When you thought you have seen it all in Shoe Fashion, the next surprise comes

Rushing through Hong Kong airport recently, I could not miss the opportunity to snap a few images of brand new fashions in shoes… Take a look at these images:

Pretty fancy, yeah!?

More troubles in Air Travel - First Cancelled Flights, then Missing Baggage Handlers

Well, if you are looking for worry and trouble free flights these days, think twice.  On a recent flight from China (Shenzhen - Shanghai - Chicago) to Austin, Texas, I got to experience the challenges of air travel disconnects and issues.  As you are most likely aware American Airlines had to cancel a whole bunch of flights in the US as they were serviced by the fleet’s grounded MD-80 aircraft.

As a result of those flight cancellations on my recent flight to the US, I looked into requesting a switch to a United flight from Chicago O’Hare to Austin airport.  My initial reaction was “Score — I was able to get on the flight”, and be able to avoid staying the night in a hotel in Chicago.  That was the 30 seconds of elation.  Then the reality of the current flight conditions settled in.  The United flight was initially delayed by 2 hours.  Then, by the time we actually boarded the plane (after having to wait for a flight crew to arrive from another city) it was already 3, or 3+ hours delay.    Well, you may say, “Whats the big deal — only 3 hours delay…”  —- But that was not all.  Once we boarded the plane the additional wait started.  Come to find out (based on the plane captain’s update to us the passengers) — the baggage handlers had decided to go home.  So after midnight the Chicago O’Hare airport was being served by a tiny crew of baggage handlers — statements were made to the effect of “Only 2 baggage handlers are servicing all the gates in this part of the airport.  No, we do not know when they will get to our plane….”

The net effect was that we had to sit for a whole lot of time on the tarmac in the plane while someone had to load our bags in the plane.  We (the passengers) could have done that.  I am sure most of us wanted to get it done so we can get back home…..

Well, long story short, eventually the baggage handlers showed up, and eventually we were airborne.  But the sour taste in my mouth remains — what a crazy setup — You have a whole bunch of aircraft / flights canceled, you have a whole lot of  tired and frustrated passengers, and NO ONE from the airport management makes an effort to ensure that at least the ground crews are operational….. Go figure….!

That was a very frustrating experience.   So where was that bill of passenger rights

I wonder….

Happy Travels!

More Legroom in Economy Plus Middle Section on United 747s

Recently, I traveled with my nine year old daughter to Beijing to visit friends and buy jewelry for my website, Chinafinds. As my daughter had elite status on United, we were able to sit in the Economy Plus section. This is particularly important on the San Francisco - Beijing flight, because United uses rather tired old 747s for that route and as I’m sure you know, they lack the amenities of the newer 777s such as seatback video and are generally not as spiffy. Anyway, the 747 had a 3 – 5 – 3 configuration (meaning three seats next to the window on either side of the plane flanking five seats in the middle section). We were in the middle five, and I noted to my surprise that the seats in the middle five had considerably more legroom (by about two inches) than the seats in the outer three on either side of the aisle. The difference was apparent to the naked eye and I confirmed it by taking an actual measurement. I was surprised, as this detail was not indicated on Seatguru, one of my favorite travel tools. I habitually check Seatguru whenever I fly to make sure of getting the best seat possible. However, this small detail was not noted there. Anyway, my daughter and I were pleased to be in the section with superior legroom and enjoyed our 12 hour flight to Beijing to the extent to which it was possible.

Watch Out for a New Scam — this one organized by “clever” taxi driver

Well, when you thought you have finally mastered the various forms in which you might be taken to the cleaners by a clever taxi driver, here is a new one I had not thought is possible — China Daily reported on a weird way to steal — by having an accomplice (to the cab driver) hidden in the trunk of the cab.

According to the report, the cab driver took the unsuspecting passenger on board and only a few minutes after taking off from the airport, informed the passenger that he got an urgent call and needs to head back…. The “helpful” driver found another cab and transfered the passenger’s luggage….It all seemed good until that passenger found out (later on while at home) that her laptop computer was gone — per the report, the police investigation determined that the rogue cab driver had an accomplice hidden in the trunk of the car.  While the vehicle was on its way, that person searched through the luggage and removed valuables…

So on your next taxi ride, pay attention and watch carefully what the driver is doing.

The situation with the Maglev Train in Shanghai - new developments

Many of you have probably looked for information on-line or from friends on how to get from Pudong airport to Shanghai.  Right now one of the options is the famous Maglev train, which goes to Longyang station in Pudong.  There has been a lot of debate as to the utility of the train as it goes only a relatively limited distance into Pudong and does not reach the older section of Shanghai proper — if you are using the Maglev train you will have to transfer to the #2 subway line or get into a cab to get to any destination in Shanghai (across the Bund) or in the business or residential districts of Pudong.

