There is a lot to mention, so maybe I'll spare you some detail on some things. All the family members stayed in the same hotel near the ball field. There were always a lot of security guards at the front entrance, although I get the feeling Beijing is pretty safe so maybe they weren't needed. It was about a 30 minute taxi ride into the city, downtown areas, and to the Birdsnest and the cube. You couldn't actually get that close to those two venues without a ticket to those events which was a bit disappointing. Near the Birdsnest was Canada house. This is a building for athletes, and friends and family to hangout and watch Canadian coverage of the Olympics. At Canada house we got free lunch and dinner which was fantastic, free wine and beer, snacks, tattoos, pins, and other merchandise. We also got to cheer on athletes with other fellow Canadians. Matt and I liked to spend quite a bit of time at this place. We also got to see Canadian Olympians past and present that were also hanging out so that's always neat.
I guess I don't need to write too much about how Megan, and the team as a whole, did at the Olympics since I know most of you were following the games closely. It was really really exciting being able to cheer for Megs and the rest of the softball team from the stands. After the games we got to mingle with the team for a few minutes in a sort of kiss and cry area. It was great being able to talk to Megs after the games, but there weren't many smiles following the losses. At the venues themselves there were tonnes of volunteers and they were always so nice and helpful, everyone seemed so happy. Matt and I always got dressed in Canada gear to our fullest abilities and many people stopped us to take a photo with us. It would only take one person to ask, and then everyone would flock over and at times it was like we were surrounded by paparazzi! Kinda fun, but deep down we knew were not true celebrities.
We only watching softball games, but that was enough since we had other things to do in our spare time. We went to the Great Wall as a big group, and my brother and I explored the Forbidden City by ourselves. The Great Wall truly is amazing, a giant wall that seems to stretch forever. I'll let you check out the pics - everyone knows what the Great Wall is. An interesting way to get down is on this bobsled like thing. It's very touristy but also very fast and fun. The Forbidden City is just massive..a huge palace where the emperor and other people in charge used to live. It seems to just go on forever, every time you went through a big gate, there was another massive courtyard. I also went to the Beijing zoo with my dad. It was terribly pathetic..most animals lived in terrible conditions. There was even one animal that was frothing from the mouth and had two red darts sticking out of it..which came first I can't be sure. Anyways, the reason we went was to see Panda bears, and we succeeded. They were mostly just sitting there, but a couple were munching on some Bamboo.
An interesting shopping experience is when you go to the Silk Street shopping building. It's basically 5 floors of knock-offs and nick-knacks, clothes, electronics, everything you would ever want, and probably not need. Little Chinese girls are relentlessly trying to sell you stuff, grabbing you and pulling you into their little shops and areas. It is really overwhelming at first. You have to be good at bartering, they start super high, and you try and work them down to a fraction of what they originally said. Not for the timid and takes some practice, but it can be a little fun, as well as exhausting.
As for exotic foods, we didn't get to crazy. We did the Peking duck thing, and that meal was delicious. Ten of us got waiting on hand and foot and we left stuffed and fully satisfied for very little money. Food and drink is really cheap in China. The only other thing I tried was ox-tongue. It was actually really delicious. It tasted like super-tender roast beef. I probably would have tried the snakes, scorpions, and millipedes, but we never crossed paths.
That pretty much wraps up my trip to Beijing. The air quality was O.K., but I can imagine it is usually far far worse. In any event, it was definitely a cool city and I'd like to go back to China at some point when all the Olympic stuff is gone and have an authentic Chinese experience. I've got about 28 days until I'm finished here in Korea and off for some traveling. The day is fast approaching and I know it's going to sneak up on me. We are starting to think about where we need to go one more time, and who we need to say goodbye to. It's going to be a happy and sad time for sure, but at the same time, we are ready for an extended vacation.
Pics are below, I tried my best to narrow them down.
The Birdsnest Olympic stadium, picture taken from a taxi.
Panorama of Canada house.
Patio area at Canada house.
Olympic mascots dancing around the field.
Lining up before the game against Australia.
Megan on first, I think from the first game when she had 3 hits.
After one of the games in the kiss and cry area.
A bunch of Chinese people getting their picture taken with Matt and I.
This is a picture I took of all the people taking pictures of me.
Mountain views from the Great Wall of China.
You can appreciate the sloping walkway of the wall and how windy it is.
Some pictures of me on the wall.
Below are some pictures from the Forbidden City, they don't really do it justice.
