Whine & Cheese

Beijing Memories: Part 2 of Many

I am still struggling to figure out how to get all our stories from Beijing down in print (well, so to speak)... whether to do it chronologically or by theme (i.e. the people, the events, food, etc.)... it is all still swirling around in my brain and defying any logic...

My intention was to do a more pleasant post since the first one which was fraught with disappointment.  As I kept trying to suggest in that post, this was by no means the overriding feeling about the trip... but in the spirit of "getting out of the way" I am going to go ahead and tell you how the rest of our 08-08-08 unfolded...

The morning started off innocently enough.   We didn't have any obligations in the morning ... so prior to our group lunch around noon-time, we decided what the heck... let's jump on the Beijing subway and head over to Tiananmen Square.   I like our "get up and go" attitude with stuff like this... and over the years have grown pretty comfortable with subway systems... and we had subway stations close to our hotel and the map suggested it would drop us off right in the middle of where we wanted to be.

A recurring theme in my Beijing posts will be the favorable exchange rate with the Chinese Yuan.  After being pretty much hosed in with the British Pound and Euro, we were constantly amazed what we were getting for our buck in Beijing.  So we easily purchased our subway tickets for 2 Yuan each for a one-way trip to Tiananmen ... which translates to ... are you ready for this.... 32 cents US$.... and were on our way!

(On a side note:  Beijing lowered their subway fares from 3 to 2 Yuan for the Olympics... a price cut that we read they intend to keep... and if you had an Olympic ticket, you could use the subway for free... two things I could not imagine happening in a US Olympic city).

While climbing the stairs out of the Tiananmen East station... I quickly got the sense that we were getting ready to see something special.   A common feeling I get when traveling... whether it's the first view of the ocean or that first tremendous wow at seeing the Eiffel Tower in all its glory.   After taking it in with my own eyes first, of course I had to recreate that moment on film... and this was it...

Just wonderful and that moment that we really felt that here we were in China.  It was kind of a similar feeling to London... not seeing anything particular iconic on our arrival day... so while we certainly knew we were in China... it wasn't until this particular moment, seeing the Forbidden City and Tiananmen just across the way, that we really felt we had arrived.   (Note:  If you are wondering about the haze in this picture, it was extremely humid so I think that is a large part of it ... but guessing it was still mixed with a good deal of Beijing's infamous pollution.)

Tiananmen Square was closed ... something we would experience again on our next "tour" trip to it... but fortunately the proverbial third time would be the charm... though it literally rained on our parade as we walked the Square under an umbrella and moderate to heavy rain. 

My intent was to get a picture of one of the many Opening Ceremonies countdown clocks around Beijing, but given the limited access around this area we quickly gave up and headed back to the hotel...

At lunch, you are well now well aware of the bad news we received... afterward the company big-wig (from the office in Hong Kong) who had arrived into town (pretty much with the intentions of going to the Opening Ceremonies himself!), promised... as mentioned in that last post... a "recovery execution"... the exact type of upper management corporate-ese speak that only tends to piss non-upper management folks off even more.

So the savior of our trip many (many!) times over - this exec's corporate assistant - was able to arrange a trip to the Summer Palace, a dinner along the lakes surrounding the Forbidden City, and .... a Chinese foot and body massage while we watching the Opening Ceremonies on TV.

While our mindset was not good at all, in retrospect I am really glad we got to visit the Summer Palace.  It was not on any of our agenda (mostly because there was no time for it, before this window opened up).  We had seen the Summer Palace on the oodles of travel shows we had been watching in the weeks and months leading up to this trip... and it was truly an incredible site.  I have already uploaded all my Summer Palace pix here to Flickr. 

Dinner was also very nice.  I really need to devote an entire post our dining experiences... but pretty much any time we were in a group, we ate in a private dining room... and the food just kept on coming, and coming and coming (and coming!)... being placed in the center of a table on a large lazy susan... dozens of different dishes just a spin away. 

The final part of the "recovery" was the one we were dreading the most.  While I know some (alot!) of folks would drool at the opportunity for a massage... for me (and Todd as well) it sounded like a big 'ole nightmare.  I am just not a big fan of being touched. 

