The Great Wall At Badaling

This photo was taken while visiting Beijing with my client Paris Arey, formerly of Cisco Systems.  We brought about 35 folks from around the world together for an “international” meeting and chose Beijing mostly because no one from the team was based there. It seemed like the ecumenical thing to do.

If you’re going to travel for work, as I do, I think it’s important to make the trips into “pleasure” trips as well. Otherwise you easily fall into the trap of “Oh, I hate being away from home and it cuts so much into my life. Blah, blah, blah…”  I enjoy business trips because they aren’t really “business trips.”  Of course, they are, but they are something more.

View from Hyatt Regency Beijing, China

This was the view from my hotel, the Beijing Hyatt. It had brightened up just a bit that afternoon, but you can see how the light is very diffuse and watery. Beijing doesn’t seem to have any direct sunlight because of a heavy layer of pollution.  But it is still beautiful. This former palace seems to have been converted into some kind of health center.