Cambodia, Guilin, Beijing and St. Louis

It has been several weeks since my last post regarding Cambodia. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was there in the jungle exploring all the hidden rooms of the Angkor temples and palaces.

The rest of my time in Cambodia was spent at the temples and wandering around Siem Reap at night. One night I headed into the center of town. From my hostel it was a twenty minute walk. There I dined on Khmer specialties and each dish was more delicious than the last. From dinner I walked around the bar street but was not tempted by drink. I headed to a small souvenir shop where I browsed before the shining light of international football drew me close. I was casually watching a World Cup qualifying match between Russia and Wales. I was watching with the shop owner and his son who spoke only a little English. Together we made guttural sounds as opportunities came and went for the Welsh side. We tried talking a bit and we could understand each other. They had bet on several of the games taking place that evening so I took a look at their betting card and gave some unsolicited advice. Then behind me I heard an incredibly thick English accent. I turned and was surprised to find it coming from a Cambodian gentleman.



He was another son of the shopkeeper. I talked to him and the family offered me a seat and a glass of water. I stayed and watched two more games with this family late into the night. I talked with the son about how he acquired such an accent. When he was a boy he was adopted by an English family through some sort of international adoption program. He only spent eight months living in Manchester but somehow came out of the experience with a wicked accent. He was very open and honest about Cambodia and the government.



He told me stories about the development he has seen in Siem Reap and the opportunities afforded to him due to his brief stay in England (He had been working at an English international school for the last three years.) He also told of corruption and greed within the Cambodian government. He told a story about the son of the president of Cambodia. It seems there was a hit and run accident in the streets of Phnom Penh involving a yellow Ferrari and the son of the president was implicated. "How did they know it was him?" I asked. "Come on mate. There is only one Ferrari in all of Cambodia." After enjoying the family's hospitality and thanking them profusely I headed back to the hostel.



The next day I stayed in town and went to the big new museum they have there and kicked myself for not visiting Banteay Srei. If anyone reading this wants to visit Cambodia, I am in. I need to get back there just for this temple that I missed. That afternoon I boarded a plane and headed to Bangkok for an eight-hour layover. I said goodbye to Cambodia with a camera full of pictures and a bag full of souvenirs but the most lasting reminder has been the dirt on my shoes. The red earth that formed the roads has found its way deep into my shoes and still, almost a month later, it serves as a fantastic reminder of a beautiful country.



Once in Bangkok I proceeded to walk around the entire airport for hours on end. I ate...twice. The airport in Bangkok can best be described with three words: glass, steel, and blue. It is ultra modern in a very post-apocalyptic way. Very boring. I finally boarded my plane and made it to Shanghai by 7am. By 9am I was on Bryne's doorstep not having slept in more than a day. It was great to see Bryne but by the afternoon I was pooped and headed for a nap. I woke up in time for dinner and Bryne and I went out to catch up. Things in Shanghai seem to be going alright for Bryne. He works at a Christian school and for a man like Ronald Bryne Stothard I thought it would be quite annoying. He has taken to it and while the staff is a little boring, they are all nice people. We went to a bar with one of his younger, more inexperienced colleagues. There Bryne and I felt a little old and discussed the fact that neither of us felt much like going out to bars and dancing all night. Those times have come and gone. It is a bit sad but it is good for Bryne. He is preparing for the impending arrival of his new wife and baby. He growns up and he growns up.



The next day I explored Shanghai's downtown area. This is the first time in my three trips to Shanghai that I actually had time to thoroughly consider Shanghai. It is a magnificently modern city in portions. The Bund, where evidence of Shanghai's past glories are on display in the form of varied styles of western architecture, is a fantastic place to view the city's past and present. There among the new Gothic buildings and the art deco styling are old Chinese construction workers peddling tricycles and using pulleys to repair the streets and buildings. The center of Shanghai is also packed with wires for streetcars and seems like it a picture of New York City from one hundred years ago...except full of Chinese people. I wandered around and got some good pictures and then headed back to Bryne's to get some dinner. The next day I said my goodbyes to Bryne and headed to Guilin.

Guilin is famous for its topography. Anytime you see pictures or paintings of strange, mystical mountains that seem to go straight into the sky surrounded by a dense fog, that is Guilin. As I landed at the airport I was immediately struck by the alien terrain. As I rode into the city I spotted tons of rice paddies and villages and I immediately remembered my trip in Yunnan province during Spring Festival 2007. Rural China might as well be Cambodia. Poverty, poor living conditions, and persistent smiles dominate the landscape.

I arrived at the hostel and tucked into some good internet time. I had a look at some of the tour books they had on offer and found that I had made a poor decision staying in Guilin. Yangshuo is a smaller city down the Li River and it is home to some more famous scenery. I went to bed and the next day strolled around the city and climbed several of the peaks that poked through the smog. Guilin was hot as hell. Located just west of Guangdong province and to the East of Chongqing and north of Vietnam, it is in the "tropical" zone of China.

My second and last full day in Guilin I woke up early to try to catch a tour down the river to Yangshuo. They refused to book a tour for one person at my hostel so I frantically searched the area around my hostel looking for travel agencies that would. I went to the hotel next door and quickly negotiated a price for a full day tour that was leaving immediately. I hopped into the van and met a Chinese couple, Michelle and Jackie. They were both from Guangzhou and on vacation in Guilin. She had great English but he did not.

The drive to the river lasted about two hours and as we drove we passed through some mesmerizing scenery. We arrived at the river and I was told I could not go on the tour because it cost extra. I decided to hang back while Michelle and Jackie went on their tour. I took a nap in the hot sun while a police officer lectured a group of tour raft operators on etiquette and proper registration. Soon they were back and we headed to the next stop where I was allowed to participate. We boarded bamboo rafts and made our way down the river zig zagging between giant peaks and interrupting herds of water buffalo as they sought relief from the heat in the river. We stopped and had a chance to splash around in the river ourselves. The entire tour was fantastic.

The next day I boarded a plane and headed back to Beijing. My friends were having another party so it was another chance to say goodbye. The next three days were spent preparing for my departure from China. I walked as much as I could to try to emblazon the sights, sounds, and smells in my memory. I ate at a few of my favorite places and mostly tried to think about how China and I have changed since my arrival. The changes on both fronts are countless but at least most of the changes to Beijing can be seen, the changes inside of me can't. Trying to articulate how I have changed is a challenge and one that I was not too concerned with. I knew that the ways I have changed will become evident once I returned to the USA and that was the truth. On September 24th I packed my last bag and said goodbye to China and my friends.

As the taxi took me through the city on my way to the airport I visualized my route to work, I remembered the confusion and overwhelming feeling I had when I first arrived in Beijing. It was a gray day, a rainy day in Beijing, different from the gray pollution that greeted me when I arrived but still fitting for my departure. As I boarded the plane I was not sad or happy. I just thought of my time in China and all the people and things that made it so special for me. I know I will be back in China and I know when I return China will be different and so will I. For these past two years I was lucky enough to be living in the heart of one of the most exciting places to be in the history of the world and I am thankful for being able to be part of this fleeting moment in history.

This is not the last of the blog but I am nearing the end. The next post will probably be the last. Pictures to come.

