Home from China

I flew into San Francisco late last night from Hong Kong, after ten days working in China. Our takeoff was delayed two hours because of a typhoon – as the cycling winds changed direction, we had to change runways four times. Finally, the jet had to return to the hub to top off fuel before take off. I did not sleep much, so I watched movies: Prince of Persia, The Last Airbender, The A-Team, Letters to Juliet, Nanny McPhee and others, courtesy of Singapore Air. In Singapore Air Economy Class, movies are unlimited, the seats are big, there is a foot rest and a place to put my glasses, and the food is good but fourteen hours on a plane is still not much fun.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, with much honoring of Deng Xiaoping. There were balloons, flags, and illuminated red lanterns on the main streets in celebration. I think my Huawei business trip went well but I am glad to have this long weekend to rejoin my home time zone before starting work again.

I was happy to eat western breakfast food today – the food in Shenzhen is excellent and interesting but I would rather have food I am used to when I wake up. We went to Bill’s Cafe in Willow Glen – our favorite brunch spot. I am even happier to be with my family (John and Paul met me at the airport) and able to drink water from the tap. “Boiled-bottled-or-alcoholic” is the requirement for drinking in China.

I gave John and Paul some of their presents last night. Paul got some carved jade charms and I gave John a small bottle delightfully painted inside with two scenes of birds. The Chinese art of painting a tiny image on the inside of a bottle is delightful. I bought John’s bottle at a store called “Chinese Arts and Craft” in Hong Kong, which offered better quality artists than other locations. I also brought home tea (of course), sesame candy, and moon cakes. I was assured by my Chinese friends that the simple red bean moon cakes I prefer are not as good as those with an egg inside; however, when I came through SFO customs last night and saw the FDA agents confiscating all moon cakes with egg, I was even happier with my choice.

Here are some photos from my trip to Shenzhen and Hong Kong: