As many of you know, I am now back from China but for those who are still reading along I will continue the blog through to the end of my trip. We found that it was quite difficult to blog in "real time" while in Bejing. Our schedule was way too tight and there were some connectivity problems. Of course my little medical detour didn't help! LOL!! Anyway ... here we go!
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After the excitement of yesterday, today was a day to relax and catch up on some sleep. Our crazy schedule of being up for over 24 hours and then getting an average of 3 hours sleep each night had probably contributed to my dehydration. After visiting with the International SOS doctors at our hotel, it was determined that if I relaxed during the day I should be able to go to the closing ceremonies that evening. (On a side note: Here is yet another example of what a terrific company J&J is. Not only did they contract with International SOS to provide us complete medical care in China - free of charge; they also set up a clinic in each of the hotels they were using. Ours had 3 doctors on staff - 24/7. Pretty amazing!) I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous returning to the “scene of the crime” but I really didn’t want to miss it! Dr. Joe assured me that he was also attending the ceremonies and would be right there with me, which was comforting.
Even though the ceremonies weren’t scheduled to start until 8pm we had to leave the hotel no later than 3:30 pm in order to allow time for getting through security and be in our seats by 7 pm as mandated by our tickets. The security process went very smoothly, though I did have to convince the guards to let me bring in bottled water since concessions were few and far between. Even with a doctor’s note written in Chinese they wouldn’t let me bring it in unless I drank from each bottle. I guess since I didn’t keel over, they determined that it was safe to let me bring them in.
We noticed an increased security presence with a few tanks and lots of small units of troops marching around. I think they were there more to make a statement. Since they were unarmed and appeared to be about 16 years old I don't know how effective they would have been in a real crisis. I'm glad we didn't have to find out. We did think it was a bit funny that their tanks had rubber tires instead of tracks. Payton started to demonstrate how you would just have to let the air our of their tires to stop them but thought better of it when he realized he was being watched very carefully. I'm sure that they had other traditional tanks but it was funny nonetheless. Other than that, it was business as usual. We were told that security was even tighter for the opening ceremonies as there were over 80 heads of state in attendance.
The gang decided to hike several miles to the sole food concession (a MacDonald's). Because it was still very warm, we decided that it would be best if I found a spot on the lawn near the Bird’s Nest and waited for them. So I settled in for some people watching. It was great fun seeing the fans dressed up in costumes and newscasters setting up for their broadcasts. Everyone was getting into the festivities!
Fortunately it was overcast/hazy (love that Beijing pollution!) with a nice breeze that made the warm air tolerable. However, once we entered the Bird’s Nest we were hit with a wall of stifling warm air. I can't imagine how someone with a breathing disorder could have tolerated it. While the stadium is truly an architectural wonder, it was not designed very well to deal with the heat. There wasn’t a single fan or air vent to be seen anywhere. (Except for the blowers on the flag poles to make the flags "blow in the breeze" during the medal ceremonies.) We spent the entire evening drinking and splashing water and fanning ourselves like old ladies!
We soon discovered that the reason we had to be in our seats by 7 pm was that we were going to be a part of the show and needed a tutorial. At each seat we received a tote bag with electronic torch, noisemaker, flame fan, flags and assorted souvenirs. The Olympic volunteers instructed us when to use each and before we knew it the show began.
I can’t even begin to describe what we saw. The entire playing field and track was transformed into a stage that extended to the top of the stadium with people doing acrobatics on wires while people were dancing, singing, tumbling etc. below. Soon the athletes marched onto the field where they stayed for the remainder of the show. With one musical guest after another it was like watching a three-ring circus!
The transfer of the games to London in 2012 was symbolized by a large double decker bus that unfolded to reveal Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and David Beckham. With a surprise performance of Placideo Domingo later in the evening – it was an incredible evening complete with a super fireworks display.
While the show was fantastic, it was wonderful to get out of the stadium and back out into the cooler air. You could hear everyone breathe a sigh of relief as they felt the breeze! On the way back to our bus we were already talking about going to the games in London! Then we would be old pros at this!
What a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
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