Goodbye 2008; Welcome 2009
Trip Start
Jul 20, 2004
1
140
156
Trip End
Jul 20, 2012
Beijing,
China
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Before heading back to work, I took some time off after the Olympics and went to see some Paralympics games. In addition, I spent lots of time venturing in and around Beijing visiting places on my "list to do" such as parks and temples and the Ming Tombs in Changping. There are plenty of lovely parks in BJ such as Rendinghu, Yuetan, Zizhuyuan, Liuyin, and Ditan to name a few. Another option is to get templed out as Beijing has an amazing array of temples. Often, to the unenlightened, a temple is a temple is a temple - seen one, you have seen them all. But many of the temples in Beijing are distinctive to the eye and embody a particular school of religion, from folk customs and Taoism to Islam and Buddhism.
Another place I always wanted to visit was Shanhaiguan, where the Great Wall meets the ocean. I spent 3 days there, wandering around the old city, which has been completely renovated and is waiting to accommodate shop owners. It reminded me a bit of the newly renovated Dashilan district in Beijing - overpriced rental space and with an appearance that could be mistaken for a Hollywood set.
In October, I committed to my 3rd Racing the Planet event this year, this time as a volunteer again. It was the Sahara 2008 race in Egypt and, boy, did I have a blast. The scenery was magnificent; I could have just spent a month in the White Desert traversing it from north to south and east to west. The temperatures were perfect. Our volunteer team was a great bunch of people and the Egyptian drivers spoiled us with freshly brewed sweet tea and coffee. Life was good and new friends were made. On the way back to Beijing, I stopped in Doha for one night where I stayed with a CS host.
And now, time has come to say goodbye to 2008 and welcome, with fanfares, the New Year. I hope it will be a more peaceful year and, I do wish Obama the best for his upcoming presidency. Congratulations to the American people who voted for change. Good luck to all of the challenges ahead we jointly face. See you in 2009, somewhere.......
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