Anyhow, we get to this massive massage place that does have the cheesy feel of something less innocent.  Our group of about 20 gets split up into three different rooms and we each get seated in massive soft arm chairs... and some lovely young-ish Chinese girls arrive to start taking off our shoes and socks which they take away to clean (another post needs to devoted to the urgent need of our hosts to cater to our every wish/desire). 

Prior to our foot massage, are feet our plunged into extremely hot water.  I could barely keep my feet in them.  Todd and the others seem to be keeping them in the large bucket much better than myself - but I could barely stand it as salts and other things are added to the water.  I have mentioned have foot issues from going barefoot pretty much 24-7 80% of the year... and my foot massage quickly points to one of my issues (a callus) and tries to ask me what it's about... but we are unable to effectively communicate with each other, so it is more than slightly humiliating when I have three other girls looking, pointing, and shrugging their shoulders over whatever it is on my foot... and when she gets to massaging that foot, she pretty much avoids that spot like it's the plague. 

The foot massage lasts over an hour (!!!) and is not terribly comfortable as each foot is prodded and twisted with thumbs... with the big finish being all the massagers for our entire room slapping and punching our feet, calves, and thighs in rhythm.  It was actually kind of funny, but again not terribly pleasant.

Next, more girls came in for the shoulder and head massage.  At this point, the Opening Ceremonies are on a big screen TV in the room... of course, with all Chinese commentary (not that I would have expected otherwise).   Since I had to sit in a loveseat vs. an armchair like everyone else... there was no room behind my seat for a massager.  While honestly being pleased with being excluded thanks to my being touch-averse, it was still a bit awkward to be sitting there watching everyone else in the room getting a massage (some even falling asleep!)... and on top of that, my only alternative to watching people getting massaged was to watch the Opening Ceremonies... which we were all still stewing about NOT being at... so it was not much fun at all.

Todd later told me his shoulder and head massage was not comfortable... and that his girl had rubbed him so hard... that he ended up with skin "burns" (broken skin) around his shoulder area... thankfully avoiding any further awkwardness amongst the co-workers (who were truly a bunch of strangers) in the room, no shirts had to be removed... just the feet.

That ended our night... and we headed back to the hotel... having not seen all the Opening Ceremonies, leaving before the parade of nations... and despite having it on our TiVo, we still haven't watched it to this very day.  Ha!

Beijing Memories: Part 1 of Many

Ni Hao!

We are back from our trip to the Olympic Games in Beijing.  We really had a wonderful time... and now that we have been home for about 24 hours and watching some of the Games on television, I think it is starting to sink in of where we just were... sometimes hard to get perspective on that while you are in the middle of it all!

One thing that will be a theme in these Beijing/Olympics blog posts is that there will be a "big picture" / "small picture" thoughts on all this... in the big picture, we were (and are!) grateful and truly astounded by the week we just had... in the small picture stuff, there were disappointments and bumps in the road that will make me sound anything but... so if you find yourself reading some of these thing and thinking that there is too much whining (which btw I have permission to do thanks to the name of my blog!) or ungratefulness... that's not the case... well maybe it is... but even amongst ourselves we had a hard time walking this line... so bear with me!

... and the trip did kick off with a very big disappointment... at around noon time on 08-08-08 we were told that our group did NOT have tickets to the Opening Ceremonies.  The event company contracted out with another company for tickets to the Opening and to the sporting events... that company had a supplier or contract with two different entities... one for Opening, another for the events... and to make a long story short(er), whoever was supplying the Opening did not come through with the tickets... all despite an alleged contract and other verbal assurances.  Our group of about 20... along with 300 others who were expected to get tickets through this second company were all left ticketless... the guy in charge, who had to personally tell each of these 300 people this news pretty much looked like he was going to jump off a building...

... and, admittedly many of us would have given him some help... granted in the months and weeks leaving up to the trip, we always thought that attending the Opening was too good to be true or to believe... but as we prepared to leave for Beijing and certainly once we arrived, we did allow ourselves to believe... so it was hard to not be devastated over the loss of what was truly the centerpiece/crowning jewel of the entire trip. 

