make it short: we went with the shuttel bus in our hotel and after a short rest, we went to the historical center. It was really beautiful. Macau has been a Portugese colony for a long time, and this is still present. Plenty Portugese restaurants and nice old buildings dominate the center of the old town. We strall around and try some excersises at the free outdoor gym, before we went back to the hotel and get ready for the casinos.
The casinos give with its plenty twinkeling lights a wonderful skyline in the night. We met a couple from canada and spent the evening exploring the casinos and the casinos shows. I liked the Wynns the best. They have had a golden tree and a very impressing golden dragon. Those were stunning by theirselfes, but this all was again inbedded in a breathtaking show. Outside, they have had a water fontaine show with music and fire balls every 15 minutes and inside, behind the desk were little jellyfishes. Wonderful! Unfortunatly, they do not provide real roulett, or crab tables, so we went to starworld and MGM. In those establishments, I won 4$ and lost 500$... Thats live, but at least, I have had fun. My friend was really disappointed, because he changes a lot of money in Maccau Dollars, but at the most tables were only Hong Kong dollars accepted. The argument, to change the money he refuses because of the changing commission and the bad exchange rate. The fact, that he will loose everything anyway did not count for him :)

14/08/2010 - Honest Hong Kong

Since yesterday am I in Hong Kong. The city is big and shining. Bling bling. Gems are not big, they are huge! Seldom I have seen what they offer here as almost normal. Of course, I enjoy it and spent the whole morning in several Cartier shops, enjoying myself with a coffee on the nice jewels.
I visit nice stones and watches for a half million USD, trying out some baby aligator bags. Than I notice that my wallet is not anymore in my bag. I start visiting the shops in reverse order, walk all the way bag, but, it is lost. I gave up and went to the 5***** hotel to ask the, if they can block my credit cards. They are nice and helpful and also set down a police report for me. I am relaxed, the money is away (i was just at the ATM) and the only thing, I struggle with, is that I was not buying more before I lsot the wallet. Than, the guy from American express told me, that I can get a new card on monday. Unfortunatly, it is now saturday, and I have no cent, and no cards and nothing. I have not yet paid for the hostel and i have no idea what to do. The amex guy tells me to ask the embassy, there should be a found for that. The embassor is a friendly men, but he does not give me money. But he showed me a way: I called my father, that he transfer me some money with western union. Pefect!
I went back to the hostel, explained the people my situation. There were fine, that I will pay a bit later and I skyped to my dad and explained him, what to do. He agreed to transfer me the money within a hour. Perfect! So, I thought... :-/
After our talk, I remembered, that I also need the code for getting the money. And my dad is a nice person, who stores his cellphone in the wardrobe and never use it. But he told me he will be back home 2 hours later. So, I wait and I tried to call him. Again and again and again. in the meanwhile, there was a email from the hong kong police station coming. Someone found my wallet!. Amazing! I was not expecting to get some money, but at least, I will have my driving licence, which is very usefull in US. I went to the police station to pick my purse up. Unfortunatly, was the officer not here and they asked me to wait.
After 30 min wiating, they told me he might be out for dinner and I should come back in 30 minutes. No problem! I understand this man. I am also very hungry. Since breakfast I have not had anything, due to the lack of money. So i walked around and went back to the police. There they told me, that he is not out for dinner, but left home. I should come back on monday. ... Monday.. I know this day. It is far away! And i am hungry. Luckily the police men understood my situation and said me, I could try it also the next day, at 9:00 in the morning. Ok... So, i went home and try to call my dad again. and again and again. I get really nervous, because it was already quarter to eight and on eight all banks are closing, which means, I do not get any money and I would stay hungry. Than, 5 to eight I could reach him (after I tried to call him for 5 hours) He was in a good mood and told me all what he done in the afternoon, and that the son of the lady from the bank also lost his wallet in china and and and. Due to my hunger i was kind of unpolite and stopped the call to run down to get the money and finaly food.
Next to western union, there was an indian stand with sweets and banas. I bought 2 sweets and ate them hungry. Than went I upstairs to my hostel, paid the bill and visit the night market to eat more.

19/07/2010 German Quality in Chinese Mass Production

Volkswagen (VW) is a big german automobile company. They have a factory in North China, where they produce high quality engines for several VW cars, as well as for Audi A6.
I was lucky to get a chance to visit the factory and see a production and a assembling line. This was very interesting and opened me my eyes again for a moment. Not only, because the official language at VW is german, and everything is written in Chinese and German. Very unsual but very confortable for me. It was also interesting to see how the production processes are going. Not on the paper or in Theory. In real, in the factory. My dear brother is working in Germany in such a line. I am very thankful, that I could get a small insight in his working day. They have 3 or 4 shift schedules, with no downtimes. I guess working in one of this lines, with high time and quality pressure is really hard. Besides that, I also think, that doing the same task for 8 hours a day, with only 30 minuts lunch break is really not a funny job. My poor brother. What is he doing every day for day, risking his health by this hard, for the bit money he earns. He does night and weekend shifts, he never complains, and is always in a good mood and friendly. No comparison to the comfortable office job, in which the most people are always unsatisfied and requesting more money.
After seeing that, I highly respect these people, who are doing this mental and physical difficult work in a constantly good quality. Their effort results in my customer satisfaction.
And I remember a quote from a friend of my brother. This friend, lets call him Tim. After he heard that I am a project manager for process improvements, he said: "You are one of those stupid engineers, who are coming, and always disturbing? They have no idea of our work. Theyare looking and disturbing our process, measuring everything with the stopwatch and than changing everything, that it does not work anymore and we are sweating and than fired!"
Well, a bit harsh, but this was what he said and what Tim felt. After this visit, I recognized: Sitting at the desk, designing a process, cutting some costs and increase the efficience, by turning the process time down - this is easy. And normaly this person is not that one, who has to work later with the process. And normaly, he is also not the one, who is cost cutted. This journey really teached me my lesson.
(We) I should remember that in future and value and appreciate the work of those workers more.

