TravelStream™ news feed for member chregg on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/chregg en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:50:23 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chregg/1/1219488120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chregg/1/1219488120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/chregg/1/1219488120/tpod.html Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:50:23 -0400 Blog-jing 2008!

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Beijing, China

There is one thing I don't like about Beijing. (OK, three if you count the bats and the spitting....)

It's crossing the street. It's awful and traumatic! I avoid it at ALL COSTS.

In California, the pedestrian is king. (Odd, since "Nobody Walks in L.A."...) California pedestrians merely have to step a toe in an intersection and cars slam on their brakes to yield.

Not here. Not ever. You are crossing an 8 lane street to begin with, and basically, you NEVER have the right of way. That green walk signal? Doesn't mean a thing here. Even if you have the signal to go...you can't be assured it is all clear. Apparently, there is a signal for cars to turn into you at the exact same time. They just honk and go.

So, what to do? Stick with the locals and go when they go. It's hilarious to see all the wide-eyed Westerners watching the Beijingers to see when they choose to walk and then sticking close behind them. Still scary, but I guess there is safety in numbers.

Thank goodness for little old ladies to help you cross the street!
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Beijing, China

...Hot Pot restaurants.

There is a very interesting Beijing dining experience that everyone should try. It is called "going out for Hot Pot." These are restaurants that are sort of a Chinese version of fondue.

The restaurants are loud and busy. You enter and are seated at a table with a large sunken gas burner in the center. Immediately a server comes out and loudly drops your dinnerware on the table in front of you: a small plate, small glass, small spoon (the Asian ladel kind that you use to eat soup) and chopsticks. All these are wrapped up together in plastic wrap in front of you. "Sanitized for your health." Thank goodness!

Everyone opens their plastic with a loud POP.

Then you are presented with a menu. You pray for an English version or a server who can speak it...otherwise YOYO. (You're on your own.)

A variation on the Chinese menu tradition of "Column A" and Column B", you have two choices:

1) Pick an animal. This can be cow, pig, chicken, ox, octopus, goat, lamb, pigeon...just to name a FEW.

2) Pick the parts you want to eat. It is a "waste not, want not" approach here, so EVERY part is available. And I do mean EVERY PART. Eyes, ears, snout, trachea, gizzard, stomach, cheek, testicles, penis, head, neck, spine...take your pick.

Then a large metal bowl is brought to the table. In it is a devider. One side is not spicy, one side is spicy. Not Texas spicy, not even Mexican spicy. This stuff is hot enough to make the devil cry! It is HOT.

The pot starts to boil, and out comes your selections. You drop in the meat and the veggies you ordered. (I like lotus root the best!) It cooks pretty fast. You dive in with your chopsticks and enjoy! Just have plenty of some ice cold beverage to kill the heat!

So, y'all should try Hot Pot! It's tasty and sociable and very Beijing! :o)
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Beijing, China

...and FINALLY, some events!

Gregg and I both have been handling tickets for two different Olympic sponsors. As part of their sponsorship package, these companies have the opportunity to purchase tickets in prime locations to great events. They then bring in their VIPs, customers, employee incentive winners, and other guests to be treated to several days of Olympic excitement and fun.

It may seem lavish and excessive, and it certainly costs a lot of money, but the sponsors allow the Games to happen in the first place.

Since my arrival in Beijing, my job (along with one other colleague) has been to manage my client's 17,000 event tickets. ACK!! So, before the games, I spent 12 hours a day sorting allllll thossssse tiiiiiicketsssss. It was quite a job. We both had really long days, but Gregg had some truly marathon days.

It's all worth it when we get to send our guests to the events. On my program, the sponsor hosted many contest winners from all over the world. These were not jaded employees or VIPs, but average Janes and Joes that entered a contest in their home country and won.

Some wrote essays, some created recipes, some just entered online...but we had winners from Mexico, Singapore, the Philippines, Norway, Scotland, the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, Israel,...and I am sure some others. These were the most fun guests to hand tickets to, because the were so excited at their luck! They wanted their pictures made holding their tickets, and more than one kissed them! :o)

The other fun thing about our job has been the opportunity to give unused tickets to local folks who have helped us out on our program. We have given them to hotel staff, security guards, drivers, translators...many of whom would never be able to afford them and likely will never again have the opportunity to see an Olympic event. The gratitude on their faces...the breathlessness, the hugs, the tears and even an Orange Fanta so sincerely given to me as a thank you...really made me feel lucky to be able to give them that experience. And keep in mind, these were prime tickets, so they had amazing seats. They sure deserve it.

