Matts blog

FT.com / Asia-Pacific / Renminbi revaluation - China ends renminbi’s decade-old peg to dollar
After 10 years of China’s currency being pegged to the US Dollar it has finally been altered by 2.1%, and will be allowed from freedom of movement up to a maximum of 0.3% per day. I knew this would happen, but didn’t expect it today - fantastic news!!!

Google Earth is possibly one of the best bits of software I’ve ever seen. You can visit any part of the globe and view pictures of it, I just wish I had my GPS in China so I could use it to greater benefit. Go and download it and enjoy!!!

So after 2 crazy weeks in terms of amount of work and socialising I’m back in China, with the welcome of 30C and high humidity and failed airconditioning, but its amazing what a 97RMB fan can do to cool you down!!!!!

The first week in erding was very productive, but working 12+ hour days wasn’t quite what I had in mind, and needless to say I didn’t manage to get out to do any shopping, so will be stuck with Chinese trousers for ever!!! Erding seems like a nice little place, and has a very nice Irish Bar in the center, with fantatic food.

The weekend in the UK was fantastic, my Niece has grown loads, and is much more interactive, hopefully I can try and get back to the UK on a regular basis!! Strangely the weekend in the UK was roasting hot, I was expected and had packed for a cold english summer, I was shocked!

The final week in Budapest started at 2am on monday morning with a trip to Luton airport, never a great start to a week It was fantastic finally meeting everyone in one place, about 80 of us all told, the work side was very useful, and the social side was fun too, an early night was 2am… I did manage to get a pretty decent hair cut though, which is pretty good news, was dreading another chinese cut.

Even the flight home was good, I got 2 seats so spread out and watched films

I’m knackered now though, cant wait to calm down a bit.

After a very pleasant flight with Austrian Airlines I landed at Vienna Airport and tranfered to my local service to Munich, I’d no flown with Austrian Air before, but I can say that its the best airline food I’ve had, EVER, in fact if I’d have got the same food in a restaurant, I would have been pretty happy They do seem to be a bit short on leg room though, I’ve definatly been able to stretch out more.

Its quite hot here in Erding, about 28C, cooler than Shanghai by 10C but theres no airconditioning here which makes life a little harder Its nice looking out the window an seeing green fields though, and the small differences like being able to drink tap water, and clean teath with running tap water, its very refreshing.

I didn’t get much time to look round Chengdu due to work, but did manage to have a few beers in a nice bar, and visit a temple and tomb within the city. And very nice it was too.

Chengdu is the cheapest city I’ve been to so far, taxi’s flagfall is 7RMB rather than the usual 10RMB and then only 1.40 per KM, Shanghai is 2RMB/Km.

The weather was hot and humid while I was there, and there was one hell of a thunderstorm during the night.

Food in Sichuan province is one of my favorites, and lunch for two of 麻辣鱼 (ma la yu) a Shichuan speciality, and possibily my favorite dish, the literal translation is ‘tingling spicy fish’ so you can get the idea, its basicly a bowl of hot oil with white fish, and piles of chilis and Sichuan tingling pepper corns, and its great, it makes your lips go numb!!!

I flew back to Shanghai with Sichuan airlines, and the meal was fantastic, port with chilis and rice.