Last morning in Beijing and just completed Cardio Power & Resistance. This getting up at 6:00am and going to bed at 10:00pm thing is so not me, but I continue to do it to get these workouts in. After more than 3 weeks, there's nothing that would prevent me from finishing this program. But I will admit I didn't look forward to my workout. Whether it's the time change, air pollution, or my hot hotel room, the workouts seem much harder here than they did at home. I've had to take a few more breaks. I also had a bit of a sore back last night so when the time came for globe jumps today, I jogged in place. I don't have my heat pad or time to get on the floor and stretch my back like a cat in the middle of a customer meeting. So best not hurt myself 8000 miles from home.
Yesterday we had a couple of excellent, if not a little strange, traditional Chinese meals. First was "hot pot", which you can get in the U.S. It's like fondue, except they use boiling spiced broths that they put different meats, veggies, noodles and even fruit into. You then pull it out of there with a spoon or chopsticks and dunk it in a sauce that you make at a sauce buffet bar. Then you shake it off and eat it. I ate something I thought was a green bean. It wasn't. It was the hottest freakin' pepper I've ever had. My arms were sweating. My head was soaked. And the locals loved it. Yeah they got me. I should've known it was coming. I also should've known that they don't really have any vegetables here that are the same as the U.S., even if they look the same. About the only things they have that look the same are onions and tomatoes. Everything else is different. Example: The best looking bean sprouts I've ever seen were actually long, skinny white mushrooms. Still, they were good.
Dinner was excellent as well. Lots of different beef, chicken and vegetable dishes. Everything is served family style here. You can't really order an entree like you can in the U.S. The only strange thing at dinner was the duck neck. Imagine a duck neck, plucked of feathers, cut into 1" pieces, then boiled in some type of really spicy broth. They serve it on a plate. Just a pile of sliced duck necks. I had one (see picture below). It was tough and spicy. You hold it with chopsticks and eat around the center, avoiding the esophagus as if it were the core of an apple. You might say "that's gross", but if I told these guys what American hot dogs were made of, I think I'd win the gross contest. Nothing but lips and....well, you know.
Finally, we got to see the Olympic facilities. The "Birds Nest" is incredible. It's HUGE. Much bigger than I imagine. Much larger than any NFL stadium I've seen. Unfortunately, they don't know what to do with it. It's still lit up, but they don't really use it for anything. The only professional sports here are basketball and soccer, and those teams already have their own arenas/stadiums.
We also drove past Tienanmen Square. The pollution is still bad so it looked foggy. It's closed at night with guards protecting it. The locals were nervous even being near it. Apparently protests still occasionally happen, if the police come to arrest protesters (protesting is forbidden here), and you're caught there, you will get arrested. So the locals avoid it completely. Of course, Americans want to see it, since we view it as a symbol of freedom. I must remember I'm in a Communist country. Strange...
Posting this blog is a pain as well. China blocks access to Google (including Blogspot.com), Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and most other non-Chinese social media sites. So I have to go through VPN. Write the blog. Shut down VPN. Open VPN on my phone. Upload photos. Shut down VPN. Start VPN on laptop, insert uploaded photos into blog. Save blog. Blah blah blah... What a pain.
So I have another customer meeting this morning, then it's off to the airport to fly down to Singapore. Short flight. Only 6h40m. Ha! Looking forward to the warmer weather. Singapore is at 1 degree north, just above the equator. It's pretty much 90 degrees during the day, year round.
Signing off from China. See ya!
Hot pot:
Panoramic of the Birds Nest. It's so much bigger in person than it looks here. Click on photo to view in higher resolution.
Dinner was excellent as well. Lots of different beef, chicken and vegetable dishes. Everything is served family style here. You can't really order an entree like you can in the U.S. The only strange thing at dinner was the duck neck. Imagine a duck neck, plucked of feathers, cut into 1" pieces, then boiled in some type of really spicy broth. They serve it on a plate. Just a pile of sliced duck necks. I had one (see picture below). It was tough and spicy. You hold it with chopsticks and eat around the center, avoiding the esophagus as if it were the core of an apple. You might say "that's gross", but if I told these guys what American hot dogs were made of, I think I'd win the gross contest. Nothing but lips and....well, you know.
Finally, we got to see the Olympic facilities. The "Birds Nest" is incredible. It's HUGE. Much bigger than I imagine. Much larger than any NFL stadium I've seen. Unfortunately, they don't know what to do with it. It's still lit up, but they don't really use it for anything. The only professional sports here are basketball and soccer, and those teams already have their own arenas/stadiums.
We also drove past Tienanmen Square. The pollution is still bad so it looked foggy. It's closed at night with guards protecting it. The locals were nervous even being near it. Apparently protests still occasionally happen, if the police come to arrest protesters (protesting is forbidden here), and you're caught there, you will get arrested. So the locals avoid it completely. Of course, Americans want to see it, since we view it as a symbol of freedom. I must remember I'm in a Communist country. Strange...
Posting this blog is a pain as well. China blocks access to Google (including Blogspot.com), Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and most other non-Chinese social media sites. So I have to go through VPN. Write the blog. Shut down VPN. Open VPN on my phone. Upload photos. Shut down VPN. Start VPN on laptop, insert uploaded photos into blog. Save blog. Blah blah blah... What a pain.
So I have another customer meeting this morning, then it's off to the airport to fly down to Singapore. Short flight. Only 6h40m. Ha! Looking forward to the warmer weather. Singapore is at 1 degree north, just above the equator. It's pretty much 90 degrees during the day, year round.
Signing off from China. See ya!
Hot pot:
Panoramic of the Birds Nest. It's so much bigger in person than it looks here. Click on photo to view in higher resolution.
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