- Leave Seattle 9:30am Sat for Vancouver BC
- 15 hour flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong. Managed 6-7 hrs of sleep. Arrived late by ~45 min at ~8:30pm Sunday.
- Took two trains and eventually made it to Shangri-La in Kowloon (northern portion of HK) by ~10:30pm
- Slept from 11:30pm-2am and 4:15-5:30am
- Monday: got up at 5:30am, ate breakfast. Successfully bought a ferry ticket to Shekou, got in the right line, made it thru customs, got on the right ferry boat.
- Arrived in Shekou at 9am, made it thru customs without any hassle or bag checks. MSFT guys met me and took me to work.
- Engrs took me to lunch (real Szechuan food!)
- Big day at MACH. Finished work at 7:30pm. MACH guys took me to my hotel by taxi and I just finished dinner.
The Hotels
Microsoft takes unbelieveable care of its employees. They also have tremendous bargaining power and things are way cheaper in Asia. So I'm staying in 5-star hotels for equivalent of $208 in Hong Kong and only $110 in Shenzhen (two double-beds per room). I've got to take Casey (and possibly Jade) with me at my next opportunity. Life could get pricey though while I'm at work (see food below).
The Food
Breakfast was unbelievable. Hands down the best opportunity I've ever had and I had to wolf it down in 15 min to make the ferry. Think of a combination between Todai and the Disney buffets. Unbelievable variety and quality. 6 types of fresh fruit, at least 15 types of pastries/muffins, 6 types of juice, classic eggs/ham/omlets/pancakes/waffles/hashbrowns--you get the idea.
Lunch was true Chinese Szechuan food. Four guys couldn't eat it all and it was only $25 US. It was a boisterous local spot. I wish I'd brought a camera so you could see this teapot this guy poured our water from. The spout was literally two feet long and the water spat out another 6-8 inches, making it a real trick to get the water in our cups. The guys made the tea guy pour boiling water in our dishes to sanitize them "just in case."
Dinner: a salad, 12 oz water ($5), and veggie lasagne cost $50 US, incl. tip. That's almost half the bill for tonight's stay! There were 4-person dinners on the menu for $400 US.
Chinese Culture
- Incredibly efficient. It's a delight to check in and out of hotels. At breakfast this morning, the waiter brought me my check while I was eating without me asking. I could leave whenever I wanted. People's motions are very fast and efficient (when doing their job :-). There is no tipping of waiters or taxicabs. Expensive restaurants just automatically add 15% to the bill.
- Everyone works. At least it seems that way in HK. Extremely clean city. Everywhere you go someone is cleaning something.
- Unexpected emptiness or fullness: the train tunnels were still full of people at 10pm on a Sunday night. Yet downtown Hong Kong felt virtually empty at 6:30am. The MACH building feels only half-occupied and the streets outside seem relatively deserted except during lunch time. You wonder how all the shops stay in business. The expensive hotel restaurants have more waiters and attenders than people in the restaurant!
Engineering in China
Never thought I'd say this, but man are these people young! They're working for world-class companies (Microsoft, Micron, ViMicro) and they are 2-4 years out of school, all around 25 years old. Very bright and energetic and can-do/confident attitude. However, there is something to be said for experience.
My health
Doing good so far. A few rumblings down below, but nothing serious so far. Hoping to get a good night's rest.
When to reach me: Skype me between 2:30-5:30pm PST (5:30am-8:30am my time). I have a conf call everyday from 4-5pm PST. I also have to fit my quiet time & breakfast in there too...
Miss you all! Especially Casey & Jade. The pianist played the Pocohontas and Beauty & the Beast songs tonight...