So, have we seen anything? After the first frenzied days, things finally settled down, and we have gotten to a few things when we are not working. We've both seen Phelps in the pool, partied at Beach Volleyball, seen Athletics in the Bird's Nest... not too shabby! Gregg got to see the women of the USA Football/Soccer team clench the gold tonight in an over time game! Nice going ladies!!

We may get to check out a few more events, but feel lucky to have seen what we have seen. Even luckier to have been able to make the days of so many nice Beijingers!
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Beijing, China

...subways.

Growing up in Houston, my only exposure to mass transit was when the whole family would pile into Daddy's Caddy. So, you can imagine that I might be more than a little bit intimidated by a Chinese subway.

At first, I was only about walking it or cabbing it. But, after a few rides on the subway, it is definitely my preferred mode of getting around town. It's clean, it's fast, it's cool and comfortable, and easy to navigate. There's even a soothing female British voice that "holds your hand" to make sure you can get around:

"We are arriving at Huixinxijie Nankou station. Please get ready for your arrival." She speaks perfect Chinglish!

(And yes, that is a real station....and yes, I did pick the hardest one!)

The best part of the subway ride is being among the people of Beijing as they go about their lives. It's also fun to see the Olympic fans board excitedly for their events, dressed in their national colors, and with their various country flags draped around them or painted on their faces.

The subway is safe, speedy, and social. Are you listening Los Angeles???????
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Beijing, China

Remember William Hung? We all fell in love with him when he bombed his American Idol audition slaughering Ricky Martin's "She Bangs".

When Simon Cowell raked him over the coals, he bowed and said, "I only want to try my best." Awwwwww!

Well, apparently, that is some kind of Maoist philosophy. Every time I ask one of our local staff for help with a project, they answer "I will do my very best." Awwwww!

They bang! :o)
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Beijing, China

In the past decade or so, we have all become aware of the damaging effects of the sun. Honkies like me slather and spray on the SPF 99 if we are even going to think about a sunny day. In China, they have known about sun damage for centuries. We have all seen the classic paintings or pictures of a Chinese woman and her parasol.

They still use umbrellas to shade themselves when walking down the street. Some of the umbrellas they use are quite beautiful, and are clearly not meant for a rainy day, lest all the sequins and glitter come off.

The women here also have several methods of protecting themselves from the sun. They wear visor shaped masks that wrap around their faces to shield it completely. And to protect their arms, they use billowy linen sleeves that they pull up to their shoulders when they are riding their bikes. It's either that or long opera length gloves. They dark masks and fancy riding gloves make them look like debutante robots from outer space.

Guess it is a small price to pay...a short, freaky-looking bike ride for a lifetime of nice skin.
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Beijing, China

Tonight we ordered pizza for our local staff. Some of them had NEVER eaten it before! It was cute watching them experience it for the first time, and they seemed to enjoy it. After all, who doesn't love pizza??!!

We got to talking about food in general, and the "Chinese food" we eat in the U.S. They laughed when I told them about orange flavored chicken, and had never heard of a fortune cookie! I guess we, in the U.S., invent "authentic ethnic" foods all the time. After all, I have introduced many a Mexican to chili con queso!

I also told them about the New England tradition of having Chinese food on New Year's Eve. (That's just as funny to the Chinese as it is the Texans.)

I was watching them eat with their knives and forks, and asked them if they prefer to use silverware or chopsticks. Although we might find it hard to believe, I guess we should not be surprised that they said chopsticks Gregg and I have gone from fumbly to workable with them, but I still don't get how a culture that features rice as a staple came up with THAT as the method for feeding themselves.

One of our hosts, Jo Jo, said "Chris, I find chopsticks to be quite covenient. And I don't like the knife. You can get hurt."

You may starve using chopsticks, but I guess you'll never cut yourself...
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Beijing, China

You have probably heard the stories that inevitably come out of the Olympic Games regarding pin trading. You probably think, like I used to, "Oh, that's cute for kids."

