What can I tell you? I went for a walk around my apartment in the west end of the city, near Bajiao Amusement Park subway station. Its about 15 minutes by taxi or 45 minutes by transit from the Olympic Shooting Cluster. It is a series of gated apartment blocks which are mostly middle class. In Lien's complex, there are 4 or 5 buildings, which are nice.
I got up late again (becoming a wonderful habit) and headed out for a walk around 7:30. Lien was coming back from the market with some breakfast treats (steamed pork buns and deep-fried bread - very very yummy); but, I wanted to go exploring. Besides, I'd only be that much more appreciative of the food if I was hungry from the walk. I grabbed my little camera and off I went.
I ended up wandering through Half Moon Park again. This time, I took time to see what people were doing. There were two groups doing Ti Chi sword (one group with straight swords and the other using a curved scimitar), using different styles, with/without music, group participation/instruction. Then there were the ladies using some sort of gyroscopic top which was being twirled on a string between two handheld sticks. (Poor description, but the beer is free and the activity is hard to describe.) Finally, in this park, there were runners, walkers, slappers (yes, they walk and slap their hands, arms, legs, backs as a form of exercise or self-massage). The majority of all these people were seniors who stayed mobile and active. My grandfather used to say "When you sit down, you die." He was very active in his later years and would have fit right in here. well, other than the fact that he was a foreigner and didn't speak any Mandarin.
From there I cut back to the main street, past the market with the tasty food, and north towards the hotel (Mercure Wanshang) we stayed at in April for the "Good Luck Beijing" World Cup. Near the hotel, there is a large flat park (the Half Moon Park is heavily landscaped with hills, paths and shrubbery!) with heavy winds whipping through it. Of course, these winds make it perfect for kites.
There were about 8-10 kite flyers in the park. All of them seem to by flying home-made kites that are hand-welded frames, covered with hand-painted plastic or cloth, such that they look like birds of prey. Falcons, not Klingon war ships, but that would be cool too. The kites go so high that the flyer spools out 100+ feet of cable from a handheld wheel. While initially I was impressed with the flyers' talents, I soon noticed that the park is surrounded by power cables. Hmmm, wire cable... power lines... Draw your own conclusions.
I headed out of the park and up the street to the Wanshang. There are some gardens and such that really catch your eye, especially when you're thinking of taking pictures. That was when I got tagged by a car. In all fairness, he/she only hit my hand, leaving a gritty smudge and some stinging fingertips. It was only a glancing blow, so I didn't take it (for any SCA fighters reading this.) I decided at that point to:
- unplug my iPod
- look both ways before crossing the street
- continue looking both ways while crossing the street
- look both ways well after crossing the street because these drivers are frickin' crazy
But I digress. Street signs are more of a suggestion that a rule in Beijing. Everyone near the road must be aware.
I kept walking (cautiously) around the block and decided to check out the local table tennis (pingpong) club. It wasn't even 9 am and people were there playing. I wandered in and pulled out my camera. I saw this little guy trying to return a serve from a coach. When I asked if I could take a picture, the head coach (???) said sure and gently pulled aside the novice kid and sent in his star pupil, about 10 years old. HOLY CRAP: Could that kid return the serves!!!! It was like a machine. The assistant coach would tap a ball across the net, while picking up another ball to send over, repeating the sequence quickly. as fast as he could deliver the kid would swing and hit, swing and hit, swing and hit, about every 2-3 seconds. This kid could do it all day and probably do his math homework simultaneously. Amazing. (I have video which I'll upload if the internet connection gets working at home.)
Finally, I made it home, to eat the tasty treats that Lien provided, much to my satisfaction. She really takes care of me here.
From the apartment, I decided to hit COH to pick p my Family and Friends CARE package: a backpack, hat and t-shirt, all free for athlete family/friends. This was my first solo excursion on the subway, so far afield. And COH is hard to find for the unitiated. As it turns out, it isn't too hard, but it is a long trip. Beijing, population 13 million, is big. It took 1:45 from the apartment to COH, predominately on the subway. Luckily, the trains I rode were both air conditioned. There are still some older ones in operation which only have forced air to cool the inhabitants.
While I was only going to stay for a bit, Avie has informed me that there is a Shooting Team dinner at the Canadian Performance Centre, beside COH at 7 pm. I've been hanging around for a few hours here, waiting for Avie to pick me up.
I better go. She'll be here in an hour and I need to finish this beer. Its Bud, but its free. (Actually, I only had two over 3 hours, so parents need not worry.)
Chat soon.
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