The Tin Man Finds A Heart

One week after the Olympics ended I headed in for my last week of work. I was a little wary of telling the students that I was leaving just because I didn't want to make a big deal of it. Word got out and many students came up to me to wish me good luck. The best thing about working at Wall Street is the students. They are all so eager to learn not just English (a few could use a little more motivation on that front) but about the world as well. I did my last movie corner and the movie I chose was The Wizard of Oz. I picked it because I wanted to show them a timeless picture that has cultural relevance. Most of them had seen it before but were nonetheless enthralled when I put it on. The songs, the story, and the imagery all captivated them. It was sheer coincidence (or effective work by my subconscious) that the last lines are, "There's no place like home." I never thought about it before, but it is true on so many levels. Home is a shifting location. Home is where you feel comfortable and safe. I am lucky enough to have many homes in this world and this last line got to me a bit not just in regards to going to my American home, but thinking of the Chinese home I am leaving behind. The next day was my last and my coworkers had a little party for me. They have all been great to work with and whether they know it or not I will miss them.

After work ended I began to prepare for my impending travels. I scheduled and finalized a trip reaching many places of interest in Asia. The plan was thus: Go from Beijing to Siem Reap in Cambodia and spend a few days there enjoying the ancient architecture before heading to Shanghai to see Bryne again and hang out like old times. From Shanghai I planned to head to Guilin to see the famous karst topography of the region and enjoy some natural wonders. All of this was arranged on the fly from my friend Steve's computer. Steve was nice enough to let me stay with him when my landlord abruptly told me I had to "get out".

The day before I began this journey I was invited to brunch at my friend Dana's house. There she served up a dizzying array of dishes each more delicious than the last. The pinnacle was the lox, cream cheese, caper, onion, poppy seed spread she had to put on home made bagel chips. This dish ignited my taste buds in anticipation for my return to the US. Lots of friends were there and we partook in some champagne and card games before I had to be off. My students wanted to take me to a farewell dinner that evening. I met them at a famous hot pot restaurant in Beijing and it was just superb. More than a dozen students showed up many bearing gifts. It was a little embarrassing. As much as I joke I have a hard time taking credit or being proud of things I've done. The students told me how much they would miss me and how great I was and it all made me a little uncomfortable. What really turned up the uncomfortable factor is when several students began to cry. We had been making many toasts that evening with the aid of baijiu, the 112 proof liquor that is so common at these types of events. A little emotion and a lot of drinks equals tears apparently. I really felt like the tin man and I wanted a heart. Truth be told I was sad to say goodbye to them, after all they are all wonderful people with a lot to offer the world. I just hope I was able to give them a little ammunition for life in the form of English and an improved view of the world.

The next afternoon I was off to Bangkok where I would catch a flight to Siem Reap early the next morning. Flights being what they are I had to stay overnight in Bangkok. I was there literally 11 hours. I found a small, rundown hotel near the airport and was there long enough to be offered three prostitutes. I declined three times but was still called in my room to make sure my decision was final. It was, I assured them. The next morning I was off to Siem Reap. Upon arrival the first thing that struck me was the flatness of the land. Coming in you could see the ravages of deforestation. Tons of small farms were set up around Lake Tong Li Sap. Further out you could see the jungle and what this area was originally like. Arriving at the airport without a proper visa landed me in the visa purchase line. Unbeknown to me, I was supposed to have a picture to attach to the visa. I didn't have one so the visa officer looked at me cross eyed. I thought I was super cool when I said, "I forgot, I have a picture right here", and slipped him a ONE DOLLAR BILL. He smiled and gave me the visa. One thing about Cambodia that I did not read in the guidebook was that they basically run a dual currency system based both on Riel, the local money, and the US dollar. What was even stranger was when the ATMs all spit out American dollars.

Upon my arrival I was met by a driver from the hostel that I had booked online the day before. He introduced himself to me with some ridiculously Western name like James. I asked him his real name and he said something which I immediately forgot. So to me, this diminutive, ever smiling, Cambodian chap, who couldn't have been more than 19 years-old, remained nameless for the duration of my stay. He took me out to the parking lot and told me that the tuk tuk had broken down and all he had was his motorbike. This thing was a rickety as they come. The top display where the speed, odometer, oil, and gas gauges would bee had fallen out and, since it was the rainy season, a white towel had been crammed in their place. I hopped on the back with my giant backpack and we made the trip back to the hostel.

On the way back, lets call him Doug, he explained many things to me that I was totally unaware of. I saw many Korean restaurants and five star hotels along the dirt road. Between hotels were small fruit stands made of corrugated tin and rice paddies being tended to with water buffalo. I asked him about all the Korean stuff. He told me that Korean companies have come to Cambodia to renovate many of the temples and help extract some of the natural resources Cambodia has to offer. He blamed the Koreans for the sustained poverty of his people, saying that they keep to themselves and although they have money, they only spend it at the Korean restaurants. To boot, one the Koreans finish the renovations of the temples, the money from the ticket sales goes directly to them. May other countries have gotten into this racket including Germany, Japan, and Vietnam. It costs 40 US dollars to get a three day pass to the temples of Angkor, Doug said that about three of those dollars make their way back to the Cambodian people.

We turned down a couple of roads flanked by stands selling live chickens, and duck embryos as snacks (Doug informed me that duck embryos were three for a dollar and really good with some chili sauce) and finally we arrived at Baca Villa. I chose this hostel because of an English school that is attached to it. Both the hostel and the school are run by a Dutch guy who has been living in Cambodia for several years. The money from the hostel is used to pay for school supplies for the children who are mostly orphans. The hostel was small but comfortable. My room was simple but did have a small TV that got BBC News and CNN. I arrived early in the morning so I decided to start of my trip full speed. Doug and I hopped back on the motorbike and headed out to Angkor Thom for a look around. On the way he pointed out the dirt road and said, "Look, you see why we need the money from the temples?" We cruised down the dirt road out of the city and into the jungle.

We rode along until we came to a fantastic bridge going over a giant moat. The Buddhist style was impressive in its detail. The gate itself was capped with a face staring out at the bridge. It was equally spooky and awe inspiring. This was my first taste of Angkor and I immediately fell in love before I had even crossed through the gate. On the other side the reality of modern Cambodia hit me. Small orphaned children begging for money. More children selling trinkets and postcards. Victims of landmines selling books. All of this in the middle of the jungle with monkeys running about. It was pretty intense but everyone seemed so up beat. The children whined for money but then I would make a small joke or tell them how cool they looked and they would smile and laugh. The children were captivating in a way that at once was both tragic and beautiful. I spent a lot of money that first day buying things I didn't need just to make them smile.

I got back on the bike and Doug told me that he had been one of those kids, selling postcards and books, until he started going to the Baca school. Doug's English was pretty good if slightly accented, we communicated very well.

The first temple we arrived at was The Bayon. I was immediately awestruck by the giant faces staring down from atop the pinnacles and towers that brought order to the labyrinthine arrangement of passageways courtyards and grottoes. The Bayon has been about 60% restored and that remaining 40% is what made it, and all the partially restored temples of Angkor, so special. The unrestored parts let you roam around and get lost in the rubble and provided some excellent picture taking opportunities utilizing the dramatic light that would come in at strange angles and project upon the bas reliefs. The bas reliefs at Bayon were extensive and pretty well preserved. More than most other temples I visited, Bayon had a great collection of bas reliefs that depicted military victories and everyday life 800 years ago.

After tooling around there for about two and a half hours I found Doug. He asked me where we were going next and I told him I still hadn't visited the other temples in the area. He laughed and told me that most people spend two hours on the entire complex. I told him I had jut begun. The other sites in the area are not as complete or dramatic as Bayon so I just spent another hour and a half on them combined.

