Saturday PM

Saturday PM

So - Joe got all our copies made and we were off to Olympic Park. The concierge very nicely got us a cab and directed him where to take us. The ride was about 30 minutes, and it was fun just to see the streets of Beijing as we drove. I was struck by all the color in the buildings, as well as the number of tea houses we passed. It’s also fun to watch all the people on bikes - especially with little kids hanging on the back.

Traffic in Beijing is also quite the experience - busses, cars, bicycles, and people all within inches of each other. I think I would call it “offensive driving.” You want to turn? Just start turning and assume the other vehicles involved somehow won’t hit you. You want to change lanes? Just aim at the car next to you and somehow you’ll squeeze yourself in. If we had had to drive ourselves anywhere, I don’t think we would have made it out of the parking lot.

The Olympic Green just opened free to the public on Friday. There were a lot of Chinese there checking things out, just as excited about being there as we were. We had heard that you could get tickets for the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube for 30RMB each (a little over $4). When we got there, it seemed like there was something going on in the Bird’s Nest and we couldn’t find anywhere that you could enter, so we just got pictures of that from the outside. We walked over to the Water Cube and saw that they were letting people in, but could not find a ticket booth anywhere. Of course, there were all kinds of people with tickets up their sleeves or in their pockets very happy to sell some to you. We tried in vain to find the official ticket sellers somewhere, but finally gave in and bought from a guy on the street. He started out a 100RMB each and we managed to get him down to 60RMB. I was very afraid they were fake and we wouldn’t be able to get in, but thankfully I was wrong.

It was SO cool inside! The pool area is currently set up for the Water Cube Music Spectacular (I think that’s what it’s called). The diving well area has orchestra seating set up on top of it, and the pool area is outfitted with lights and fountains, which I assume they use to go along with whatever the orchestra is playing. With Joe being a former swimmer, it was very meaningful for him to be able to see the pool. It’s a good thing they wouldn’t let you swim in it, because I think he would have paid hundreds of dollars to be able to (and then I‘d have less money to go shopping with!). The funniest part of the day was when a Chinese woman approached us waving her camera. We thought she wanted us to take a picture of her family for her, but it turned out she wanted to take our picture with her kids.

One of my high points today was buying a Coke and some chips in Olympic Park for about $1.50 total. I was very proud of myself after the $10 Snapple yesterday.

We managed to get ourselves a cab back. The first cab we stopped just shook his head no at us after we showed him the hotel card showing where we were staying. I had a brief moment of panic that they were all going to say no, but the second guy gladly took us. We ate supper at the hotel and are now just trying to stay awake until 7 or 8 to try to keep on a normal routine. However, I hear Joe snoring over on the bed…….sounds like he has lost that battle.


Here are some pictures -

Me by the Bird's Nest

Even the lights look like nests
Joe outside the water cube
The pool, currently decked out with fountains and lights
The diving well.....currently with an orchestra set up on top
Joe having his picture taken with some Chinese kids
Joe drinking "water cube"water in front of the ad for it inside the Water Cube itself
Joe and Michael Phelps
Outside the Water Cube looking toward the Bird's Nest
The National Indoor Stadium - I think gymnastics were in here

Me in Olympic Park trying to be a torch girl
Check out the blueberry potato chips - we chose to go with the "American style" ones in the middle
Me by the Olympic tower