Welcome to the Bird's Nest and Other Venues!

The architectural marvel dubbed "The Bird's Nest" is an awesome sight up close. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Finals of the "Good Luck Beijing" China Athletics Open.

Chefs Johnny and Ozzy were my two partners for the event. Ozzy spent 4 hours waiting in the blistering sun to get us tickets. The Chinese nationals in line felt bad for him, so they gave him a newspaper to sit on and use as a shade on top of his head! It was around 90 degrees during the day with extremely high humidity. Tickets were only 70 Yuan, which is $10 US. Here I am with a member of the People's Army. In the background you can just make out the name of the stadium and see the Olympic Rings.

With portable seating, the stadium will seat 91,000!

When you inspect this picture you will see a javelin on top of a remote controlled car!! This would be a great job for Chaz and I!! Two guys sat on chairs at the end of the field to control two cars. They would pass each other coming and going. When the car reached the pick up spot it backed up into position where the javelin was then loaded up on its roof rack!

Take a look at these beautiful lights. They populate the grounds around the stadium.

Before the event I took some pictures of over venues. This one is the National Indoor Stadium where the gymnastics will be held. In the background is the International Broadcasting Center where I have been working for the last week. My building, the Media Press Center is located to the left of the IBC (can't see it here!)

Here is the swimming Cube in the day and at night!

This building is designed as a dragon head on the top, although our first thought is that it is patterned after the Olympic Flame. This is just to the west of all the venues.

Ex-Pats Go Touring!

We made it to The Great Wall of China!! Here we are before we hike up to the top tower. Erin, Geoff, John, Bruce, and I are prepared to battle the umbrella's and slick stones.

Check out all those umbrellas headed up to The Wall!! They were just at the right height to hit us in the eyes, and they were being used with little care for others. We hit a major roadjam on our way to The Wall!

We arrived at the Ming Tombs!

I don't think I would like to fool with this guy!

Does anyone need a 5 foot tall jade warrior for $49,000??? Lots of jade "dust collectors" to buy for lots of loot!! The Buddha has a strange resemblance to Bruce in our group!!

I'm not sure what this is, but if I were a kid I would probably be very scared!

First 24 hours in Beijing

I am at the gate in Chicago ready to spend the next 13.5 hours cramped in the Economy section.

Here is my plane parked at the world's largest airport!! It was great to breathe new air and get out of my cramped area. My flight was flawless, although the Business Class had it better with the lay flat seats and choice of meal. I sat next to a college debater from the University of Missouri that was coming over here for 2 weeks to help judge a big competition.

I am staying at the Somerset Hotel, located in the Haidian District, NW of the center of the city. My place is on the oppisite side of the first building, caddy corner to the front corner. I will have 2 roomates, but they have not arrived yet. I am situated in the master bedroom, so I have a huge closet and my own bathroom.

This is my living room. It looks just like the link on the webpage, but without the extra dust collectors (flowers, vases, extra decorations).

After a hearty night of sleep, I woke up to get some drinkable water at the 7-11 next door to the hotel. I was pleased to find two of my favorite foods, meat buns and milk tea!! I enjoyed my breakfast on sitting along the street.

A few things I have noticed so far: There are no rules for pedestrians, everyone just walks across intersections when the light is green. There are more bikes being used than any other place I have been to. People look at me funny. Very seldom are people smiling. Everyone is not as short as I thought they were going to be.

I moved from Bullfrog on May 5th

The only thing missing from my truck is my Old Man's Chair to make it Beverly Hillbilly eligible. I am was headed out from Bullfrog, Utah to Cleveland, Ohio!

It was a culmination of a challenging year, but the year gave me more experience that will hopefully pay off at the Olympics. I made some friends and experienced an awesome natural place to live.

As I drive out, I wonder what new things will I get to experience. Will I avoid the bad weather over the next three and a half days before I make it back to Cleveland? Will the Olympics be everything I think it will be? Lots of thoughts running through my head! In 10 days I will be in Beijing, so lots of things to get done before then!