Afterwards I met up with Doug again and we headed to get some lunch. I knew very little about Cambodian food so I had Doug take me to a local restaurant to be my guide. "It is time to start earning your keep", I said. He replied with "What?" Doug's English was good but not that good. Once in the restaurant he directed me towards the most traditional and famous of Cambodian dishes, Amok. Amok is like a soupy coconut curry served with fresh local vegetables and your choice of chicken or fish. It was great and a little spicy. Over lunch Doug told me about modern Cambodia and government corruption. I knew there was an election the month before and I knew that the ruling party stayed in power. I did not know how unsatisfying this was for many people in Siem Reap. After talking politics we headed out and back to the hostel. Did I mention it was hot? It was hot. It was also the rainy season so on the way back to the hostel we were caught in an afternoon rain storm. We kept on going on our motorbike and made it back to the hostel safe and sound. I was soaked through and sunburned and exhausted so I knew it was a good day. I went to my room at 7pm and slept through the night. The emotional toll, not to mention the hellish connection from Bankgok, was too much for me. All the suffering and beauty and injustice was a lot to take. In the end though I felt like a better person for experiencing those things and seeing all that suffering. The Tin Man had found his heart, at least temporarily.

Pax Beijing

The day after the swimming and the handball I had to return to work for about four days. Work during the Olympics was some of the hardest work I ever had to do. I was very distracted and took every opportunity to steal away and take a look at the medal count. The medal count was posted everywhere in Beijing. The Chinese were quite proud of all of their medals that were gold colored and they wanted to let me know about it. I must have been asked twenty times in three days what I thought of China's performance in the Olympics. My standard response was that it was impressive and very special. My Australian colleague Chris responded with, "Let's see how the medal count goes once we start running in circles," obviously referring to the Track and Field events.

After several days Rosen came to Beijing. He arrived at the new terminal late in the evening and I met him as he came out of customs, both of us throwing up gang signs well before we were within shouting distance. We made it back to my apartment and I was starved so we went out to a hot-pot restaurant. This is where Rosen was introduced to complimentary chicken feet. It was just the beginning of strange things I would try to persuade Rosen to eat.

Sidenote: I have never eaten chicken feet. I don't eat feet of any kind.

The next day was a bit lazy then we headed to The Olympic green in the evening for an evening of Track and Field with the men's 100m final as the featured race of the night. We got on The Green plenty early and in our travels Rosen was exposed to the crush of humanity that is a journey on the Beijing subway. On The Green we took plenty of pictures and posed for many others with Chinese fans before heading into the arena. The Bird's Nest is a fantastic looking structure. At night its concourses are lit up with a striking red color that accents the blood red paint used all over the interior. It was a little like taking the human body tour at Epcot Center, "This is your intestine."

While the architecture is thoroughly impressive the technology is somewhat disappointing. Not an escalator in sight, just long stairways that lead straight to the top of the stadium. It is hard to believe that they are going to have the Paralympics at a venue with no escalators and very few elevators. The concession stands had no running water (tap beer) or permanent refrigeration systems. It is real glitzy on the outside but it all seemed rather low tech on the inside. It really captures what is happening here during the Olympics.

Rosen and I settled into our seats as the first competitions began. I knew Track and Field would be interesting, but this was fantastic. At one point there were three events happening at one time: Javelin, long jump, and 100m heats. Crowds across the stadium were cheering for accomplishments I missed while looking at the long jump. It was a great atmosphere. The last event of the evening was the Men's 100m Final. The anticipation was great even though Tyson Gay failed to qualify for the final. They lined up and were off. The whole thing was over in 9.69 seconds. It was quite an impressive display but I couldn't help but question the validity of the record given the history of drug use in the sport. Suspicions aside, there was a great atmosphere in the stadium and I will always remember it.

The next day Rosen and I attended brunch with some of my friends at the Westin hotel. The brunch was decadent, as always, and included free flowing champagne and caviar among other treats. After brunch we all went to get foot massages and after that headed to a Belgian bar for some drinks. We had been going at it pretty well all day so when some in the group wanted to go to Dutch House, the Dutch party center for athletes and anyone else who likes croquettes and Heineken, I was trepidatious but wen't along. Boy am I glad I did.

Dutch House if famous at the Olympics for being the best party around. It lived up to that billing. We had tried to go there the previous evening but it was full and they were only allowing people with Dutch passports to enter. This time we got there early and stayed late. They showed a live (field) hockey match between the Dutch and Australia. While the Dutch fans vastly outnumbered the Aussies, there were fans for both sides and it made for a good atmosphere.

Rosen and I walked around the vast complex and even ran into some American Olympians. Rosen and I had been looking for official Team USA gear and there was a guy wearing what looked like the shirt the American athletes wore in the Opening Ceremonies. I asked him where he bought it and that is when he told us he was given it because he was on the trap shooting team. He then told us that his buddy actually won a gold medal. We walked over to Glen Eller and he showed us his gold and even let us take pictures with it.. We hung out with him for a bit chatting about the competition and things. He and his friend we met before are actually members of the Marines. They travel the world competing in qualifying events and competitions. They were pretty cool guys. Shortly afterwards I had had my fill of drink and croquettes so Rosen and I headed back to the apartment.

This ends my blow by blow account of the Olympic festivities. It all seems so dated now and I am kicking myself for not blogging more frequently while the games were on. Here now are some rapid fire bits of info.

-While on a walk around Houhai lake on a day when we didn't have any tickets, Rosen and I spotted the actor Vince Vaughn riding on a boat in the lake. I hollered something annoying at him.

-On a chance meeting in a bar I saw an old high school friend of mine, Adam Lobel. He now works for Cosport which was responsible for ticketing at major sporting events. He was able to get Mike and I additional tickets to Basketball (USA v. Australia AND Argentina v. Greece, on Mike's birthday no less), Soccer finals (Argentina v. Nigeria), and....Closing Ceremonies.

- Rosen and I attended Boxing (totally rigged) and Soccer (Brazil v. Argentina) on the same day. Boxing was fun and the venue was cool but the scoring system left something to be desired, like fairness. Points are scored for 'clean' blows to the head and body. The definition of clean seemed to shift with every match. Soccer was phenomenal. Brazil v. Argentina, it gets no bigger than that. The fans were mostly Chinese (obviously) but the smattering of Brazilians and Argentinians made for a festive atmosphere. There were even some fights in the stands which was surprising. With the score at 3-0 to Argentina Chinese fans focused their attention on the Minister of Sport. A spontaneous cheer broke out and I had no idea what was being said. A Chinese man informed me that they were calling for the resignation of the Minister of Sport.

Chinese fans love soccer. They watch the English Premier League, Spanish League, French League, Italian League, and even the Japanese League. They are totally embarrassed by their domestic league. Corruption has wracked the Chinese league and I have seen many matches that ended in protest with one team walking off the field due to a terrible call. They are totally embarrassed by this.

-The basketball match was fantastic. It was great to see all those players (again) and this time they were competing for true Olympic glory. Argentina v. Greece proved to be the better game and that was a real treat. Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili, Andres Noccioni, all those Argentinians could play.

The day after the match Rosen and I headed to a sports bar to watch the USA v. Argentina game. The game was great, with the US winning and all, but the highlight of the night came after the match when a cover band came out for a couple of sets. Live music is so rare in China and these guys were actually fantastic. They played lots of classic rock like Hendrix, CCR, and they even had an entire set of Police covers.

