Monday, February 22, 2010

A Weekend in AKICistan: short but sweet.

Toilets on the train to Lhasa
I had a student tell me about her recent train trip to Tibet.  The trip for her was fifty hours,  and all she had was a seat, no bed or bunk.  By the time the train arrived in Lhasa the toilets were indescribable as no attempt was made to clean them.

Winter Olympic Reaction
One Brit tells me he has tried to watch the Olympics  but all he seems to get on CCTV5 is Chinese Curling.  Much as he likes curling, he would rather watch other countries curl.
 
Valentine's Day Operator
A student told me that he made extra money on Valentine's day by buying a bunch of roses and selling them individually to couples in Chongan Market.  Buying them a four rmb a piece, he was able to sell them all for ten rmb -- a 150 percent markup. 
 
China to become Dubai 1,000?
Courtesy Seablogger, I came across this article.  I wonder if I am living in a little mini Dubai here in Hui Shan.  There is one mall near my home with a 90 percent vacancy rate, with another mall scheduled to be opened when the subway is completed.  Furthermore, there are hotels and business parks built and without tenants, as the area seems to be hoping the subway will encourage people to come to an area that currently deemed to be too faraway by most Wuxi residents.
 
Overtime
I will be putting in some overtime this weekend making the AKIC weekend short but nice.

1 comment:

Paul Rudkin said...

Not happy to hear about the toilets en-route to Tibet. Lily and I were thinking of heading that way this year!