bare foot in Hong Kong

Friday 23 March

The key part of the Digital Pioneer Programme is the mentor scheme. We have been eagerly waiting to meet and get to know our assigned people. I'm working with the MD for Ion Global in HK. IG are an international interactive web development and online marketing firm with many of their HK clients in the hotel industry. One of them being The Peninsula the epitome of the HK high life, with its fleet of Rolls Royce limos. We spent the whole day reviewing all my business areas and I've had lots of questions answered but also lots of new ideas to explore. At lunchtime we went to Victoria Park to expereince the walk of pain. On every street there are salons offering so called reflexology actually they just hammer your feet until they are numb. Although walking on these pebble paths are just as sadistic.

In contrast to the millionaires that cruise the highways of HK in their Ferraris there are signs of poverty if you care to look. According to a report by Cap Gemini & Merrill Lynch & Co the number of millionaires in Hong Kong they rose by 18.8 percent to 67,500 for 2004. ''China is generating wealth for a lot of people in Asia,'' said Stephen Corry, Merrill Lynch's vice president for regional equity strategy.