Blog 2
Time is really flying by in what has been a really busy schedule.
Day 1 of events was artistic gymnastics followed by Ladies fencing. Although the fencing was good, one semi was USA v USA and the final was USA v USA which wasn't so interesting for the neutrals.
After a late finish it was an early start for beach volleyball, which was something I was really looking forward to. I was impressed by the open air stadium used for this, until it poured with rain!
After this it was a trip to the Great Wall of China and then the sporting highlight of the trip, the men’s Basketball match USA versus China. This was the hottest ticket in town and after watching Croatia beat Australia you could sense the excitement as the Chinese team approached. At this point many fans rushed to the front with their cameras and Security struggled to keep control as did the volunteers who were also busy taking photos.
It may be hard to describe how important the Basketball team is to the Chinese, but it was like Beatlemania as their superstar player Yao Ming arrived. Move over David Beckham and Tiger Woods, Yao Ming is the real star in town. There were also a few VIPs at this game including George W Bush and his father cheering on the US team. The game was off to a great start with Yao Ming scoring the first points and the crowd went wild. Unfortunately it didn't last as USA went on to dominate the game but it was a fantastic evening. Our next event is swimming so we are hoping to see a few Brits in action.
It has been interesting meeting Chinese people at events and several have asked to have their photos taken with us. It feels quite odd as you walk along the street and are approached to pose for a photo. Perhaps they are hoping that we turn out to be someone famous. The locals are also very keen to try out their English. Many will just try small phrases like "Hello, how are you today?" and they are really pleased if they can have a small conversation. They are equally keen to swap pin badges for our special London 2012 badges which are highly sought after!
Beijing is much more westernised than I had imagined, this may be exaggerated by the worldwide sponsors being evident in many places, but I was surprised to see how many western fast food places there were in Beijing.
I have managed to do a bit of shopping along the way and I have found quite a difference between Asian t-shirt sizes and those in the UK. I have tried XL and XXL and realised that my size over here is XXXL, I am hoping this is just down to the size difference and not that I have eaten too many noodles. One word of warning in that what might seem a bargain by UK prices may not quite seem a bargain locally. I managed to haggle a deal for two t-shirts for the price of one, but when I told my tour guide the price I had paid she laughed. It seems that locally I have paid his expenses for a month!
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