Olympics continued

Last day of kayaking today after yesterdays semis and finals were postponed due to the torrential rain and thunderstorms. No free day today for shopping and sightseeing and fly to NZ tomorrow.
Had final official banquet at the blush Reward Hotel in Shunyi compliments of the Shunyi Olympic Park Committee. Lovely night after we got through security particularly hard as I was no one of the elite having an Accreditation Card. After much haggling to the right people finally got through to enjoy the night.

Official Dinner at Beijing Canoe Club

A lovely night at the clubhouse located on the Western Lake in the middle of Beijing. Friendly hosts, great scenery, fabulous food and a great performance by local acrobats.

Olympic Course

Fantastic Venue

Kay Judging

Security arriving at the Official Reception. This happens everywhere we go anywhere. Going, arriving, leaving, arriving, staying and returning!!!

Les' Birthday!!

Best birthday present ever tickets and flowers!!!!

Ready for the Olympics the last official dinner until 15th

Tonight the President of the Chinese Canoe Association invited the ITO's to welcoming banquet at the Jinzhaofy Restaurant where for the second time this week we had the opportunity to taste Peking Duck. What a treat. There are 22 ITO's from around the world from a group of 55 qualified judges for the Olympics. It is a privilege and honour to be selected to judge at the Olympics.









Les has tickets to the kayaking thanks to the CCA and Wan Hongjiun. the nZ rowers are at the judges hotel they did so well today. Congrats everyone.

Opening Ceremony

Wow!!! is all I can say. What an atmosphere- lights, motion, choreography, sounds a feast for the senses, 90, 000 people ready for a great evening. Security checks, vehicle bomb checks everywhere two hours to get from the hotel to the birds nest but worth ever minute. A proud moment watching the Kiwis come in. Go the kiwis

Beijing and the Olympics

banquet Chinese style

The GB team rowers set up at the hotel


On our last night in Yangshuo we managed to have dinner with a couple of locals Les had befriended playing chess and headed out to their restaurant for dinner. Food was delicious and they invited us early the next morning before our flight to have a cooking lesson with their chef. Who could turn down that offer. Bright and early we headed back to the restaurant with slightly sore heads after the rice wine toasting of the night before and were taken straight out back to the kitchen. We mastered another four dishes and shared our cooking with the staff and new friends before catching the taxi to Beijing. All well, once again my pass gave us the VIP treatment. We thought we had a direct flight but low and behold 1.5 hours into the flight we landed at an airport in the middle nowhere with overtones of drug running and machine guns. All legit and after 30 mins took off to Beijing where security was so tight. Caught the subway to our old hotel returned to the airport and a driver took us out to our hotel arriving at midnight to find I was allowed in after being checked but Les didn't have the any accreditation so he was out of luck. An hour later in 35 degree heat he was cleared and could walk to the hotel entrance and book in. A long night, went to sleep and now in Olympic mode.

Yangshuo

What a civilized place to be in after the other areas we have travelled through. A relief to have western toilets, hot water oh the luxury and to be able to hand over our washing for $1.50 p kg and have it returned clean and folded. Loving the town, restaurants, bars and shopping it seems such a treat to be here. We have had to move hotels -no bother at all -all complete with Internet, air con and HOT WATER. Yesterday we hired bikes and headed out to explore the local area, in true Les style we just kept on going and going it wasn't until 9 hours of cycling had passed did we return via a bamboo raft to the town tired but full of such a fun day. We had pedalled between paddy fields on tiny 30 cm wide walkways through forest areas, around the Karsts formations originally underground amazing scenery found a great restaurant in the middle of nowhere, stopped for a beer and coffee at a flash hotel on the banks of the river and spent two hours on a raft with our bikes at the back being pushed down the river before pedalling like crazy to get back to town before dark really took over. We climbed up to moon hill a spectacular formation like a half moon where the view is through this hole in the rock and out to the karsts and over the valleys and villages. When we arrived it was extremely hot and two local women took us on as their challenge to get some yuan out of us and followed us up the 880 steps fanning us and carrying cold drinks for us to buy at the top- how could we resist we were easy targets and parted with our yuan the fanning on the way us was worth every yuan. After showers and a late dinner headed home about mid night from West Street the bar , market and madhouse area of this popular tourist destination.
Today we aere kicked out of our hotel as it was fully booked found a new room across the road just as good and moved in. Heard there were Chinese cooking lessons on so tagged along with a group and spent 5 hours water is used int he cooking. We made 5 different recipes and we can't wait to have gas at home so we can try our new found culinary skills out. Les is very enthusastic!! Spent the rest of the day walking ad doing a little shopping befor eating again at a new restaurant and new food. Les is playing Chinese chess with the locals while I do this. Loving Yangshuo here for a another couple of days before we head to Beijing.

Longji Rice Terraces

Before heading to Yangshuo we spent a night high in the paddy fields at Longji along with numerous Chinese nationals and a good few foreigners. The track up the hillside was relatively easy just the heat the killer. The locals carted up to 100 kgs on their backs including a number of lazy people in traditional seats who couldn't make it up the hill. We are travelling light with about 5 kgs each so no bother for us. Everything is carted by hand up to the villages beer, cement, bricks you name it it is lugged on backs, in the heat I felt my 5kg and I only went up once not like the locals up and down with tourists heavy bags and supplies for the village. Our beer seemed very cheap at $1.50 NZ and made us appreciate every sip. The views were spectacular over the terraced paddy fields stretching as far as the eye could see. We were in the heat of summer but come winter the snow falls and the vista would be quite different I don't' think I would like to be there in winter as the houses only have a concrete pad in them on the second floor for a wood fire for heating and insulation hasn't been heard of in this village. The women don't cut their hair and they grow it up to 2m long we paid for a long hair photo with them, it was so ,long, shiny and combed their pride and joy. We were told they wash it in a mixture of fermented rice and tea tree oil. Once again a few hours after we arrived a storm had gone through and the power was marginal and no hot water or air con again. In fact I think he air con is fallacy!! Food wasn't an issue as most cooked over wood fires except for the larger hotels but don't get fooled by our western ideas of hotels they were all very local. We had planned on two nights there but after doing the walks between villages the weather closed in and with no facilities, plenty of mosquitoes we decided to move on before I was a red mess of itchy bites even good ole NZ bushman wasn't up to the task at times.

