Evan and Auden in the USA pics

My two friends and colleagues returned to their homeland Sat. They left San Diego happy to go home..........Here are some of their pics.

Kohler WI

In Livingston TN

San Diego Harbor

Jan's work assignment in China

A good friend of our company is currently working in China for 6 months helping to get her company ready for a new diesel engine launch. She has a great interest in travel, especially China. In fact her first trip to China occurred back in 1989, I believe.

I just recieved a mail from her and she reports the following:

One night in Wuhan this week, I watched a powerful movie on the Chinese Television Movie Channel, CCTV6. The title and director & actor names were in both Chinese and English so I thought it might have English subtitles. It didn't but it was so well done I watched the whole movie anyway. It's called THE ROAD. I don't remember the director. It's about a bus driver and a young girl who takes the tickets - it starts in the 50s and follows their lives into the 21st century. If you can find this it is well worth watching. It includes the cultural revolution and the opening up. It's a tragic love story - and either propogranda or irony.
We finally had some discussion about the cultural revolution over a dinner the other night. One woman had volunteered to go to the countryside. The other had an older brother who spent 4 years on a farm. Their discussion and the movie both confirmed the RED AZAELA. Still hard to imagine the sacrifices families made - and for what? that must be the hardest.
I also talked to one of the German owners of a company here - he said China now reminds him of Germany after WWII - re-using every scrap to rebuild - cleaning the bricks from torn down buildings, scavanging all the doors and windows, pipes and tubing. And rebuilding frantically!
I'm going out on the road again next week - including Saturday and Sunday - working days so we can have a week off for the Labor Holiday. For the vacation, I'm going with a group of friends to Shen Long Jia - the start of the silk road. We are leaving from Xiangfan - so I'm not really sure where I'll be. Out in the boonies, somewhere.
Here's a photo for you - this is in Wuhan, from an elevated sidewalk. I'm still trying to explain to people about crossing the streets here - this is the best I've captured so far of how people, bicycles, cars and busses all jockey for position.
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Oh, I also finally hit bottom on hotels - some town 3 hours north of Wuhan - they wouldn't take credit cards - not just international credit cards, Chinese ones either. And they charged $50/night. No internet, no English language TV, and doubtful plumbing. A very bleak restaurant. I was actually glad to get back to Wuhan. And I had my first sleeper train ticket - from Wuhan to Nanchang. Only 4 hours but it was nice to stretch out.
Stay in touch. My adventures end in a couple months. Went to the fabric market yesterday and ordered bunches of new clothes. Realized time was running out.

Evan and Auden in South Carolina

We are at the Greenville Spartanburg airport; just finished a poor dinner of typical American airport food. However Evan did get his hot Lipton tea. He is shufu.

Auden is off at the smoking lounge. We are talking about our colleague, Lucy, back in China. We wish she could join us. We like that she reads our blog entries and she will surely laugh when she reads this.

We are on the way to Houston and will arrive at hotel until late tonight.

The weather is beautiful but windy. Sky clear and blue. Trees are in bloom. Like in Lucy's photo below. xie xie

Auden and Evan in the USA

My Chinese colleagues Evan and Auden are visiting our company locations in the USA.
It is interesting watching Auden and Evan respond to the cultural differences. These two guys are not as flexible as I thought. I actually had to go out and buy a hot water heater so that Evan could boil water in his hotel room for tea and soup. Auden did not bring warm clothes so he is wearing my thick Parker jacket. They complain that Mei guo is boring. Bu shufu. They both are consumed by large American breasts and teenage girls. We must eat chinese food every day. Otherwise they are having an interesting time and they are busy. They are getting a taste of what I put up with during trips to china: travel and work all day; answering e-mails and phone calls late into the night.

Tokyo street 30 March 2007

Recently I was in Tokyo working with some colleagues. I was often tempted to take some photos of the beautiful women. My last day I was walking to bus stop for the airport.

I came across this beauty from behind. I could not resist. I am proud of my stealth.

Train Rides