Entering China has changed. Not just because the Chinese government definitely wants to attract people in the forefront of the Olympic Games (and has not delivered the best job in doing so up to now). So they have invested in infrastructure, e.g. in the new Beijing Capital Airport that is supposed to be the biggest building in the world and has just been finished. It welcomes the visitor with a great ... weiterlesen...

(ni hao, hello, guten tag!) Let me comment on the language question: I would like to switch between posting in German and English. German regular, English while traveling. Then my friends in other parts of the world can read it too (and comment if they like to). BUT: That does not mean that everybody has to comment in English. You are all very welcome to express your thoughts in German! Will that be a ... weiterlesen...

... comes close to the little tiger suffering from a mixture of chill, restless brain syndrome and excessive party mode. Walking through Beijing after having returned from the USA and having moved on almost immediately to China for an International Conference on an overnight flight I feel alike. The only consolation is: I am not alone. My colleague and travel mate suffers from jetlag as well as severe iPhone addiction. One might be the reason for the other. weiterlesen...

Früher war sie das Highlight der Kindergeburtstage: die Schnitzeljagd, ein Geländespiel. Die Mitspieler einer Gruppe verfolgen die der anderen und suchen nach Spuren, um entweder die Gegner oder die Belohnung zu finden. Irgendein Zeichen musste man hinterlassen, meistens kleine Papierstückchen, die entlang des Weges gestreut wurden. Dieses Spiel spielen wir heute in elektronischer Form alltäglich und überall - allerdings meist ohne unser Wissen.Wer in San Francisco in ein Taxi steigt, wird durch einen Aufkleber am Seitenfenster gewarnt: „Du wirst gefilmt!" Der ... weiterlesen...

This is the end of my travel log (not of my weblog, of course). I travelled 32 cities in 12 states. And I took my trip as some sort of roadwork which enabled me to meet wonderful people, visit interesting places, receive a very diverse impression of the U.S. as an assembly of cultures, traditions and lifestyles. One part of this roadwork is done now. But there is still a construction ... weiterlesen...