On this trip it was remarkable that firstly we managed to meet with so many friends who were coincident happen to be in Kobe. That was such a great treat for us to enjoy again their company.....
Staying with Mike and Laurie in Kobe; then Carsten & Michelle in Beijing we were spoilt with fantastic hosts. I even had a number of reunions with old Lilly staff members and that was also a highlight.
Now for my observations -- Kobe has hardly changed, while Osaka has had some noticeable improvements around Umeda. The price of items has not changed and that was quite remarkable....Allow me to compare Japan which seems have hardly changed to that of China.....
The rise of the middle class was so obvious with KFC on most street corners, plus new models of (local model) Mercedes and BMW cars
Beijing
Pollution - dramatically reduced (the sky was blue!)
Spitting - saw one person only
Lines - people line up and also wait to cross the road
Traffic - horrific
Such a cultural change, I'm sure that the olympics had alot to do about these shifts.
Shanghai
Pollution - also radically less
Spitting - zero
Lines - people line up and also wait to cross the road
Traffic - much much improved
However no-one seemed to have adjusted their smoking behaviour, despite the recent legislation....I guess that is the next challenge for China?
Huang Shan is probably the most beautiful mountains we have ever visited. Previously we have been to three other of the famous religiously famous mountain ranges. The walk was treacherous -- up and down, slippery and wet. But amazing breathtaking views.
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