Beijing, China

The next stop on the Asia tour, was Beijing, China.  The main reason for this stop, was to hold yet another press conference:

We were there to introduce the latest graphics products to the Chinese press.  Some of the products were on display:

Trust me...these are awesome PC graphics cards...

The press conference started a little differently than those we conduct in the U.S. and Europe.  We had the Beijing Opera Company perform at the top of the show...

Later that afternoon, a bunch of the executives I was with, wanted to go find cheap, knock-off items to buy.  Some of them were given shopping lists by their wives - Louis Vuitton bags, Chanel purses, Movado watches, etc.  We ended up at the famous Pearl Market:

You can find anything here you'd like.  The only problem?  It's all FAKE.  In the picture above, you can see lots of electronics.  In fact, if you look at the center of the picture, you can see several iPads.  The funny thing is - the exterior box is an actual iPad box.  However, inside is a cheap plastic imitation device that doesn't even run iPad software.  The clothing, watches and purses are a bit better.  Most people can't even tell the difference.  My sister would DIE to shop here, as she loves purses, and wouldn't mind buying knock-offs at considerably cheaper prices.  To give you an idea - a famous Coach purse would normally go for over $1,000.  Here, I saw one of my co-workers negotiate the price from $300, down to $80.  Afterwards, I called my wife and told her that I appreciate the fact that designer name brands aren't a big deal to her ; )

The weather in Beijing was horrible.  Not because it was overcast...but because the smog and pollution were so bad.  Here's a snapshot from the top floor of our hotel:

The haze was thick.  You can barely see a couple of blocks down the street.  This photo was taken around noon time.  That's why I was so amazed to see how nice it was during the 2008 Olympics.

That evening, we all went out for Indian food (yes, you read that right) at Ganges.  It was delicious, if a little spicy. The location of the restaurant was inside an upscale shopping mall.  Outside the mall was the largest video screen I've ever seen in my life (even bigger than the Dallas Cowboy Stadium).  This little video clip doesn't even do it justice:

My hotel was really nice.  However, I'm starting to see this trend that has glass walls as part of the bathroom.  That way, you can see right into the bathroom...and if you look at this picture, you can see all the way into the toilet area:

I don't know about you - but I would enjoy a little more privacy in there ; )

One fast food place that is really, really popular in China...is not McDonald's.  Although that company does really well.  Instead, the far more popular chain is Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The Chinese eat a lot of chicken, and this fits well with the culture.  I wanted to give it a try:

Finger lickin' good...

Last observation - while at the gargantuan Beijing International Airport, I saw a unique shop.  It was selling packaged fresh fruit:

You would never, ever find this in the U.S., due to pest control agencies and agriculture controls in each state.  It was fun to think that you could take some beautiful apples with you on your plane ride!

That's it for Beijing - the next stop on the tour is Shanghai and Hangzhou!