Likewise, it was a particularly cruel twist that this was so badly mismanaged and mis-communicated to us... particularly to the employees who were being reward for excelling in their jobs and avoiding or allowing things like this to happen... the fact that no one ever had physical possession of the Opening Ceremonies tickets in the days (or heck, even weeks!) leading up to the big day should have been a huge red flag.

Again, while we were still thankful and amazed to be in Beijing and at the Olympics... but it tainted our first few days... and heck, even now it is still a bit difficult to swallow as we now tell this story over and over to the many people who were so thrilled for us.

Even without Opening tix, another source of frustration was the difficulty to even catch a glimpse of the Olympic Stadium (better known at the Bird's Nest) and the other showcase venues of the Water Cube and Indoor Stadium.  All are part of the Olympic Green area, but you could only enter the Olympic Green or take the brand-spanking new Olympic Line of the Beijing Subway system... if you had a ticket to an even in any of those venues.   

It will come as no surprise that I was anticipating taking oodles and oodles of photos of both buildings, and while it took many days to get there, I did get pix from a distance or while on our private bus transportation to and from other events.  While we expected challenges and/or high security, we were still silly enough to think that there would be general public access on the Olympic Green.

That's enough bitching/whining for now... believe me it gets much better... though part of the immediate "recovery execution" for this Opening Ceremony fiasco managed to piss us off even more... but we'll save that for another time.

Zai Jian

Well, it's come... time to say goodbye (cue Andrea Bocelli), or should I say Zai Jian ... or, if I got it right, "goodbye" in Chinese Mandarin (always try to learn a few key phrases)...

As expected, today is simply flying by and the heart rate is certainly up... and we leave bright and early tomorrow morning... and while it has sunk it a bit... it is still shockingly unbelievable that, according to the Olympics countdown clock... and as I am typing... we will be in the middle of this... in 2 days & 18 hours!!

Just crazy... I have been in a constant state of "goose bumps" for what seems like weeks now whenever looking at pictures or seeing reports on television about the Olympics.  The above picture is from a rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies... and I hear it's spectacular, NBC is even starting coverage a half-hour sooner based on what they saw.

When I was growing up, the Olympics were always a big deal in my house.  I remember keeping track of medal counts... and two family vacations were totally dedicated to seeing the Olympic sites.  I fondly recall trips to Montreal after the 1976 Summer Olympics and trip to Lake Placid, NY before the 1980 Winter Olympics.  It gets me a tad emotional to think what that little kid of age 10 or 11 would have thought of the idea that one day he would be attending the Olympics halfway around the world... particularly when, at that time, Canada was as exotic or realistic as foreign travel got!

As has been the case here lately when I go away, I don't have anything planned or set to post on W&C while I am away.  And while we will have a computer and other devices, as you may have read... we have no idea and no expectation of accessibility... but keep an eye on the upper left hand corner... or if you follow me elsewhere... you might just hear something from me... of course, in 140 characters or less!   

So I am sure I will have tons of stories to share (and even more pictures!) for you when we get back in a little over a week... though I fully expect to be a zombie for a few days... adrenaline will keep me going while we're there, but I sense it will all come crashing down upon our return... and if something unexpected happens and you don't hear back from me... well, you'll have a great "I know somebody" story.

Zai Jian!

The Day Before The Day Before

In less than 48 hours, we'll be on our way to Beijing.   

At some point late last week and certainly over this past weekend, I think it all finally sank in.  While we have known about this trip for several months now, it just did not seem to be believable.  We kept on expecting to wake up or have someone tell us "just kidding"... but alas, we are now believers ... but that has made way ti feeling of being overwhelmed by... well, pretty much anything and everything.  A trip to China is huge... and throwing the Olympics on top of that multiplies that out exponentially....