So, the local government had decided to extend the Maglev train to Hanghzhou — a neat idea, but as of last week that idea met with relatively strong opposition by local Shanghai residents.  Check out the summary and video posted on Shanghaiist in an article on that protest

These developments have impact in several aspects — it is a sign of increasing awareness of local residents in their power to protest local government decisions, as well as support for the notion that “growth at all / or any cost” is not acceptable in the now more affluent cities like Shanghai.

So, if you were planing on leveraging that cool Maglev train in your next trip to Hangzhou, you may have to plan alternative transportation   for time being…

What a way to end 2007… New York Times Article on Beijing’s Air Quality and Impact on the Upcoming 2008 Olympics

Over the last couple of years I have posted several times on the issues related to air quality in Beijing.  Overall, and as usual, images say a lot about the situation, but now New York Times has published another article (part of a series)  discussing the issues with the current state of air pollution in the city.  Here is a link to the article (you will need to create yourself a login/a free account to be able to see the complete articles) -

Beijing’s Olympic Quest: Turn Smoggy Sky Blue

The article is weird in some ways — it is trying to show the issues facing Beijing people as well as the Olympics, but it also big time misses on some facts:  For example, the article claims that large (diesel) trucks are forbidden from entering the city before midnight… Yes, this might be true as a policy, but anyone who has driven along JinShunLu (from the 3rd loop road towards ShunYi or in the opposite direction) knows and has seen the endless procession of huge trucks spewing smoke….Yes, sometimes the police stops the trucks, but from what I understand that happens when these trucks are very dangerously overloaded (not just overloaded mind you)

I am not going to debate if the air quality has improved or not over the last several years…but I am very curious as to where New York Times gets their facts and how they verify their articles…

Having said that, the other aspects that the article shows are pointing some of the disconnects —  eventhough the number of blue sky days has increased particulate matter is still way high.  One clue — the trucks that keep coming into Beijing — not all the way to TianAnMen but even if they go only to the 3rd loop road the impact on the city air is done…

At any rate, take a look at the article and/or just look outside of your window (if you live in Beijing).  The local government is pusing in the right direction — more green buildings, more effort on renewable energy (after all one of the fastest growing Solar Panel companies in the world is in China), and now is the time to further strengthen enforcement of good rules.

Hotel Reviews: Hong Kong Island Le Meridien, Kowloon Sheraton, Shenzhen: Venetian Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Shangri-La (LuoHu)

I have been asked on a number of occasions for recommendations on good / convenient hotels in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There are many travelers (both business and tourist alike) who need to spend time in both cities and/or stay in one and have to do business in the neighboring one as well…long story short, here is a brief set of views of hotels in Shenzhen and Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong Island: Le Meridien Hotel
• This hotel is located on the South side of Hong Kong island, in the area called Cyberport, located near by Stanley.
• The hotel is relatively new — my first stay there was in the Fall of 2004. It is a modern hotel with very good amenities, attentive staff, and excellent rooms. At the time (2004) it was one of the hotels I knew about that had flat panel TVs (plasma TVs) in each room
• Here is a link to some photos from the hotel:

Hotel_Reviews_SouthernChina_HongKong

• Kowloon: Sheraton - this hotel is located on Nathan Road very near by MTR station and near by plenty of pubs, restaurants, and shops.  If you are craving for some British pub atmosphere (if you have spend a tad too long in Asia) you can visit a great pub in a basement near by the Sheraton and have some good beer and pot pie.   The hotel itself is very comfortable.  Great rooms, the rate is bit on the expensive side, but given the location that can be expected.  You can get to the hotel with a shuttle bus from the airport (same for going to the airport).

• Shenzhen:  Venetian Crowne Plaza.  If you are going to do most of your business in Shezhen you might as well stay in Shenzhen (rather than Hong Kong).  The hotels are definitely cheaper on the Shenzhen side of the border.  The Venetian is an excellent hotels.  It is part of the chain that includes the Holiday Inn, but believe me there is nothing in common between the two.  Actually, in Shenzhen, there is also a Holiday Inn hotel, which I DO NOT recommend.  The Holiday Inn (based on one stay there) is not a hotel that warrants the amount of money you need to spend.  If the Venetian is booked then you should opt for the Shangri-La (located near the Shenzhen railway station).
  The Venetian is an excellent hotel for both business and tourist travelers.  It is located near by the Windows of the World park, and about RMB70 from the Shenzhen airport, or about RMB80 from the Ferry dock (for the ferry from Hong Kong Int’l airport).
• The Shangri-La is located in the area called LuoHu.  This hotel is conveniently located if you need to make day trips into Hong Kong.  You can walk to the border (about 5 minutes from the hotel), cross on foot through immigration, and on the other side get on the MTR (the Hong Kong mass transit railway), and head for TaiPo or Kowloon areas among others.

