Yep.  Pretty much sums up my experiences with Jager…

I seem to bring bad luck to China every time I visit.  Last time I was there, newspapers were printed in black & white and all entertainment was suspended as a mark of respect to those killed in the earthquakes.  This time, it was the mudslides that meant all entertainment was suspended again.  Not exactly what you want to see when you’re trapped in a hotel room with nothing else to do!

Beijing skyline in the summer sunshine

Back in Beijing for three days of meetings, and greeted for the first time by warm, sunny weather.  Every other trip I’ve made to Beijing has either been clear but freezing or warm and hazy.  Definitely worth going out to do some sightseeing!

Never has German sounded so sweet: Ab Donnerstag, den 22.04.2010 gilt der reguläre Flugplan. Damit bietet Ihnen Lufthansa wieder die gewohnte Planungssicherheit.

Or, in other words, flights are back to normal and I should be able to fly home tomorrow.  It’s only been two weeks, but the uncertainty of the return journey and squeezing in three cities means that it feels like I’ve been away much longer.  I know I was in Taiwan only a week ago, but it seems like ages.

It’s definitely been a trip of new experiences.  New foods, new friends, new massages.

I don’t know if it was a sense of adventure or just sheer boredom that encouraged me to try an ear massage, but I can add it to the list of life’s more bizarre experiences.  It wasn’t particularly unpleasant, but I can’t say that it will be at the top of my list on my next visit to the spa.

One more day, one more banquet to get through tonight (Peking Duck, so I can’t complain too loudly), one more sleep…  then home.

Time to hit the local grocery store to try a few of the local products. 

Mangos = good. Fermented mangos = ???

Fruitery Jelly. Because no one can resist "fruitery"

Tsing Tao beer. Because you can (almost) never go wrong with beer. China produces more beer than anyone else in the world, so they must know a thing or two about what they're doing...

Chinese receipts, neatly stacked in a single pile

After waking up early this morning, I thought I’d try to sort out some of my receipts.  They’re all written in Chinese, so this was easier said than done.  But I’d just about managed, and had them each sorted into little piles by expense type and date.  I hadn’t labeled anything yet, figuring I’d label them when I came back from breakfast.

I switched the Do Not Disturb light on, afraid that housekeeping might clean the desk.  As I walked down the hall, the housekeeper asked if she could clean my room.  Against my better judgment, I let her clean my room – with the inevitable results.

All my receipts, neatly stacked into a single pile!