- One of the last events we went to was the soccer final. It was BLAZING hot in the Bird's Nest and the air was not moving. Our seats were excellent (thanks to Adam Lobel) so we were in the shade. It was the first time I had seen a game where the ref called a time out for a water break and he did it twice, it was that hot.

-On the last day of competition Rosen and I went to the men's bronze and gold medal games. Handball is a sport America should be great at. It combines the soccer and basketball and values running, jumping, and throwing skills, all skills that I have found through my conversations and travels that Americans have a disproportionate amount of skill in.

Rosen and I watched the first game but became distracted by the USA v. Spain gold medal match that was happening at the same time. I was receiving text updates from my friends and the game was too close so Rosen and I headed out of the stadium to find a big screen to watch the 4th quarter. We watched the USA pull away and protect their lead. It was a joyous moment.

Afterwards I received a call from Adam Lobel. He had the Closing Ceremony tickets for us. We met up with him, had a few beers, and went into the Bird's Nest for the last time. The stadium was well decked out and we got bags full of objects to wave and were given explicit instructions as to what to wave when. All instructions were ignored by the entire stadium. Things were just too damn exciting to remember. At some point I spotted Yao Ming amongst all the Chinese athletes, then Jimmy Page came out (Rosen insisted it wasn't actually him and vowed to check the internet to see if it was him when we went home).

My friends who had no idea I was at the Closing Ceremonies called me tell me that they saw me on the screen when the Greek flag was raised. If you have the Closing Ceremonies on Tivo give it a check.

Then the Olympics ended and I was sad, Rosen went home, and I returned to work for about a week. I then quit my job and was forced to move out of my apartment ahead of schedule when my landlord had a change of heart. I stayed at my friend Steve's apartment for several days before embarking on my farewell tour across Asia. My itinerary has been this. Beijing to Cambodia, Cambodia to Shanghai, Shanghai to Guilin, and from Guilin to Beijing. I am actually in Guilin right now and will be posting about my travels in the next couple of days. Briefly: Cambodia was one of the best travel destinations I have ever been to. Bryne was in Shanghai and the architecture there is amazing. Guilin is hot and it currently sucking the life out of me. More on all that to come.

Olympics Day 2

Day two of The Olympics brought my first trip to The Olympic Green. The Green is the area in north Beijing where most of the Olympic venues were located including The Bird's Nest and Water Cube. The Green is a huge space that contains not only the sports venues but a large dancing fountain, a massive park, open squares, and space for all the sponsors to promote their latest products.

The entire Green was surrounded by a huge fence and the only way to get on The Green was to take the subway. Security being what it was they were taking no chances and decided to force everyone onto the subway where they would be contained and easier to monitor. This also gave Beijing a chance to put everyone on their new subway lines which I must say are fantastic. In order to get from my house to The Olympic Green I had to take two subway lines, each more crowded than the last. Each and every station along the new lines is pristine and well decorated with murals and mosaics not to mention the plethora of flat screen TVs all showing live Olympic events. The subway is cheap (two RMB) but with an Olympic ticket it was free. From the first line I had to transfer to another new line, Line 8. Eight, as you must have heard by now, is a lucky number. There are not eight subway lines in Beijing but this one, the line that goes directly to The Green, had to be named Line 8 in order to secure luck and prosperity.

The transfer to the new Line 8, which only has three stops, all on the green, is where the security set up shop. Every subway station has at least three exits. In order to transfer to Line 8 and enter The Green all spectators had to leave the station through one exit. From there spectators were herded to the official security entrance. This place was a well oiled machine. The massive numbers of volunteers allowed the Beijing Organizing Committee to really do the security right. They had tents set up that housed a great many metal detectors and x-ray machines. Before a spectator was allowed to go through the metal detectors we were lined up in lanes and waited patiently until we were allowed to go through the detectors. All the tickets have electronic cards inside them so when you went through security all you needed to do was place your ticket on the reader and it would give you a green light. Also on the ticket reader was a video camera. I made sure to smile my best as I passed by. From there you were technically on The Green but still VERY far away from the venues so everyone was then herded back underground (again through a singular entrance) to get on Line 8. The stops on Line 8 are each decorated in a very Chinese style. One station is decorated to look like it is made of Ming Dynasty porcelain. Very classy.

Sidenote: One thing I am leaving out here is the absolute crush of humanity. When there is only one entrance to an area that contains eight sports venues it is inevitable that you will get a little claustrophobic.

It took about two hours from the time I left my house, but I was finally there. Once on The Green the available subway exits all lead to the mouth of the Olympic sponsors, and they will eat you alive. Coke, GE, Samsung, Lenovo, Omega, all of them were there in specially constructed buildings where they could make unassuming sports fans wait in lines in order to consume advertisements. It was licensing at its finest. I walked around, taking it all in, and then headed to The Water Cube. What a building that is, eh?

It is time to mention that I was drawing a little heat for what I was wearing. It was the good kind of heat. I was wearing my American flag like a cape over my USA shirt. The Chinese fans especially liked this and requested many photos with me. As I entered the area where The Water Cube is located I was approached by a man identifying himself as being affiliated with Japanese MTV. He wanted to ask me about some Japanese guy who was racing against Jason Lezak but that is not how he phrased it. He asked me who I was rooting for. I was wearing an American flag on my back. He asked me if I knew who the Japanese swimmer was. I responded with something along the lines of, "Yeah, uh, he is, uh, Kenji.....Fuji..." The guy then saved me by saying the guy's name which I promptly mispronounced. He was asking me about Kosuke Kitajima. He asked me if I thought Kitajima would beat Lezak and I told him that I couldn't possibly say that with an American flag on my back.

I went into The Water Cube and was immediately floored by the place. There was no lighting on at all inside the concourse. It was all natural light which was cool. Inside the pool area was totally insane. I have never seen that big a place just for swimming and diving. The stands were again, silent. The format at the swimming venue was just great. It was race after race after race. Fantastic action. Then came the meat and potatoes event, the Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay. It was a fantastic race with Phelps tossing down a phenomenal first 100. After the 200m mark the American team was lagging. With Phelps already out of the pool I thought their chances were slim. As the anchor leg began the American team was almost a full body length back from the French swimmer. Then Lezak went extra crazy, throwing down the fastest 100m freestyle in the history. He came back from a half a body length with 50m to go. The place went crazy and I lost it. It was a fantastic moment. That was the final race of the afternoon and everyone was forced out after the medal ceremony. It was a fantastic event. All around people were discussing how amazing that was. People came up and congratulated me. I accepted on behalf of the team. I could not stop smiling. 

On the way out of the Water Cube a guy approached me to see if I wanted to buy Handball tickets for that evening. I think I responded with, "Hell yeah!" The handball matches were not until later that night so I decided to stick around the green and check things out. I wanted to eat something that was not McDonald's. At the concession stand I found what was termed, 'Box Meal'. It was basically an MRE. The box contained a pouch with rice and a separate pouch for a meat of your choice. You then opened up the rice and poured the meat on top and then you put the concoction into a shallow container and set the container on top of two other pouches, one containing water and the other containing some sort of nasty chemical. You put the whole load into a larger bowl and pulled the string thus opening the water pack. The water mixed with the  chemical pack to create a boiling hot meal. Steam shot out in every direction and ten minutes later it was still too hot to eat. The steam provided for quite the spectacle. All in all it was not that delicious. 

