This is proving to be one of the most exciting research trips to Asia that I have ever made. Not just because of the buzz surrounding the Olympics, but mainly because of the cascade of investment opportunities that I am uncovering during my stay.

In fact, my biggest problem is that I am finding so many amazing growth stories, that narrowing down the list to the best that China has to offer is not going to be easy. I now know how San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh must have felt when trying to decide what quarterback — Joe Montana or Steve Young — to start.

Beijing's "Main Street" Is Bustling With Business

To give you an idea, let me take you on a walk around the corner from my hotel and down Wangfujing Street in Beijing.

Wangfujing is the main commercial retail street in Beijing and is packed with both tourists and affluent Chuppies (Chinese yuppies) seven days a week.

It's a 700-year-old commercial boulevard near the Forbidden City and aims to rival New York's Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Elysees of Paris and the Ginza in Tokyo. It has two major shopping malls, several large department stores, and hundreds of shops including dozens of western businesses like Nike, Starbucks, Apple, McDonalds, as well as high-end retailers such as Tiffany.

So much for setting the locale. Now, here are some pertinent observations:

One of the first things I do after landing in a foreign country is convert my U.S. dollars into local currency. I've learned that the currency desks at airports offer some of the worst exchange rates so I head straight for the Bank of China (Hong Kong: 3988), the fifth largest bank in the world, for the best exchange rate. I've never invested in a Chinese bank and after witnessing the steady stream of banking customers, I may have to re-think my views of Chinese banks.

I prefer green tea over coffee, but there is seldom an empty seat at Chinese Starbucks stores that I pass by. And not just in the morning, either. Starbucks has become one of the most popular places for young Chinese couples to go for dates. Starbucks may be stumbling in the U.S., but business is BOOMING in China.

I always hit a local grocery store when I travel to stock up on fresh fruit and drinks. I do so because I get tired of the high-calorie hotel food and because (according to my children) I am a big cheapskate.