In Ma'an

After a couple of days in Beijing we caught a flight south to Quilian in southern China. At the airport we were put into the VIP lounge due to my accreditation -being a judge at the Olympics has its advantages. We were also taken VIP off the plane at Quilian which we didn't see as headed straight out to Ma'an where the wind and rain bridges span across the river originally built to protect the locals from the elements now a tourist attraction but no tourists there just us really. Spent two days wandering around the villages five in total and all within an easy walk of each other living standards ranging from extreme poverty to almost relative OK living conditions. We stayed in a small family guest house above the river serving the best chicken and peanut dish I have ever eaten with no air con or hot water working which wasn't as issue as it was over 35 degrees so cold showers were just perfect. The family was lovely and we thoroughly enjoyed our days relaxing and exploring the countryside. We were very taken with the fact their houses are all wooden but only built to last 5-7 years as the wood isn't treated and just rots. There is some cement now used for the foundations which will help. When new house is needed the whole village helps build it so it may take 18-24 months and during this time the family just live in the leaky, open to the weather houses. Cooking is over wood fires and every one works so hard starting early in te morning and not finishing until dusk merges into darkness at night. Then its happy water time. The little villages are very traditional with women in the home and working in the family fields, only men are allowed to smoke and some of them seem to have more time to pass the time of day where as the women seem busy all day working. A women working on the road can retire at 45 as it is deemed hard labour but no one in China gets a Government allowance until 80 so they must find some other form of valuable work to do in their communities.
Heading off to the hillside paddy field next. Driving crazy!

Beijing Les and kay

Showing off my skills on the Beijing underground I headed off to the airport and without any hitches meet Kay after her flight from Europe. With true style I cruised the underground back to the hotel in the centre of Beijing without any mishaps and we caught up and then went out exploring and eating a great meal at the Chinese local eatery. Kay was a bit jet lagged after the 14 hours of flying and needed some TLC including an 80 min foot and back massage for both of us around the corner which effectively put both of us into seventh heaven!! Eight heaven came this morning for us when we headed to the Silk Markets for the endless bartering for the best price after 8 hours with new baggage and too many bags we headed out to the subway and home to the hotel. It was a bit of a mission carrying the numerous goodies including a telescope!!! on the crowded underground also requiring us to change trains midway. Heading out for dinner and a bing pi jue ( beer cold ) now to the lakes restaurant area Chow

Tomorrow head to the airport to fly south to Guillen for seven days of exploring and seeing the real China.

Now in Beijing

The weather unfortunately was not to kind on us for the climb up the famous Mt Hua Shun although we still managed to get to the summit of the west ridge. The rain was continuous but there were a few clear patches to see the absolute awn of the scenery sear cliff faces dropping up to 1000 ft. The track was made several 100 years ago and is all stone. Had to climb chain ladders and narrow passes with major drop offs but we survived. Spent the night on the mountain in a homestay and returned to Xian in the afternoon then boarded the overnight train for Beijing at 8.30pm. Train trip was 14 hours and very comfortable.
Arrived Beijing about 9 the next morning , organised the hotel and then did a bike orientation trip around the city through thr Hutong village area passed the Forebidden City and the other sights.
Day before yesterday headed out to the Great wall to part not open to the public and treked the wall for 7 hours before getting to the homestay and a much needed beer. This morning had another 3-4 hour trek before being kicked off the wall as we were not allowed to be there and then returned to Beijing passed the Birdnest where the Olympic opening ceremony will be hold. Back in our hotel and have our final group dinner before everyone goes there seperate ways. One couple are heading to England to start new jobs, via St Peterberg. Another to Hongkong before heading back home to the UK after 4.5 months of touring the world.
I have 3 days before Kay arrives from Europe and then have planned an 8 day trip back to southern China so she can experience the real China.
The Olympics start on the 8th and the city security is increasing. Had our bags put through the x ray in the underground the other day and our passports checked and recorded. Large highays are closed and all the cars have odd number plates on the odd days and even on the even days. Very exciting.
Hope everyone well and enjoying life.

Spit Czech style feeds two hundred plus seconds

9am two guys set up the spit under the trees tradionally cooked over a wood fire and 7pm sampling began with beautiful rye bread, hunks of basted beef and the obligatory three choices of mustard and soukrate. The smell and taste was divine.
Sergey (KAZ) and I show the size of the beast

Roudnice nad Labem

It's the day before racing begins and everything is starting to hot up except for the weather again cold and wet but Friday is supposedly going to be great for racing warm and sunny!!! I am hanging out for it. I think James must have got the best of the European summer lucky bugger. Last night had a lovely evening socialising with the judges and sippping a vino or two on the banks of the river. The Czechs put on a great show and feed for everyone in typical CZ style. Tonight they have planned beef on the spit and live music to dance to so I will have to show off my moves maybe I will leave the camera back on the boathouse. NZL team is looking smart and ready to race. I have caught up with Mike a few times and shared a breakfast and dinner with him which has been so lovely. Loving my boat house as I was lulled to sleep by the gentle lapping of water on the banks and boat last night.
I could get used to this
Only 35 countries this year at the Junior Champs which is about 20 less than normal perhaps because of the Olympics?