I don't have a VPN either - but I go to HK a lot (and am not a Facebook addict) so it's not such a big deal to me. I've gotten the used to the Chinese video sites, and managed to watch most of the new Entourage season for free on my last flight thanks to baidu video search. They have all the same stuff as youtube but obviously aren't as user friendly. Whatever.

I do have a gmail, and I've linked it to my work email, which works fine. I get the emails - not sure how long they take - but a lot of my FF things are linked to it and I get them regularly. I can load it kind of well if I've got a fast connection, but hotels take a minute or so (or more)to load it. Sometimes I have better luck if I variate between gmail.com or mail.google.com. Yes, I know, they link to the same site, but honestly it works for me. On the phone it's almost impossible for me to connect unless I keep hitting refresh and wait for the 20th time (sometimes 100).

I'm curious about the skype thing too, because I'm in the process of signing up for it. The Chinese one looks the same to me - but I'm wondering if it will have any problems especially running from Europe.