17/07/2010 - Boom Boom Pow!

Did I told you already? I have everyday fireworks. Everyday. For sure every evening, sometimes also in the morning or in the afternoon. When it started the first time, I thought there were bombs and I was afraid and scared. I really thought, there might be some attacs, some jets coming from - i do not know, Japan? Korea? Russia? all that near and well weaped. I was really afraid and did not know what to do. under the table? Out of the house? With the elevator? By stairs... hmm I am living in the 13th floor....Panik.
But now, I am used to it. It is fantastic. View over the yellow sea and twinkeling fireworks in the black sky. And all cobined with the lights of the housings and the themeparks around. Amazing. And often. Very often. As mentioned, everyday and sometimes also several times a day. Why? I do not know. So far, I could not find out. Who pays for? Also no idea. But as long as they are not at 8:00 in the morning, I enjoy them. (8:00 in the morning, I really want to sleep, which is not possible at all with those "bombs" )

04/07/2010 Climbing the mountains

In Beijing, there are amazing many people. And all with umbrellas, to protect their selves of the sun. It was really hot. This in addition with the 15 million air-conditions and 10 million cars, it really heathen the city up. So, I was really happy to escape on the second day, to the Chinese mountains.
1h with the subway and than 2h with the bus and you reach a beautiful hiking area. To cross the bridge and enter the park, you have to buy a ticket.
But this seems to be not enough for the Chinese business people, so they blocked the bridge with a motor scooter and demand additional money to let the people cross. Here I learned that there is a free hotline number, where people can report these illegal activities. And here, I also learned that these numbers do not help you much, because they need a lot of background information before they act. But, we were lucky and a police car came and made the way free for us.

So we started our hiking journey with sunshine and new Korean friends, which we met in the bus.

Those Koreans, there were really fun. Always chatting, always making pictures and the best: in the middle of the mountains, they took their cookers out and start cooking noodles. :-)

We enjoyed every second, even, the mountain was high, and sometimes, the bamboo stairs seems to be endless. But we also get great benefits. I have never seen such beautiful butterflies. And some of them just came and sit down on our shoes.

Back down, we have had some food and refreshed ourselves in the nearby river.

Than we start waiting for the bus… 1h…2h.. than a bus arrived. It was sooo full, the people were pressed inside and the bus driver was not opening the door, because they would have fallen out. Here, I have only a picture from the second, not that filled bus… but for Germans, still too full. So, some when, I stopped a small van and he drove us for some money back to the city.

I was really tired, and the next day, I have to get up early, but I was also hungry, so I went to a street “full of clubs and bars”. The near street turned out to be half hour walking distance, and the “clubs and bars” where some souvenir shops and tourist cafes. Well, Chinese people, are not really so in outgoing. But the street was fun and I spent longer than planned by watching all the things and enjoying the colder temperatures. A great day!

20/06/2010 Yes, there is sun in China

SUN! SUN! SUN! The first sunny day, since I am here. Great warm weather, with a fresh brise, ideal to go to the beach!

Before, I really started thinking, I would be living in a cloud. It was always foggy, if not foggy, than raining. But most time both together. Watching outside my window, I was not sure, why I took a flat with ocean view, if you can not see 5m far. And it was cold. Sooooo cold! I was always with my pullover and long jeans. In the night, I slept with a jumper. But now everything is different! Beach, Sun, Tan, I am coming! For my family and firends: here are some pictures of my flat!

This here is the view from my appartment in the daytime. As you see, today, I can see the sea!

This is my kittchen, Shower, Bathroom and Toilet. All in one. The wok is really rosty, so, I do not cook. Who knows me, know, that I really dislike Chinese food. I hate rice, noodels and glibbery souces. Unfortuntaly, there are rarlly other things available. So, I try to buy from time to time a cucumber, some peppers (Are not always available), tomatos, eggs, fruits and very expansive and cheap quality chees. Buhuhu!!!! I miss my good food culture! To whomever, I come the next time, please give me high quality food! I will never forget you that! I AM ALWAYS SO HUNGRY HERE!

Here you see my one room appartment. My douplex bed and my desk. The window is to my bathroom / kittchen. And there is of course my couch, with some assessoires on it :D

Btw assessoires... In China is everything "cute" and pink or baby blue. All signs are with cartoons. Here my scale and my mat for the shower.

8/6/2010 Chinese Massage

I was at the massage yesterday. Outch. I am not sure, if this is really healthy.

6/6/2010 In China now

I am in China. In Dalian to be precise. All people here speak chinese. And only chinese. And they love sugar. Even the 8$ cheese taste sweet. Hmmm.
I learned some words Chinese, which improved my live quality a bit:
Bu: No / Not; Tang: Sugar
And Nihau: Hi, Tang: Soup.
XieXie: Thank you. But that, they do not understand. Maybe my pronaunciation is just to poor.
At least, I can now ask in the supermarket, if they have coffee without sugar and can go home, being informed, that they really do not have them.

But therefore, they have a lot of other things. My new hobby is to go to Tesco and Walmart and to see what they are selling. Everyday, I see new crazy things. And everywhere you can try a lot of new food and services. Like the massage chair. My friend and I, we tested it for 20 minuts. Only the coffee was missing. Sooo relaxing.