As the afternoon wore on I took to the beer. After waltzing around for a few hours, I came across a gaggle of old ladies surrounding a water fountain. Public water fountains are unheard of in China. I did see that some had been set-up in the Olympic Green but they were quite the curiosity for the locals. These ladies were mystified. I walked over and pushed the button down to show them and they laughed and laughed. They then wanted to take pictures with me. One of them grabbed my butt. 

Later it was time to head to the handball venue. I had no idea what to really expect from a live handball match. I didn't know that the northern and central European countries traditionally dominate the sport. All of this new found knowledge came courtesy of a Spanish guy and two Brits seated behind me. We were the only people in the entire stadium not from China or Sweden, the two teams playing at the time. The Spanish guy was some sort of maniac for the sport. He taught us about the rules and traditions and in all made the game more enjoyable. 

Man do the Swedes love their women's handball. They cheered throughout the match, dancing and singing along the way. It was a great spectacle.

I headed home satisfied with my first round of Olympic events. Serendipitously acquiring tickets would become the theme of these Olympics. Three days later Michael A. Rosen arrived in Beijing and shook up the world. More on that later. 

Olympic Ideas

I realize that, in world of sports media, the Olympics happened eons ago. I don't care. The Olympics happen every day in my head. I keep the memory alive. The Olympics to me were 17 days that will live on in my head and in my heart long after the flame is extinguished. These were THE days.

This ends my brief intro to the emotion I have regarding the Olympics and where they stand in international importance four days after the end of the Closing Ceremonies.

Now, I must apologize for what some have considered my 'laziness' during The Games (notice how all things associated with the Olympics are capitalized, that's right, I don't care). It was not laziness as much as it was an insanely busy time here. Between my years of accumulating enthusiasm and the tickets I was able to get hold of, I was unable to concentrate on much but enjoying the spectacle that was Beijing during the games. People were alternately unaffected and obsessed. WOAH, I need to slow down. I am getting all dramatic and ahead of myself. Let's start on the auspicious date, 8-8-08. No, one week before that. That is when things really started kicking off. All the decorations were in place and the city was perking up. Thousands of volunteers were out in force strolling through the streets eagerly trying to catch the eye of any foreigner who walked by so that they could have a chance to put the thousands of RMB mommy and daddy invested in English lessons to good use.

Sidenote: That is not an entirely fair assessment of the volunteers but ahead of the games it was annoying when they all thought I was just visiting.

When 8-8-08 finally arrived I didn't know what to do. I thought that the city would have imploded at the stroke of midnight but it was still here. People were surprisingly calm. I spent the day inside. I was afraid of somehow jinxing things. I am pretty prone to thinking I have jinxed something, like karma is that interested in what I am thinking or saying. This was a day 100 years in he making according to some. I read as much on the internet as I could about the international media's initial opinions about Beijing and the weather and pollution and all that. It was annoying. I did read Jim Caple on ESPN.com and he made a great point regarding the pollution and its effects on the endurance athletes. He said that we shouldn't be to worried about the athletes, we should be more worried about the people who live in Beijing and have to breathe the pollution 365 days a year. Yeah, worry about me!

In the evening I made my way to my friend Comwell's house to take in The Opening Ceremonies live (1 minute delay) on TV. I was there with Ms. Lili Tan (The Tanimal) and a some dude. It was a bit random but it was fun. We watched in nervous anticipation. We all thought that the collective heads of the Chinese were going to explode once the Ceremonies began. They didn't. The ceremonies were quite impressive. People did not stop talking about them for a few days.

The NEXT day I was headed to my first event, Beach Volleyball. I have heard form the NBC broadcasters that the Beach Volleyball venue is generally regarded as the most fun venue of The Games. We arrived extra early, ahead of the 9am start to the matches. Security was a beast. I knew things would be extra 'secure' or at least more secure looking, but this was insane. Lines FOREVER to get into more lines to be patted down and scanned with one of those handy medal detection doohickies. No metal, no liquids. They were not as vigorous that first day as they would be in the later stages of The Games or as thorough as they would be on the Olympic Green. The Beach Volleyball venue was located in Chaoyang Park, the biggest park in Beijing. The stadium was temporary with the sand flown in from the beaches of Sanya on Hainan Island (been there). The venue was cool an unique. They had the concessions set up outside of the stadium proper. The also had beach volleyball pits dotted around the area.

I was very interested in seeing what they had at the concession stands so I went right for them once I got through security. The signs on the outside of the stands read like a dream: hot dogs, pizza, sausages, biscuits, beer, beer, beer. I was excited to eat and drink all those things over the course of the next 17 days but I was denied that dream by ineptitude and, who would have guessed, inflated promises. The concession stands were just that, stands. No more sophisticated than the stand Courtney and I sold Crystal Light from in front of our house one summer (we charged a nickel, our only customer was the mailman, he drove off without paying and I chased to no avail).

They were pvc pipe plastic sheet covered hovels. They sold popcorn but it was microwaved in bags. They sold sausages but they also came in bags. There was never any pizza and hot dogs came on a stick without a bun. Biscuits were the British definition of biscuits, cookies. One more reason to dislike the British. There was literally nothing to eat from the concession stands. It was terrible. In later Olympic related posts I will detail the differences between the venues and their concession options (that should keep you tuned in). The only positive from the entire concession experience was that the prices were dirt cheap. Three RMB (37 cents) for a sausage. Five RMB (60 cents) for a bottle of Coke. They even had three kinds of beer Tsingtao, Budweiser, and Yanjing. The prices were the same for the three, five RMB for a small and eight RMB for a large. All I could do was immediately calculate how many beers could be purchased at The Olympics for the price of one at the Cardinals game. The answer is about 11 and a half. I must point out that a small beer was a CAN of beer and a large beer was a BOTTLE of beer. Tap beer was out of the question. This proved to be a touch annoying when they would have to open a can and pour it into a cup for you while thirty other people waited in line. There was also no limit on beers. More on that later if I can remember.

The Beach Volleyball itself was fun. They had loud American pop music pumping through the place every time there was a stoppage in play, no matter how short. The venue was a bit small and, as with most of the venues I went to, about 1/3 of the seats were reserved for international media. The crowd was pretty good. There were people from Holland, Australia, and Russia. There were a ton of Chinese fans there supporting their women's team in their first match of the tournament. There was even a special cheering section located at the top of the stadium. These people were recruited to fill seats and create a 'fun' atmosphere. They had gone through training well in advance of the games and they all wore matching shirts. They hooted and hollered for both sides while the average Chinese fan just looked at them, almost ashamed for them. There is one cheer and one cheer only that the Chinese do and if you watched ANY of The Games than I am sure you are familiar with it, Beijing, Jia You, Zhong Guo, Jia You. This is it. This is as good at it got for 17 days.

Sidenote: As an American I am concerned with our lack of clever or cool cheers for our country. Everyone has fun things to sing and say except us. The Aussies are particularly adept at being loud and clever. I developed a new and super annoying cheer for the USA, OOOOOOOOOSSAAAH.

As the day wore on it got hotter and hotter and hotter. The thermometer in the sand said it was 120. In the bowl of the stadium air did not circulate and the humidity just took a seat and stayed for a while. Finally, around 11am, the Chinese women came out to rapturous applause. The stadium was about 75% full by the time their match started. I thought it was a decent showing considering the heat. The match went on and eventually the Chinese won. Almost on cue, 80% of the Chinese supporters left. It was terrible. Even the professional cheer squad went home. It was a poor showing of sportsmanship. It was hot and I was not as concerned as I became later when the trend repeated itself over and over again. The attendance issues coupled with the rabid medal tracking made me rethink what sportsmanship is in this country. Initially there was a creepy, China vs. The World vibe happening. Lili and I stayed for another two matches before calling it quits. It was damn hot and I had to get across town to get more Olympic tickets.

