China 2006 - 30%, IROS, Pizza Hut, Reception

Taxi transfer to conference site.
Some confusion over banquet tickets.
I'm trying to get over the remaining jetlag with an iced latte mocha at the very style-generic Crowne Plaza next door. Like everything in China, the 5-star hotel's waterfountain is 30% too loud.



About 1080666006 people in a Chinese supermarket.
Pizza Hut offers "Casual Dinning" (sic), with the single courses being timed and logged, maybe for quality assurance reasons. One waiter per two or three tables (as everywhere in China) creates a feeling of constant supervision, mixed with an almost-forgotten sense of Colonial exploitation on my side. No tipping allowed, again.

Conference workshop extremely tiring.



Conference reception on lawn outside. Met Rui (an old acquaintance from Montpellier times, he wanted to rent&drive a car at BJ, hopefully I managed to talk him out of this), met the Japanese German-speaking acquaintance from IROS 2005, and met Zhang Hong (my "host" of the EDM Aug'06 RONAF invited talk, gossipped about weather), & some others.