The view from here

Sitting here in the Rachmaninov Antique Hotel lobby in St. Petersburg at some midnight hour, I'm enjoying a strong wireless connection (Excellent, 54.0 Mbps) compared with the wireless connection in room no. 10 (very low, 1.0 Mbps). Visited with a couple more importers today and tomorrow get a tour of the wholesale market in St. Petersburg before flying to Moscow. This will take a while to process all that I've seen and heard, but it is beyond doubt that a growing middle class (average income reportedly rose 25% last year, one importer said), expanding retail trade and plans to eventually boost container capacity will allow this market to grow. I heard one American trader here in St. Petersburg relate tonight that he was visiting with some area wholesalers who don't like to deal with some retailers reportedly because of extremely slow payment terms (months, not weeks). So clearly, the market is not without risks, but full of potential too. It would have been great to spend a few hours in the Hermitage, but not this trip. Missing Kansas and family big time, but the people of Russia are gracious hosts.