Love the location of my hotel in a neighborhood full of local shops and restaurants. Not so much sightseeing today; mainly orientation and acculturation.

Here are 10 things that surprised me today:

1. Stylish design of office towers in business district.

2.Uninhibited and unsmothered belching in the local noodle shop.

3. Exhuberant and friendly Chinese (after 15 years working around Chinatown NY this was most surprising)

4. Expensive western stores (Nike) are just as expansive here.

5. Clear, sunny skies and no pollution.

6. Clean, litter-free streets.

7. Feeling like a giantess but able to buy warm leggings anyway.

8. Intense mah jong in the street.

9. Not so much smoking.

10. No Chinese-dubbed American series on TV. They have their own series!

So glad there’s free wifi at Nice Airport as I’m here way too early. My biggest worry is the connection in Munich as I have only 45 minutes to make the flight to Frankfurt which will bring me to the Middle Kingdom. It’s crazy but with a pricetag of 400eur’ I won’t complain.