Bright and early Saturday morning we left for Beijing. But not without a “little” communication breakdown. It seems that our driver did not know any English so Joe had to work with the concierge to set up a schedule for the day in Chinese that the driver could follow.
Once on the road, we encountered several checkpoints that were a part of the Olympic security. The first one we had to get out of the car and show our passports while the car was inspected. That took about fifteen minutes. Then we encountered another checkpoint where the driver had to get a traffic permit to continue on, another 10-15 minutes. Finally there was another checkpoint for passports before entering Beijing. The drive was actually very relaxing and a good way to get ready for the day ahead.
Our first stop was the New World Shopping Mall where we were to meet for the Bronze medal tickets and for the Gold medal tickets. Then it was on to Wukesong Baseball Park for the game! Beijing traffic was unbelievable so we didn’t get to the game until the 3rd inning.
Words can’t describe walking into that stadium and seeing your country represented on the playing field for the Olympics! I’ve been to thousands of baseball games and at times during the day it seemed just like going to one more game. Then all of the sudden it hits you that you are at the Olympics! There is a spirit in the stands that words can’t describe. The day was beautiful, clear skies and over 90 degrees. At 10:30 in the morning, I was obviously concerned about getting burned. All of my sunscreen is packed away, waiting to be shipped here from the states. In a pinch, I found some lip balm in my purse that was SPF 23 so I kept putting it on my nose while also shading my face from the sun with a piece of paper. I’m proud to say that the only thing that got burned was my arms! We met some exciting people around us (Joe actually met a lady from the US Embassy that was familiar with some of the people he has been meeting in China) and enjoyed the game and the USA victory. The USA took the lead with a two run double by Carrollton Creekview/UT Texas alum Taylor Teagarden, now with the Texas Rangers. I loved watching the enthusiasm of the Japanese fans and for that matter the entire international crowd in general. I told Joe this should have been an experience he had with Paul and Jay. With that said I’m so glad we had this adventure together. We were excited that we would be able to see the USA get their medals later that night.
From the game we went to the Beijing airport to take care of some shipping problems we are having with some of Joe’s office stuff from the states. After that we went to the Silk Market to get Joe a backpack and some covers for his golf clubs.
Time was short but we were able to get our shopping done. While Joe was negotiating on the golf club covers, I stood off to the side and just watched the people. On a normal day the Silk Market is crowded but this was the Olympics so it was chaos. I told Joe that while I waited for him I was able to see more Olympic athletes than you can imagine. They all wear their badges everywhere they go so I found myself standing there reading the badges as they walked by. Athletes from Hungary, Uruguay, Gambia, Bahamas, you name it they were there. I was in awe that I was so close to some of the world’s finest athletes, some of whom I had probably watched on TV over the past two weeks.
From the Silk Market we went back to Wukesong Baseball Park for the Gold medal game between Cuba and Korea. Again we were late getting there due to traffic so the game was already underway. Korea was ahead when we got there and stayed in the lead the whole game. The crowds were crazy for that game. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was cheering for which team. Again we met interesting people around us. In front of us was a girl born in Taiwan but living in NYC. She was a Columbia graduate, working for NBC. With her was a guy from Pittsburgh that was teaching English at a Korean school in Beijing. Next to me was a Chinese guy from San Diego that worked in Beijing in banking. It’s amazing here in China how many Americans you see just here for the experience and adventure.
Well, I guess you know Korea won the game. It was quite an upset. Korea went undefeated in the Olympic series and upset the reigning Olympic champions. Cuba had only two losses in the series and both came from Korea. Cuba did not take the loss with any amount of dignity. The medal ceremony was very exciting. It was very emotional seeing the USA standing up there getting their medals and the class that they showed. The Koreans and their fans were very excited with their gold medals but Cuba was an embarrassment in how they handled themselves in front of the world and their lack of sportsmanship. It’s so moving to see your country represented when you’re at home watching on TV but it’s a whole other matter to actually be there when your flag is being raised. I will never forget how I felt or, for that matter, the experience; one I may never have again.
Joe was lucky enough to experience the Olympics in 1972 when he lived in Munich and was able to see Mark Spitz swim a race on his way to achieving 7 gold medals during those games. Thirty-six years later he was very excited to be living in China and able to go to Beijing for the Olympics that produced the record breaking 8 gold medals for Michael Phelps. Although we weren’t able to personally see any of Phelps’ races, it was an honor to be a small part of that Olympic experience and a record that we may never see broken in our lifetime.
Baseball is now gone from the Olympics for at least the next eight years. It was exciting to be a part of the last game. There’s always hope for the future and it’s return. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see Birds Nest Stadium, the Water Cube or Tiananmen Square all lit up at night but Beijing was truly a beautiful sight for the world to see.
Meanwhile . . . . .
Water – RMB 3
Beer – RMB 8
Ice Cream – RMB 4
Bronze Medal Tickets – RMB 1200 (for 2)
Gold Medal Tickets – RMB 2000 (for 2)
An Olympic experience with someone you love . . .
PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!
Love to all!
P.S. $1.00 = RMB 6.85 – You do the math!