I was furiously trying to acquire more and more tickets for the week preceding The Games. I contacted every poster on Craig's List about tickets and ended up finding this girl who lived way across town, on the west side. I went out there to meet her and pick up tickets to Baseball and the Men's Football (Soccer) quarterfinals. I was nervous she wouldn't show up but she did. Her tickets were real. I rejoiced.

I headed home with a fist full of tickets and a sense of what it is like to be at The Olympics. At the Beach Volleyball venue there was a good international mix. While I was unable to cheer for my team I still learned a lot about how to cheer for your country, something I had never done before. You have to be gracious. When you put on your countries colors or even a t-shirt with your country's name on it you become the face of your country. I would say that 95% of Olympic visitors adhered to that notion. Everyone was very friendly and extremely happy to be here. People cheered for their country without ever taunting anyone or going too crazy. It was very respectful. The next day I was headed to the Water Cube to see Michael Phelps compete with the Men's 4x100m Relay team. It would be my first chance to root for my country and see perhaps its best Olympian compete. On the way out of the Beach Volleyball venue there was a small stand selling various flags. I initially grabbed the hand held model of the Star Spangled Banner. I was then drawn to the larger version. It would be my cape. My Olympic look was complete. It was a purchase that would end up enhancing my Olympic experience.
More on that and swimming later

These Are The Days (The Lost Post)

My apologies. My last post was a bit crap. I began writing it at 1am and I was confused. I could have sworn that I had made at least one post during the Olympics. I was too tired and felt that I owed it to those of you who care about the Olympics to bang out a quick blog. The result was confusing and sloppy. I sat down to write another post today and what do I find? An authentic Olympic era blog. Here it is, enjoy.

This post is from August 9

I was in Shanghai last week where I visited Bryne in his new city. He only arrived there the day before I did but together we navigated the city deftly. The trip began when I woke up at 5:00 a.m. for a 7:00 a.m. flight. I took a taxi on the newly opened Airport Expressway 2. Huge and newly created especially to accommodate the theoretical rush of Olympic tourists, it is now the fastest way from my apartment to the new termnial 3 only taking 20 minutes. I arrived at terminal 3 and was in awe. I had been anticipating seeing the inside since I mistakenly arrived there to pick up my father and sister several months ago. It is the largest airport in the world they say and I believe it. It is huge and is very open with very high ceilings. It is a marvelous piece of architecture in a city that is rapidly expanding its list of must see buildings.

I arrived in Shanghai with little idea how to get to Bryne's new apartment. I had seen a National Geographic channel presentation on the Mag Lev train that has been built in Shanghai. Mag Lev stands for magnetic levitation. It is like a supertram(p) that hovers on the track creating very little friction. Less friction means higher speeds with less electricity needed. The Mag Lev goes from Pudong airport to the beginning of the Shanghai subway system. I was unsure whether it was the most direct way to get to Bryne's place and upon calling him confirmed that it was not, but I had to take it. Wow was it worth it. The thing is AMAZING! It has seats in it just like a train and a strange hum that enhances its futuristic credentials. There was a speedometer posted in LED lights inside the train and as we departed the station, slowly but surely, the LED showed why this was no ordinary train. As the speed was listed in kilometers per hour, I could only get a rough estimate of what our speed was in miles per hour. The train got faster and faster and the trees, cars, and buildings were whipping by with greater and greater intensity. Another Mag Lev train passed us on the right side and sent a jolt through the train. I looked up, on the speedometer it read 278 kph. That is fast, but we kept accelerating. 300...340...375...400...432!!!! We peaked out at 427 kph which, for those of you playing at home, is a shade under 270 miles per hour. It was amazing. The entire ride probably only lasted 10 minutes but it was well worth the price of admission.

After that I boarded the subway for a long ride to Bryne's neck of the woods. He met me at the airport and we went to his place. We hung out and had some lunch and did a little exploring. That evening we went out for some drinks and to catch up. Bryne had spent the last month in Kora with his girlfriend Seonju. The big news was that Bryne and Seonju married a couple of weeks ago. This is great because she is a great girl and he is a great guy and their kid will either be the tallest guy on the Korean Men's Basketball team or the shortest guy on the English Men's Basketball team. Either way the kid will be schooled in the salary cap, crossover dribble, and exploits of Isaiah Thomas.

The next day we were off to fulfill our destiny and attend the USA vs. Australia in men's basketball. We arrived at the stadium about two and a half hours early. We were hoping that we could just get in the stadium and possibly get some autographs or take some good pictures of the players. Our fatal mistake was not realizing that we were in China. Security was tight as a drum with armed police (a rare sight in a country where 95% of the police don't have guns) and dogs patrolling the area. Bryne and I debated whether they were attack dogs or sniffer dogs. Our final decision was that they probably did a bit of both. They decided to let us in at 6pm. Upon entering we saw that many concession stands and activity booths had been set up. It was not unlike the concourse at a sports event in the US. We got food, a chicken salad sandwich and a salad (a combination never seen in the US), some beers, and took our seats. With about 45 minutes to go before the match the stadium was EMPTY. The Chinese spectator is a new class. Public gatherings have never been really encouraged and attending sporting events is a relatively new concept in China, thus patrons are still getting a hang of it. More on this later in the blog. The stadium remained mostly empty through shootarounds. We arrived plenty early and were treated to seeing both teams warm up separately with the highlight coming when the American team got on the floor. The Chinese fans cheered each individual player as they entered the court but the two who received the most attention were Kobe, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James. We all know how special these athletes are and we all know they are big people but seeing them in person only enhances and affirms those notions. LeBron James is a massive individual. Muscular and athletic he has the body of a power forward and the athleticism of a guard. He is very impressive even when shooting jumpers. Dwight Howard is even more the physical specimen. Tall and lean with massive shoulders, he dwarfs everyone on the court with the exception of LeBron.

It was just cool to see all of those great players together, joking around, talking with each other, all while wearing the same jersey. As the minutes before game time ticked away, I was shocked to see that the stands were still mostly empty. The stadium WAS in the middle of no where, in am industrial park far on the south side of the city, but you'd think people would at least be as excited as I was to see this team. Bryne and I slipped into seats at the bottom of our section. While I did get us tickets, I didn't get us great tickets. Our new home provided a better vantage point. I took this picture at the tip-off:As the game went on the stands filled up but they did not get totally full until the end of the first quarter. One other thing that must be commented upon were the foreign fans in the stands. The only reason that they were noticeable is because the Chinese fans were virtually silent through most of the game. It was a very strange crowd. They were not vocal at all but did applaud good shots or drives by both teams. While they did clap for the Australians, they were clearly rooting for the Americans with countless young people wearing Kobe and LeBron jerseys. The foreign fans, mostly American, could be heard chanting 'De-Fense' and shouting encouragement. The Chinese thought this odd and laughed a bit. When some American jackass stood up a few rows in front of me, he chided the American team in a loud, bellowing voice which could be heard all around the stadium. One man could be heard among a crowd of 14 thousand, that is how quiet it was. Here are some more pictures:































The next day I had to leave early in the morning as I had to be at work early. My flight ended up being canceled and I had to wait for the next one. Luckily I made it on that plane and I was only one hour late for work. Well worth it to see USA Basketball. It was great to see Bryne and I think I might make another trip to Shanghai again soon.