... while there is always that pre-trip panic (well, for me at least)... making sure all the ducks are lined up and we have all the things we need and the packing, etc., etc... this certainly isn't a typical trip... and having thought it enough myself and having it said to us quite a bit... this is truly a "once in a lifetime" experience and we are certainly starting to feel the gravity of it all.

One of my favorite quotes is "the anticipation of an event is often greater than the event itself" but I am not sure that will be the case here.   We have literally watched a couple dozen travel-related shows about China and/or the Olympics over the past month or so, but I think nothing can prepare us for what it will be like when we're actually there. 

The TiVo is fired up to record a lot of Olympic stuff while we're away... though since we are returning in the middle of the Games, not sure how much we'll watch of the week that we're there... but we're trying to record some of the stuff we're attending (though oddly enough, no Judo coverage... go figure!). 

I guess that's it for now... today I hope to be a big organizational day to take some of the pressure off tomorrow... and then we have to get up before the crack of dawn on Wednesday to head to the airport...ay!

Express Lane: Issue 52

'Amazing Race' Honcho Teases New Season - Seems like TAR has been off the air for awhile (well not that long if it still got an Emmy nod), but TAR13 returns on Sep. 23rd.  As the article title suggests, expect mild spoilers if you choose to click the link. (8/1/08)

Thomas Jane Gets 'Hung' - Not sure if it's a compliment or a curse to be cast as the lead in an HBO comedy about a guy with a big... well, you know...  (8/1/08)

No 2nd Season for HBO's 'Tell Me You Love Me' After All - While it was a depressing and intense show, it was quite good... so a tad disappointed that HBO has had second thoughts about bringing it back. (7/26/08)

`Desperate Housewives' Creator Says End in Sight - Much like 'Lost,' Marc Cherry gives the ladies of Wisteria Lane three more seasons. I like this trend of shows having an end... get focused and get out while the getting is still good.  (7/18/08)

Amy Poehler Says She's Bound for `Office' Spinoff - It's been a big year for Amy - a movie, baby on the way, an Emmy nod today... and now word she'll star in the likely one of the more high-profile shows of the upcoming new TV season.  UPDATE: The show is not a true spin-off, just has the feel/sense of it... ala 'from the creators of...' - and also the show will likely not debut until 2009. (7/17/08)

Photo Friday: Beauty

It's been a few weeks since my first (and only) submission to the Photo Friday Challenge.   My excuses are that either I was away or didn't feel as if I had a photo that fit the challenge topic.   

The challenges I missed/skipped were: Spiral, The Office, Flight, and Awful.  All pretty intriguing concepts and it is always interesting to see how people interpret them.

If you can read, which I assume is the case if you are at this point... this week's challenge is BEAUTY. 

As with my first submission, I went with my gut instinct despite having some doubts that it was too obvious.  Ok, I'll admit that I peaked at few other of the submissions before submitting my own...there were a lot of close-up pix of flowers and shit like that, so I figured obvious was just fine.   

If I had it in my collection, I maybe would have with something more contrary... say a shriveled up old woman... which I find to be very beautiful in that whole wise, lived a long life, experienced, inner beauty thing... but alas I came up short on wise/old/shriveled... not counting that previously mentioned, but unseen on here, recent self-portrait pic of myself... ha!

So anyhow, here is my submission:

A Moorea sunset from our trip to French Polynesia ("Tahiti") in May 2005.

This had to be one of the most spectacular sunsets that I have ever seen... and surely the most spectacular one that I have ever captured on film (well, captured on a memory card... but that sounds considerably less romantic).   

Given my fairly new schmancy SLR camera and all the "bells and whistles" that I tend to now employ via post-processing software... it is pretty funny to think that this was taken with a pretty basic point-and-shoot camera... likely a few years old at the time of this trip... megapixels so low that I doubt you can even find a camera with that low a count these days (I maybe had a 64k memory card)... and likely nothing done after the fact, except a resize.  It boggles my present-day mind!  BTW, this has been the desktop background picture on my PC for 3+ years now!

Then again, this picture falls into that un-screw-up-able category... while I'll take some credit for the composition... mother nature puts on the very best shows... and this one was certainly a... wait for it... BEAUTY!