Once on the road, we encountered several checkpoints that were a part of the Olympic security. The first one we had to get out of the car and show our passports while the car was inspected. That took about fifteen minutes. Then we encountered another checkpoint where the driver had to get a traffic permit to continue on, another 10-15 minutes. Finally there was another checkpoint for passports before entering Beijing. The drive was actually very relaxing and a good way to get ready for the day ahead.
Our first stop was the New World Shopping Mall where we were to meet for the Bronze medal tickets and for the Gold medal tickets. Then it was on to Wukesong Baseball Park for the game! Beijing traffic was unbelievable so we didn’t get to the game until the 3rd inning.
Words can’t describe walking into that stadium and seeing your country represented on the playing field for the Olympics! I’ve been to thousands of baseball games and at times during the day it seemed just like going to one more game. Then all of the sudden it hits you that you are at the Olympics! There is a spirit in the stands that words can’t describe. The day was beautiful, clear skies and over 90 degrees. At 10:30 in the morning, I was obviously concerned about getting burned. All of my sunscreen is packed away, waiting to be shipped here from the states. In a pinch, I found some lip balm in my purse that was SPF 23 so I kept putting it on my nose while also shading my face from the sun with a piece of paper. I’m proud to say that the only thing that got burned was my arms! We met some exciting people around us (Joe actually met a lady from the US Embassy that was familiar with some of the people he has been meeting in China) and enjoyed the game and the USA victory. The USA took the lead with a two run double by Carrollton Creekview/UT Texas alum Taylor Teagarden, now with the Texas Rangers. I loved watching the enthusiasm of the Japanese fans and for that matter the entire international crowd in general. I told Joe this should have been an experience he had with Paul and Jay. With that said I’m so glad we had this adventure together. We were excited that we would be able to see the USA get their medals later that night.
From the game we went to the Beijing airport to take care of some shipping problems we are having with some of Joe’s office stuff from the states. After that we went to the Silk Market to get Joe a backpack and some covers for his golf clubs.
Time was short but we were able to get our shopping done. While Joe was negotiating on the golf club covers, I stood off to the side and just watched the people. On a normal day the Silk Market is crowded but this was the Olympics so it was chaos. I told Joe that while I waited for him I was able to see more Olympic athletes than you can imagine. They all wear their badges everywhere they go so I found myself standing there reading the badges as they walked by. Athletes from Hungary, Uruguay, Gambia, Bahamas, you name it they were there. I was in awe that I was so close to some of the world’s finest athletes, some of whom I had probably watched on TV over the past two weeks.
From the Silk Market we went back to Wukesong Baseball Park for the Gold medal game between Cuba and Korea. Again we were late getting there due to traffic so the game was already underway. Korea was ahead when we got there and stayed in the lead the whole game. The crowds were crazy for that game. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was cheering for which team. Again we met interesting people around us. In front of us was a girl born in Taiwan but living in NYC. She was a Columbia graduate, working for NBC. With her was a guy from Pittsburgh that was teaching English at a Korean school in Beijing. Next to me was a Chinese guy from San Diego that worked in Beijing in banking. It’s amazing here in China how many Americans you see just here for the experience and adventure.
Well, I guess you know Korea won the game. It was quite an upset. Korea went undefeated in the Olympic series and upset the reigning Olympic champions. Cuba had only two losses in the series and both came from Korea. Cuba did not take the loss with any amount of dignity. The medal ceremony was very exciting. It was very emotional seeing the USA standing up there getting their medals and the class that they showed. The Koreans and their fans were very excited with their gold medals but Cuba was an embarrassment in how they handled themselves in front of the world and their lack of sportsmanship. It’s so moving to see your country represented when you’re at home watching on TV but it’s a whole other matter to actually be there when your flag is being raised. I will never forget how I felt or, for that matter, the experience; one I may never have again.
Joe was lucky enough to experience the Olympics in 1972 when he lived in Munich and was able to see Mark Spitz swim a race on his way to achieving 7 gold medals during those games. Thirty-six years later he was very excited to be living in China and able to go to Beijing for the Olympics that produced the record breaking 8 gold medals for Michael Phelps. Although we weren’t able to personally see any of Phelps’ races, it was an honor to be a small part of that Olympic experience and a record that we may never see broken in our lifetime.
Baseball is now gone from the Olympics for at least the next eight years. It was exciting to be a part of the last game. There’s always hope for the future and it’s return. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see Birds Nest Stadium, the Water Cube or Tiananmen Square all lit up at night but Beijing was truly a beautiful sight for the world to see.
Meanwhile . . . . .
Water – RMB 3
Beer – RMB 8
Ice Cream – RMB 4
Bronze Medal Tickets – RMB 1200 (for 2)
Gold Medal Tickets – RMB 2000 (for 2)
An Olympic experience with someone you love . . .
PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!
Love to all!
P.S. $1.00 = RMB 6.85 – You do the math!
3 comments:
that is such an amazing experience!
Wish we were there with yall!
Thanks for giving us all the details... ya'll live one amazing life!!! The slideshow of pictures is so cute. You did a great job :)
Have I told you how much I love and miss you guys??!!! I am counting the days till we see you :)
I have goosebumps after reading that. Love yall.
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