My blog now tops 8,000 page views



Back in March when a friend challenged me to start this blog, I wondered if anyone would care about what I have to tell them.

Well, six months later, over 8,000 of you have let me know that you like coming along with me on my world travels and like the comments, tips, deals and advice in pass along to you via this format.

Over 8,100 are now viewing this blog on a daily basis and I thank you for your support and encouragement.

I'm not in Charlie Sheen's 10 million-plus viewer blog territory yet, but hey, I'm only drinking wine, not taking hard drugs!

Some of my blogs have generated some real passionate responses from you - the one in which I criticized Kate Middleton's wedding dress certainly prompted a lot of comments and I must say, most of you agreed with me that the royal wedding dress did not live up to its pre-ceremony hype.

And one of the most read blogs was the one I posted from Beijing on the biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in the world which is located in China's capital.

There are many more posts coming your way and I'll be sharing my travels with you on upcoming trips to St. Lucia and Taiwan which will occur in the next few weeks.

I'm humbled by your support and I thank you once again.

Beijing’s KFC a real whopper!

DATELINE BEIJING - While waiting in line today to get my Western food fix (a steady diet of even the world’s best Chinese dim sum and hot pot wears thin on me after four straight days) I start to wonder what to order in the KFC I find opposite Tiananmen Square.

When I reach the front of the line I tell the nametag “Sophie” I want the BIG fries; BIG bucket; and a BIG Coke. Hey, this is the BIGGEST KFC in the world, after all.

Spread over three floors and almost 35,000 square feet, this is one whopper of a restaurant. And it was the first KFC ever opened in China – back in 1987. It was refurbished in 1999 and each of the floors is now themed.

The first floor is a tribute to China’s Great Wall – remnants of which are located within walking distance of this KFC – and showcases some beautiful photographs of the greatest ever man-made structure.

The second floor celebrates the roll hutongs (courtyard homes) once played in this society. Few hutongs, which date back 300 years to the Ming and Qing dynasties, remain standing in Beijing and the few that are, ironically, are being turned into chic restaurants.

The third floor is a celebration of Chinese art.

After awhile, you wonder if this is a restaurant or a museum.
KFC is enjoying unprecedented success in China – the Chinese love their chicken – and a recent report I saw on CBS suggested one new KFC outlet opens somewhere in China every day.