Air Travel Experiences - Plane Mechanical Troubles and Delays Abound

Over the last three weeks my family and I have had to travel on a number of flights and across several airlines (American, United…) for both business and personal reasons.  Between the Thanksgiving holiday and business travel for me we logged in over 18K miles each and over 6 flights.  During these flights we experienced numerous delays due to plane mechanical issues.  For example - our Thanksgiving trip included travel from Austin (TX) to Huntsville (AL).  That involved 4 flights.  Out of the 4 flights, three had mechanical trouble.  These were all on American airlines.  That resulted in delays from 40minutes to 2 hours per flight.

Then last week I had to fly to San Jose.  I arrived at the airport (for an early morning flight === for an early morning meeting in San Jose) to find out that the night before the 6:40 am flight has been canceled.  Lucky for me I was able to jump on a flight to Dallas and from there to San Jose resulting in only 1 hour delay of arrival.  The alternative was pretty bad — I was going to meet a critical customer meeting!  By flying via Dallas I was able to notify the customer and delay the meeting by one and a half hour — 1 hour flight delay plus time to get to the customer site (my original flight was to arrive early enough that I could make it to the customer’s location way before the meeting time)

Then came my most recent flight Taipei - San Francisco - Austin (just yesterday) —> the flight from San Francisco to Austin got delayed as well (by 1 hour) as the plane had trouble with the navigation system and required parts replacement while the passengers were on-board….That was an United flight.

Have I had only one or two such troubles in a short three week window of time, I would have thought — “This is just a normal / sudden issue”.  But the case here was different — I was on 12 flights in a matter of three weeks and four of the flights had issues with the planes.   Add to that the now usual time delays due to traffic congestion and you have yourself a pretty tough situation for us the travelers.

What is the lesson learned from all this — well, I do not think we can do much to change the readiness of the planes — this is the airlines’ responsibility.  I hope the airlines are taking steps to renew their fleet and / or keep the planes in better shape.  What can we, the travelers do?  One thing only — always plan your trips with the thought that you will be delayed and figure out ahead of time what your options could be.

China Polution takes center stage in various news/media publications

All of a sudden articles about China’s pollution problem are sprouting in multiple publications.  Here is the latest one — this time in Wired magazine (although they are also quoting Los Angeles Times)  …

Interesting to watch how all this is bubbling to the surface now — when China is starting to gather more noticeable economic strength.  Those who have lived in China over the past 10 years know that China’s environmental problem is no news — on the contrary — it has been a big issue for residents of that country.  (See also earlier postings in this blog)
However we also recognize that the issue is very closely linked with the rapid pace of modernization and manufacturing — at the end of the day it is all about the $$$ — or how to make those.  Usage of low capital investment - i.e. read not advanced and environmentally clean technologies has generated huge profits but also strained the environment in China.

The question now is “What will the Chinese Government do about it”??????

Polution in Beijing and the approaching 2008 Olympics

For those of you who have spent any considerable amount of time in Beijing, it is probably very apparent the issue that is facing the upcoming Olympics — the issue of air pollution. It used to be that the air was filled with smoke in the winter as the farmers around Beijing would burn the fields in preparation for the planting season.

I remember vividly the day my family and I arrived in Beijing (a couple of years back) on my third stint in China. It was a dark winter evening and the Beijing airport was covered in slightly blue smoke — there was so much of it that it even permeated the plane as we were waiting to disembark from it…..Then as we entered the airport terminal it was felt as well….At the time we thought “No big deal, this is a temporary issue…” And it was (sort of) — in the Spring things improved. Then last year the weather and pollution were quite a bit heavier — there were days when the sun was just a silver disk in the sky (behind the haze)….

And now that the Olympics are approaching the local government is concerned and acting. I am sure there will be a drastic reduction in manufacturing and construction activity several months prior to the August 2008 date. This should allow the construction dust to settle. Factories are being relocated (this has been going on for a couple of years now), and car traffic will be heavily restricted…..

I have no doubt that all these measures will help and make the Olympics successful. But there is a need (a drastic one) to make changes. One example of that is the adoption of alternative energy sources and engines…. Here is an example of some really new and interesting one and I also try to cover developments in new / hybrid vehicles in my automotive related blog.

Living and driving in China you get to see how congested roads are and you start to appreciate how important impact hybrids and alternative fuel could have on China….both on emissions, greenhouse gases, and also on cost of driving (alternative fuels could reduce the strain on resources and the resulting run up on prices)….

For those of you who are not sure if you have seen the Beijing haze, here is a look…: