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!

Olympic Itinerary

We've been wondering about it for a while now and yesterday afternoon we received our itinerary for our trip to China -- which is now, quite unbelievably, less than 3 weeks away...

While we were told about tix to the Opening Ceremonies the rest was pretty vague... something like "tickets to several events"... we joked about what those would be, trying to come up with the most obscure sports we could imagine... and well, it ended up being a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Now don't get me wrong, we are thrilled ... pretty much anything after the Opening Ceremonies is the proverbial frosting on the cake... but (you knew that was coming) it was still hard to suppress a little nose crinkle when we did review it... so the likes of Michael Phelps, Venus Williams, the Hamm brothers, etc. will just have to do without our support... ha!

On funny thing that crossed my mind is that I am guessing we will have less of an idea of what is going on/happening at the Olympics being in Beijing as opposed to watching it all from home.

Here is our full (and - once again - amazing!) itinerary:

Thursday - Arrive mid-afternoon Beijing

Friday - Free until Opening Ceremonies - starting on 8/8/08 at 8:08pm

Saturday - Morning tour of Beijing incl. Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven / Afternoon Judo

Sunday - Afternoon Basketball

Monday - Free Day (but we're booked for an all-day Great Wall of China tour, the Great Wall - or at least the portion we're scheduled to go to - is about 40 miles away) 

Tuesday - Morning Men's Badminton (Singles & Doubles)

Wednesday - Afternoon Women's Water Polo (Preliminary Rounds)

Thursday - Depart Beijing

So it should be interesting and a learning experience ... and we get to experience 5 different Olympic venues up-close and personal. 

Back from San Diego

We survive our holiday weekend trip to San Diego!   Though I am seriously dragging today, not sure I am traveling as good as my younger years.   There was nothing bad per se about the drive there or back... but once you driven across the deserts of Arizona and California a couple of times, it tends to get pretty mind-numbing.  I joked that it was more steering than driving... and at times it wasn't even steering... more just holding the steering wheel... thank goodness for cruise control (or "autopilot" as I once called it in a daze).

While weather forecasts said temps would be 30+ degrees cooler in San Diego than here in Phoenix, it still seemed a bit toasty when we got there.  Granted we didn't spend too much time on or near the water, but I think it was the humidity that made things slightly more oppressive than what I was expecting... much like we turn into wimps about the cold here in Phoenix, I think you can say the same about humidity.

Activity-wise, we took the trolley tour of San Diego on Friday (the 4th of July) -- pretty much hitting the usual/typical tourist spots (though a couple that I had not been to even in 3 visits -- many of those were tennis tournament-centric) -- Old Town, Midway Aircraft Carrier, Seaport Village, Coronado ... and just enjoying downtown San Diego and Balboa Park from the confines of the trolley.   We decided to stick with Todd's parents when we got back to the hotel and not venture down to the waters to see the fireworks (call me a party pooper, but I think fireworks are overrated) -- and a good thing as it was pretty much a nightmare for the rest of the gang to get down and particularly back from the fireworks afterwards (and they never quite got down to them either... saw them more from SD's light rail system).

On Saturday, the gang split up again... it was Sea World vs. the San Diego Zoo.  Sea World was "been there, done that" for the two of us... so we joined the Zoo group (which, shockingly enough one of those SD landmarks that I had never been to before!).   Not that I have a lot of zoo experience, but didn't think it would be so park-like and definitely have all those ups and downs.  But it was a lot of fun and yet another day/night that we got back to the hotel pretty exhausted.

I guess that is pretty much it.  I think I did fairly well on my first trip with the "in-laws" - T's parents, sister, and brother's family of 5.  I was a bit worried about it... not so much personality-wise... but that we hardly ever travel with anyone other than ourselves.  We weren't setting the agenda or the pace, so that was difficult at times to surrender to... but I think we did okay.

Didn't go too crazy on taking pictures -- only 160 total -- the large majority from the Zoo.  At first glance, not terribly thrilled with the shots... but maybe upon further review and some cropping and all, my mind will change.  Tried a handful of those HDR shots, so we'll see how those work out.

Hope you all had a nice holiday weekend and best wishes for a quick bounce-back if you are lagging like me!

Monday Mix

Already experiencing some "short timer's" syndrome with the short work-week ... especially since for us, it's one day shorter as we leave for San Diego on Thursday.  So pretty much my mind doesn't seem to be on any one thing today... so we'll just keep it going with a mix-up of stuff...

On the San Diego trip front, we wormed our way into taking our own car.  As mentioned earlier, the plan was for the 10 of us to pile into two cars... which required a pick-up and return trip up to us in Phoenix (everyone else is originating from Tucson). One of the things that both of our Dads have in common is a bit of single-mindedness and not budging from the original plan (which okay, I am more than guilty of at times... ok, maybe a lot)... so last weekend, there was no success in a suggestion to meet up with rest of the group along the way... but a week later... voila!... and, more than likely, we'll be taking the Cooper to SD. I think it will work out better... giving everyone a bit more space and not allowing "family" things to start brewing before the weekend of togetherness officially gets underway or to linger on afterward... haha! 

Ended up impulsively buying a "foot spa" over the weekend.  Won't get into the ugly details, but have been trying to fix my feet for awhile now... things tend to get "rough" when one goes barefoot pretty much all the time.  While have had some improvement via some methods... including the infomercial wonder, the Ped-Egg... and Miracle Foot Repair lotion (umm, might want to reconsider the "miracle" part)... still not totally where I woul like things to be.  Fortunately, the "spa" seemed to help to move things along... not so much the water part... but the little whirling device with interchangeable discs.   Ok, likely enough said... ha!

Last night, we finally got around to watching the season finale of Brothers & Sisters.  This is pretty much our favorite show on television right now... though we rarely watch it when it airs live (at the 9pm hour we try to wind down... and that is my "reading" time).  We were backed up a couple of episodes and the finale aired while we in Europe.  We weren't holding out on the finale because we didn't want to see it, we just didn't want the season to be over!  But last night, we finally watched it. 

Of course, having had all this time pass (over a month!) I didn't manage to stay un-spoiled on the big surprise.  I assume it is more than safe to talk about it now...

... but not sure how I feel about there being another illegitimate Walker sibling.   I am also a bit ambivalent about Rebecca, the first alleged illegitimate one, not being a Walker... granted there was no denying the chemistry between the former half-siblings, Rebecca and Justin...this latest familial twist smacks a bit of "making it up as we go along."  If the William did know about this new Ryan and if he was "R" part of the password... then why did he give all that money/inheritance to Holly?

But I hold off judgment until we see where it goes... and after all it is a tv show... and if Ryan (yet to be case as far as I know) ends up being a good-looking as the rest of Walker boys... well, who cares!

Photo Friday

For awhile now I've wanted to submit a picture for Photo Friday ... each week (on Fridays, go figure!) the site challenges folks for a picture with a particular theme... sometimes it's something pretty "tangible" like "The Great Outdoors," "Fire," or "Purple"... other times it's much more interpretive like "Silence" or "My Little Secret"... best yet, there's nothing to sign up for and no requirements... other than an URL that points to your photo... and you can participate whenever you'd like.

Never would I have thought in my my first submission would be this week's challenge: Religion.

Thanks to our recent travels, I had a bevy of cathedrals and churches to choose from.  I tried not to go with some too obvious, say a tourist-y outside shot of a church... and while afterwards, I realized I had some other good options... I went with my gut first reaction (which is typically wiser anyhow) and submitted this photo:

It is a stained glass window towards the back of Notre Dame (the only cathedral that allowed indoor photography!)... and it turned out just as I'd hope... getting that statue in silhoutte against the stunning window.  Actually came out better than my hopes... since the camera captured the detail on the glass far, far (far!) better than my faulty eyes... here's a link to the pic on Flickr or just check out the large and larger sizes.

Now that I've taken the Photo Friday plunge, I may try to keep giving it a shot... and I can share my submissions here too... though it's pretty intimidating, there are some really awesome photographers out there... but heck, it'll give my pix a bit more exposure (ha! thank you and good night!)!

Also, last night I got out my camera for the first time since the trip.  Scott had alerted me to a wild looking red pre-sunset sun and capture it in full effect in his shot... I pretty much missed that, but still went out and took some pix over our backyard fence. 

When I first started shooting, I thought it was merely due to a bit of dust storm headed into town... and while that was a factor... once I took a break and stopped seeing spots before my eyes from staring at the sun... I realized it wasn't just clouds and dust... but smoke coming from a pretty good brush fire waaaay out on the west side of the Phoenix metro area.  I pulled out and caught the trail of smoke...

Even when something not so good is happening, Mother Nature certainly has a way of making it spectacular nonetheless.

When I was going back and forth and back and forth, Rocky... in a rare moment... decided to stop following me around in circles and sit/lie still for a minute... and I managed to capture it on film (well, digitally on a memory card, that is):

Ain't he cute?!

Another Trip

Have I mentioned, I have yet another trip coming up?  In fact, we're leaving 2 weeks from today!

In the midst of this crazy year of international travel, this one has kinda got lost in the shuffle... as we are *only* going to San Diego over the 4th of July weekend.  It is actually a family vacation for Todd - parents, siblings, nieces and nephews -- and me!   A total of 10 of us altogether, so it should be interesting!   Current plans call for a two car/SUV caravan -- wouldn't have minded taking the Cooper, but it's certainly not the most practical vehicle when you are dealing with more than two people (and their luggage)!

It has been a long time since I have been on a family vacation -- but I am guessing it will be much more entertaining for me than for anyone else -- as it tends to be far better being the observer rather than the participant in family dynamics.  After a rough return to work since our Europe trip (nor was it a cake-walk while we were there... not a good sign when his work cell phone rang while we were on the London Underground coming in from Heathrow), Todd certainly needs a break - but I fear an extended, full-time weekend with the family may not quite be the antidote... but I will do my best to get him to relax, breathe, count to 10, drink, etc.!  :-)

I have been to San Diego a few times (arguably - or not - it is the summer getaway spot for Arizonans), but would say it has probably been around a decade since the last time -- so it will be nice to see the ocean (it's been two years since the last time, Hawaii) and, of course, cooler temps. We've been on a week-long 110+ degree streak here in Phoenix that does not promise to break (to say 108-109!) until next week.

Not sure quite what is on tap.  I hear rumors of the Zoo and beach.  I think (thankfully) we'll be passing on Sea World -- though we were planning on opting out of that activity if it did get into the mix.  We would have liked to have seen a baseball game at Petco Park... but, funny enough, the Padres are in Phoenix vs. the Diamondbacks for the holiday weekend.

And Rocky gets another trip to the pet resort.  I am sure he'll have plenty of company over that particular weekend.  With the crazy heat, I haven't had him out to the dog park lately... and barring a brief visit from his aunt/cousin Lucy last weekend (for Father's Day), I am sure he will be more than ready to terrorize play with some pups.

Visa Progress (and Success!)

After it long being rumored, got pummeled with a bunch of work today.  Funny since just yesterday I was told not to expect much this week, but that's pretty typical ... the benefits of working for oneself are too many to count, but the unpredictability of when that work will come in is not one of my favorite things.  But it more than pays the bills, so I can not complain one bit... but blogging may be a bit light or non-existent in the interim... or unless I have something to say (which is pretty much not the case today).

However, one bit of news is that our visa application for our August trip is thru the consulate inspection phase, which is a relief... but in my paranoia, I am still not quite sure if that means "all is good," but hopefully they would have let us known otherwise.  But we have heard rumblings, there has been issues with securing visas...

Now, I am being intentionally coy here... if you are a regular W&C reader, you surely know what the "August trip" is... but I am guessing, you will read little (and likely nothing) about it here until we get back... just trying to be the well-behaved, "not looking to cause any troubles" person that I will certainly be when we visit this place in August... so I don't want to do anything to ruffle feathers/put it in jeopardy -- have I mentioned I'm paranoid?!?

UPDATE (6/18): Good news... are passports were returned today with visas!  So probably a lot of worrying for nothing, but still best to keep the proverbial unhatched chickens uncounted... and like I said, will likely keep doing that for the foreseeable future... but still very, very relieved.