And then, you go to the Olympics, and, (cue giant sucking sound...) YOU GET SUCKED IN.

You start with one. One is plenty. I mean, what are you gonna do with it afterward, anyway? You think it will be one of those things that ends up in a drawer with paper clips and rubber bands and old pieces of gum.

But no. You put one on and wear it around to feel "in the spirit of the Games". Then, you go to a venue and decide to get that event pin. Then, someone walks up to you, wearing pins all over his vest, backpack, lanyard or hat, and offers to trade one of his pins for your's and (sucking sound again...) IT'S ALL OVER.
From then on, YOU.....MUST....HAVE....PINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Olympic pin trading is a fun tradition that has long been part of the Games. It started at the first modern revival of the Olympics in 1896 in Athens. The various national athletic delegations were identified by different colored badges with ribbons. The athletes began to swap their badges with each other as a sign of sportsmanship and friendship. A tradition was born that continues to this day.
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Beijing, China

In the seven years leading up to the Games, Beijing has done many things to get ready to host the world. You have probably seen the news reports about the ettiquette campaign (no pushing in line...seems to have worked, no spitting...they need a little more practice on that one) and English classes. It is very impressive how far the city and the country has gone to make a good impression.

We have seen the posters in Tian'anmen Square advising the local people on how to converse with foreign guests. Beijingers were reminded not to ask about age, weight, or how much money a person makes...all topics not culturally sensitive here. If they are at a loss as to what to say, they were encouraged to say "Welcome to Beijing!" or "You are great!!" :o)

They seem to have taken this to heart, because I have been told "You are really great!", "You are gentle!", "You are so kind!", and even "I love you!"...and those are from people ringing up my transactions on cash registers! Dang! I wish people back home would build you up that much! Feels kinda good!

The other night, Gregg was in a taxi ride with a very friendly driver, who, every so often would blurt out "Welcome to Beijing!!!" and laugh. Gregg gave him a pin with the China and US flags together, and he was EXTREMELY proud of it.

We had been told by some other Chinese people that Beijingers were pushy and rude, just like people in other large cities around the world. So far, this is so not true!

The city has also made every effort to accommodate it's guests who do not speak Chinese. As you might guess, there are some translations that aren't exactly grammatically correct. When you get in a taxi cab, the driver pushes a button that triggers a recording that says "Welcome to take Beijing taxi!' Not completely correct, but hey, I'm glad they did it because they didn't have to.

In restaurants there are pictures of food to point to, and even English explanations of the dishes in some cases. We have seen some pretty funny descriptions of the dishes. These pictures that are circulating the web will give you some idea of what I am talking about.

Last night, on our hotel buffet, there was a dish called "Figs wrapped in Prostitutes". (It was meant to be "Prosciutto"...the hotel manager was horrified when he found out why we were laughing.) Awesome! :o) And prostitutes are so fresh this time of year...
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Beijing, China

Just like in Torino, one of my favorite parts of the experience so far has been working with the local staff. They are so earnest and friendly, hard working, and seem to be enjoying their jobs so much, despite the long hours and lack of sleep.

For the most part, they are University students, many of them studying English in order to be translators or teachers. Thank goodness they are here! They have been INDISPENSABLE to have around, speaking Chinese to help get things done with the hotel and writing directions in Chinese for taxi rides. Beyond that, they are simply a pleasure to work with, and I am already dreading telling them goodbye at the end of the month! :o(

When Chinese kids are growing up, they, at some point, all choose their "English name". They do this for business reasons, and also just for fun when they are taking English classes. It is interesting to see what they choose, and to wonder why they chose it. In some cases, it is a direct translation from their Chinese name, and in others, it is just because they like it, or admire others with that name.

So far, we have met...

Weather conditions: Sunny, Rain, and Clear

Presidents: Lincoln, Johnson and Nixon (all used as first names)

A girl named Jerry, and a boy named Allison

Half the cast of "Friends": Rachel, Joey, Phoebe and Chandler

A famous Chinese lover perhaps?: Dong Juan

Another man likely to be popular with the ladies: Ben Huang Lo

Spark

JoJo...who really could be a clown, she is so entertaining!

And perhaps the most unusual of all: Jellyfish!

:o) Love their names, and love them all!
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