My First Entry. (please be gentle)

Hi my name is Al.

That's me in the middle in a photo taken in at a flooring factory in Hangzhou, China on Oct. 31, 2007. I am the editor of a trade magazine and I was visiting the birthplace of Chinese food, touring the factories and taking the pulse of the burgeoning hardwood flooring biz.

This is my first entry in my new blog. I was compelled to begin this after sending the following email to a small group of friends. A few told me it didn't suck and that my writing skills were sufficient to merit a blog. I realize that's like saying my breathing skills are sufficient to merit life on earth but as they say in China, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step (and boarding pass.) Here then is the email:

Now I'm a veteran of China! Just back from a week Hangzhou (my 2nd trip now). A huge city of 12 million people I had never heard of. An unbelievable experience. I spent two days touring factories and I actually had two free days to bum around the city by myself It was bizarre.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS: Many of those I encountered had never seen (A) an America and (B) A man with a bread (and very few men my size.) I was either getting VIP treatment by my hosts or being gawked at by everyone else...Everybody rides a bike and everybody seems pissed off and in a hurry. (Not unlike a certain city I was born in)...I watched game 4 of the World Series (live) beginning at 7 am. (The result made me very sad--but I never thought I'd see it in Commietown)... A cop yelled at a women because she didn't want me to take her picture (with the Olympics coming there's this big push to nice to foreigners... or else)...Four of us had a two-hour feast that came to $68 (US). (And that was with beer)...I got lost and found that cabs didn't want to go to my hotel out of fear of the police there for the conference I was covering...At a crowded KFC the manager came out from begin the counter and brought me to the front of the line (literally) pushing aside people who had been waiting there well before me (they didn't seem happy about it). I found out that "Pepsi" refers to any type of soft drink and "Coke" means "Pepsi."

I was told "It is considered extremely rude to ask someone not to smoke." (This during a meal when people were still eating.) They apparently don't yet have the recipe for ice. The cops don't give tickets to the locals. Instead, they pull them aside and yell at the in public for a few minutes to humiliate them (I'll take that over the LAPD which does both.) If I went into a store and didn't buy something the merchant's smile quickly turned to annoyance even shouting. "Buxom Chinese woman" is an oxymoron. If you like bike riding and cigarette smoking this the place for you. (Both were ubiquitous) They don't call it "Chinese food." They just call it "food."

The factories are like concentration camps. It's 12 hours a day, six days a week. Squalid living quarters with little or no indoor plumbing but a state issued satellite TV to assure China's version of Fox News gets through. While touring one of these dungeons, just for the hell of it, I dropped a Chinese 50 RMB (about $8 US) at one women's work station, When I got near the exit I watched her face beam like a kid on Christmas as she discreetly picked it up and stashed it in her smock. I latter learned that is what she makes in a day. I feel good about that! Best $8 bucks I ever spent--and I put it on my T&E (Maybe she ordered take out American food for dinner?) A women a few blocks from my hotel approached me and asked "You want to do suckie? 10 bucks?" (About $1.60 US) I said, out loud "You'd have to pay me a lot more than that!." She didn't understand, but I thought it was a funny thing to say. (Also, it turns out "10 bucks" was only her opening bid.--Just kidding)

Travel tip: When returning home after an 18 hour flight and a week in a drab, depressing Police state and you're going through US Customs, look the Customs dude right in the eye, smile and say "It is so freakin good to be home, my friend." If you mean it, and I did, you'll sail right through.