Smoking

I’m in Hong Kong today.

Recently my corporate travel deparment decided I should start smoking because, despite repeated instructions to the contrary, they insist on putting me into hotel rooms designated for smokers.

The problem with these hotel rooms is that everyone who stays in them smokes – creating the pleasant ambiance of an Atlantic City bingo parlor at 4AM. In my current room the smell is so overpowering I feel the wallpaper must have long since worn away, replaced only by a thick sheet of nicotine and tar. I’ll probably have to go on the patch when I check out.

After work I went on a quest to find Gillette “Fusion” blades for a friend in Shanghai. Since the blade refills cost about as much as the average Chinese worker earns in 40 years, they haven’t started selling them yet on the Mainland. Sadly, no luck finding them here either.

Here’s a photo I took this evening walking around Causeway Bay. The weather is nice here now. Cool, but pleasant and clear.

I’m taking the train to Guangzhou tomorrow. Then back to Shanghai tomorrow night.