Also this week, a little event you might have heard of called The Olympics kicked off here in Beijing. This is it. This is what I have heard about for over two years. What this city, what this country has been waiting for. The city was whipped into a frenzy in the days leading up to the Opening Ceremony. Athletes could be seen all around the city wearing their team's official merchandise. On my way to work my taxi almost ran over a couple of Cubans, this is the type of encounter that can only happen at in an Olympic host city, or Miami. On Wangfujing, a street near my office, I ran into member from Team Swaziland.
"Swazi!!", I yelled. They responded with a 3 second dance and waved at me. Awesome. Team Nigeria came walking down the busy and increasingly international street. It is so fun to see all of these people from all over the world in one place.

On the night of the Opening Ceremonies things reached a crescendo. My school had to shut down and the day was declared a national holiday by the government, something that NEVER happens. I went to a friends house to watch. The entire ceremony was spectacular. I could have never guessed that it would have been that fantastic. What it did do was put on display the sheer number of Chinese citizens there are. Something like 15,000 people worked on the ceremonies. The beginning, where the drummers banged on drums of light, that part had 2,008 people. It was crazy. I must say that I was a little disappointed in the way the guy lit the cauldron. That fake running shtick was a little silly. The actual lighting of the cauldron was stunning. Is it me or is that flame bigger than normal? I wouldn't be surprised.

The next day, yesterday, I went to Beach Volleyball. My first event of the XXIX Olympiad. The venue was a nice one, located in the middle of Beijing's biggest park. The atmosphere was fun and laid back once you got through security.














The venue has concessions and play areas outside of the actual stadium because the stadium itself is very minimalist and temporary. They had beach volleyball pits outside where many kids
played and made sand castles. It was extremely hot. At 9:00 a.m. when the competitions began is was quite muggy and the pollution, I'm sorry, haze, protected us from the brunt of the heat. But as it got closer to noon the sun came out to play and made things miserable. As for the volleyball itself, the matches alternated between men's and women's. The venue was pretty full but definitely not 100%. The way that the ticketing works for venues that are hosting events all day, is that each ticket is for a time slot. My time was from 9am to 2pm. Around 11am we had a chance to see the Chinese women's pairing take on ?. Did it really matter? The Chinese women are favored to win the whole thing and the crowd likes a winner. This was the first time I was able to see Chinese fans root for a Chinese team. It was fun. The incessant chant, the only one they got is '____ Jia You' which means 'Let's Go___'. It literally translates to Add Oil but the real meaning is something closer to 'Step On The Gas'. This is a phrase I am sure the NBC commentators will pick up on if they haven't already. The crowd cheered every time the Chinese ladies touched the ball. In the end the Chinese team won and then there was a mass exodus. The vast majority, probably between 75 abd 80 percent of the Chinese fans left. This left a mostly international crowd with fans from Australia, Brazil, and the Netherlands representing the strongest contingents. It was a bit of bad sportsmanship I think. You gotta stay. As I have been typing this, I have been watching the games on Chinese TV. Almost without fail they will show an event until the Chinese competitor finishes and then they will switch their coverage. I don't want to make assumptions or stereotypes but it is representative of a sentiment that has been expressed here before that these games are about China vs The World. All of this is to gauge how good China is. I hope as the games go on the Chinese spectators become more interested in the sport rather than the color of the jersey.

There was a thermometer at sand level in the volleyball venue. I knew it was hot but I had to see what it was registering because I had to know. It said that the temperature was 120 degrees on the sand. It was definitely over 100 in the stands. It was a good day at the Beach Volleyball venue but too damn hot in the end. I left with one match left to go and headed to the north west part of the city to meet a girl who had tickets for sale. I bought two more sets of tickets, one to the Baseball gold medal match and the other to the Men's Soccer semi-finals. Wowy, I am jazzed.

Just a few rapidfire thoughts:
-There are no more taxis in this city. They have disappeared. I think they must either be at all the hotels or all the venues. They have essentially evaporated from the roads.

-The heat has been quite bad recently but rain is predicted for the next two days. Today it rained and cooled things of considerably. Today the high is 83 degrees.

-Tonight is the USA vs. China basketball match. To call it eagerly anticipated would be a huge understatement. Every bar in the city is running specials and pulling out projection tv's to satisfy their customers.

-Last night I went out with my friend Meskes and we noticed the insane amount of foreigners that are in the city. They are numerous and kind of annoying. What is more annoying is when people mistake me for a tourist. I hate that.

-The Chinese are pulling out all the stops to make people feel comfortable. All the staff, from security, to the concession stands, to the ushers, all of them speak English. It is amazing considering that, as a percentage, not that many people speak English. It is also a little gratifying for me.

- Beers at the Olympic venues are 5 RMB (60 cents) making the Olympic venues the cheapest places to drink in town. They also have pizza, sausage, and sandwiches available although, at the volleyball venue, none of that was available for some reason. It was advertised so I hope that whatever the problem was, it will be sorted out before I go to the Water Cube tomorrow.

- Michael Phelps is changing the world if only their sleeping habits. Because of AMERICA most of Phelps' races will be held in the morning so you all can get a live look at him in his quest for gold. Thanks. All I can say is that you better be watching and appreciative of the fact that the entire Olympic schedule has been changed for your benefit. This also applies to the 10pm local time start to the USA v. China basketball match.

-Reliable sources say that costumed performers at the Opening Ceremonies wore diapers during their dress rehearsals.

And now I give you this:

Happy Olympics Everyone!

Olympic Size Frustration -----> Joy

I have have to get something off my chest. I was not allowed to receive tickets to the 2008 Olympiad. Before I get into this, I must say that writing about this renews my frustration over the events that have transpired over the last five weeks of my life. I have been unbearable whilst trying to sort out this insane bureaucratic nightmare from the 5th dimension.

Lets start one and a half years ago:
A fresh faced chap from the mean streets of Tongzhou sat in his 12ft. x 12ft. cell of a dorm room scouring the internet for English instructions regarding the purchasing of Olympic tickets by foreigners. After hours of searching our young hero plowed his way through red tape and ID confirmation to secure eight tickets to four Olympic events: Swimming, Track and Field, Boxing, and Handball.

Sidebar:
I have always found handball to be an intriguing sport ever since being exposed to it in gym class at Parkway North High School. It combines the tactics of soccer with the athleticism of basketball with more contact than both. During the last Olympics I scheduled my days around watching Handball. I am Olympic crazy.

Lets fast forward six months:
We rejoin our hero as he has triumphantly, if privately, returns to China. Within days of his return he received an email from the BOC (Beijing Olympic Committee) confirming his purchase of eight Olympic tickets.

Eight months later:
He waits patiently for a notice, a notice that will tell him where and when to pick up his tickets. He receives the notice. There is much rejoicing.

