I’m just back from my third trip to China in just over a year.

From the outside I guess you could make it sound like you’re some sort of rock star.

Driven around in big cars with blacked out windows. Staying in posh hotels in the executive suite. Everything paid for or put on the credit card. Taken out to posh restaurants. Anything you ask for, you get it.

Really though, you have a driver as you have no idea how to speak or read Chinese. The road are seriously bad – not just quality wise – but other drivers! Nothing like it (maybe go-karting).

You stay in a posh hotel as there the only western hotels available. Western hotel just means the Chinese aren’t allowed to spit on the floor inside. Executive suit? Just a posh name and a cheap upgrade that the factory usually offer as a ‘gift’. Really you just get a slightly bigger bed and a room you can go and eat breakfast in with old American business men.

The factories take you out for dinner to try and impress. They have different ideas of how to impress also. On this latest trip I was bought a very expensive meal. Duck liver and birds nest. Even after I said ‘no thanks’ they still bought it and it felt rude not to eat it. Birds nest was like eating flem.

If you can live without sleep for two weeks, like bad smells and even worse driving – I really recommend working in China.

It’s not all bad though…

In my job, I get to see the the final product and that makes it all worth while.