I headed down to the bank where my tickets were being held humming a triumphant little tune that is familiar to all those who enjoy NBC's Olympic broadcast. I arrived at the bank and waited patiently for my number to be called. I walked to the window and gave my passport. The attendant checked my passport against the information in her computer. She turned as if in slow motion and said a long, heavily accented 'Noooooooo'. I shook it off and asked for my tickets. She told me that the information on in my passport did not match the information submitted online. I quested: "WHAT information?" She said that the visa I used to purchase the tickets was currently invalid. I calmly, if loudly, told her that visas expire every year. She said that if I had a question I would have to take it up with the BOC on their help hotline. I refused to leave until justice had been metered out. They called the complaint department for me and put me on the phone with a lady who told me that I must submit a change of information form and a copy of my passport for the information to be changed. I protested loudly, both verbally and non. Curses filled my head and sharp motions with my elbows and shoulders were their manifestation. I was asked to leave and took exception to the force of their request. I hesitated and turned back to the counter when a security guard armed with a taser baton held it over me. I walked out briskly muttering under my breath. I was beside myself with anger and thought about going home and just calling in sick to work.

Two days later, after I had calmed down sufficiently, I proceeded with my formal request for a change of my information. I submitted my information as requested and an emailed automatic response told me to wait five days for confirmation of receipt and then I would receive another email. I waited five days. Giving them the benefit of the doubt I even waited a sixth. I then called. I was told my information had been received and my request would be carried out, "pay close attention to your email", the voice said. That I did. It was inevitable that I would. I have been waiting for this day since 1988 when I watched Shannon Briggs box at the Seoul Olympics while staying on South Padre Island with my family. I had been waiting since the Winter Olympics in Albertville when my sister and I pretended to be downhill ski champions as we raced through the living room of our home in McAllen Texas with Crayola markers in our hands doubling as ski poles. I had waited since then so what was a couple more days I thought.

I waited a couple of days (three days ago) and called back, this time the girl remembered me. "You're the guy from before, aren't you?" she asked, "I am guessing I am." I replied. I knew I had made an impression on the last girl I talked to and banked on the fact that she doesn't get too many white people alternately beg and demand over the phone. She felt sorry for me and told me to call the ticket agents directly (I thought that is what I had been doing.) She gave me a name. I called the number and demanded to speak to the lady whose name I had at my disposal. I calmly explained my situation and she told me she would call me back in four hours and tell me what she could find out. She called me when I was between classes and told me that no one at her office had ever received any email from me. I went red hot. After I regained consciousness I told her that I would send her my information again and she then told me that I should write a letter to her office about the entire situation. I told her, "never". I could NEVER do that. They had me jumping thought hoops for over a month and they expected me to do another trick? I flatly refused and told her to get me my tickets before it became an international incident. The next day, today, I got confirmation that my information had been changed and I rushed to the bank a second time. Remembering my excitement the first time around I made sure to assume nothing was coming to me.

In 1993 I thought it was my cocksure attitude that prevented the Houston Oilers from beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and I wasn't about to let it happen again.

I entered humbly hoping the guard would not recognize me. I approached the window and handed my passport to the lady behind the glass. She took it and smiled, I was looking for good signs and this was the first one. She punched a few numbers and then went to a big box. She pulled out an envelope and asked me to make sure everything was in order. I opened it and saw... They must have been doing some construction in there because it got real dusty for a moment and my eyes started watering. I thanked the lady politely and left in a hurry before they could find some sort of mistake. They are mine.

I have three days of work ahead of me before I can board a plane and head to Shanghai to see Team USA take out the uppity Australian basketball team. The three days of work will go by a little easier because I have to work a Wall Street English 'roadshow'. This is an event done in a public place with the intention of attracting more students. This one is called The BJ Carnival. There are several jobs for the foreign teachers to do one of which is play poker for eight hours. I am not that lucky. I was assigned to be the oral examiner at the BJ Carnival. I could have been playing poker for eight hours but instead I will be the oral examiner at the BJ Carnival. I hope I at least get a souvenier t-shirt identifying the event and my role.

Olympic Insanity

As the Olympics approach I will be blogging a little more regularly. Things have been moving quickly here and it is hard to believe the games are almost upon us. It is hard to believe because people here are as excited as they were two years ago. The anticipation and excitement probably peaked this past fall. Since then a series of events have caused concern, fear, and disappointment, all helping to take a bit of the shine off of these Olympics. Between the riots in Tibet, the trade wars with the US, and the Beichuan earthquake, people are saying that the games are 'cursed'. The really funny thing about that is people are blaming the 'Fuwa', the Olympic mascots. Some say the five of them represent five ills that have befallen/will befall China.
People say the yellow one named Yingying, whose form is meant to symbolize the deer that inhabit the Tibetan plateau, is responsible for the unrest in that area. Jingjing, the panda looking one, brought the earthquake in Sichuan province, home of the panda. Beibei, the blue one, planted all that algae in the water in Qingdao, the city that will host the sailing events. This leaves us Huanhuan and Nini, whose nefarious plots have yet to be exposed. And you thought they were cute. If you take their names and put them together it reads Beijing Huan Ying Ni, which means Beijing Welcomes You. If you read it backwards it means Paul is dead.
The newest subway lines opened last weekend. I am super excited about them because the subway is a great way to get to new places around the city and the new lines are really nice and clean. With the opening of these two new lines the grand total of subway lines in Beijing stands at six. The mini line that runs to the Olympic venues is numbered eight. Only six lines but one is called line eight? That is because eight is a lucky number, hence the opening ceremonies beginning at 8pm on August 8th 2008. Soooooo lucky. There is a huge run on weddings that day as well. I spoke with a student of mine who planned to get married at the moment that the opening ceremonies start. Speaking of the opening ceremonies, they had the rehearsal last week and wowy were the fireworks spectacular. What else would you expect from the home of black powder?

Back to the subway lines for a second. When I moved to Beijing only two years ago, there were three lines in Beijing. In the last eight months three more have opened. There are plans for six more lines to open by 2012. It is just amazing how quickly Beijing is skipping over the 20th century entirely.

Old Subway Line

New Subway Line

One thing that has changed in Beijing in recent days has been the installation of banners, art, signage, volunteer booths, and designated lanes for the Olympics. The city is certainly getting dressed up. The volunteer program was a huge success here. Two years ago, in an event here in Beijing, Jackie Chan kicked off the volunteer registration. Millions of people submitted their names to do everything from working the aforementioned booths where visitors can have their questions answered to carrying the medals and delivering them to the athletes. Word on the street is that volunteerism has is advantages when applying for membership in the party. Now all over the city volunteers are manning question booths in street corners and subway stops all over the city. All the volunteers got very cool shirts. Based on the number of shirts I have seen there must be nearly 80,000 volunteers. They are everywhere.



In Olympic related news, I bought tickets to see the US Olympic Basketball Team play against Australia in Shanghai in a pre-Olympic tournament on August 5th. I am incredibly excited. Bryne will be in Shanghai by then so I will go there for a quick visit as I need to work the next day. I can't stop smiling, I am just thrilled. On July 25th the remaining Olympic tickets went on sale at the venue's box offices. It was insane. Thousands of people camped out and waited for those tickets to go on sale. It was a madhouse and people were angry when (surprise) many of them tried to run to the front of the line as tickets went on sale. Basketball, diving, ping pong, and gymnastics were the first to go. Badminton tickets were sold out long ago. It should be noted that, for the first time in Olympic history, a stadium entirely devoted to ping pong was constructed. Today I am headed up to the Olympic area via the two newest subway lines (with camera in tow) to see if I can get my hands on some baseball tickets. I can't decide if it would be cooler to see USA vs. Japan or USA vs. Cuba. Why not both?

I plan on posting more pictures, thoughts, and observations as they come in. Until then make sure you keep the Fuwa out of your life.