Then we got our first taxi cab experience. We wanted to go up to the Athlete Village to see Eric, but no taxi driver, nor hotel staff could figure out what we wanted. Of course they tried talking to Patricia in Chinese, so finally we got out her Ipod that had a map of all the Olympic venues and tried to show them that way. Finally, that taxi driver said, okay and motioned for us to get in the car. We got in and I said ok? He gave me a thumbs up and off we went! About 5 minutes into the ride, he looked at Patricia and asked for her GPS...um, it's not a GPS, it's an Ipod, so we were a little concerned. Fortunately, Patricia was able to find the streets on the map and kind of figure out where we were going. At one point, he pointed and said, "that way?" HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW? But we finally made it to the Athlete Village and as soon as we got out of the car, 3 people came up to Patricia thinking she was a paralympic athlete and asked for her autograph. She just smiled and signed their papers. We tried going in the entrance, only to find out we were at the wrong entrance. We ended up having to walk about a mile and a half before we got to the right entrance! Once we made it to that entrance, everything was great. It was awesome to see Eric and where he's been spending all of his time. He got us meal passes and we were able to eat in the dining hall, where I had McDonald's! :) I'm definitely not ready to branch out into unfamiliar territory yet! He showed us all around the Athlete Village and the International Zone. I even ran into an old college buddy who is here as a trainer for the goalball team. It was great to see him and catch up with him. The whole experience was really neat and we took lots of touristy pictures. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post any of Eric and I there due to IPC regulations, but here are some others we took.
This is the ampitheater where Eric and his team went to raise the USA flag and hear their national anthem played.
Here is our flag flying with 143 other countries flags.
Patricia and I in front of a huge flower wall in the middle of the Paralympic Village.
This is one of the many dorms that the Athletes stay in. They are pretty small. Each has a common room, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They are already rented out to people who are going to move in once the games are over.
This is the Paralympic mascot.
After we were done with the Paralympic Village Eric, Patricia and I got in a taxi and went down to where the water cube and bird's nest are. We were able to see the torch burning, but weren't able to get a very good picture of it with the smog today. Eric said that today was the worst it's been so far. It was also super busy and crowded because there were events taking place in both the water cube and the bird's nest. So we got back in a taxi and took Eric back up to the village and Patricia and I headed back to the hotel. This time the taxi driver knew where we needed to go, but he took us a completely different route...all through the downtown city streets. Patricia and I didn't know if we would make it out alive. It was so crazy. I was so motion sick by the time we got out I could barely walk. Downtown Beijing is crazy with so many people, so many cars, so many bikes, and very narrow streets!
We ordered room service tonight and are trying to stay awake a little bit longer as we are trying to adjust to China time. We are grateful for Eric taking the time to show us around today, especially because it kept us busy so we couldn't sleep! Plus it was great to spend the day with him. He's ready for the ranking round tomorrow. He shot FANTASTIC yesterday, especially in the venue where the gold medal match will be. I know he will do awesome. I'm bummed I won't be able to watch him shoot tomorrow, it's closed to the public. So I will be anxiously waiting by the phone. As soon as I hear anything, I will be sure to pass it on.
4 comments:
Patricia, the gracious paralympian taking time to sign autographs. How sweet is that! I'm glad you got to spend time with Eric. I talked to Logan last night. I asked what he was doing and he said "two." He and Ryan were just getting ready for a tubby. They're having fun. Love the blog updates. The pictures are spectacular.
Thanks for all the updates! We're sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear how Eric does. This is soooo exciting! :o)
I told my story wrong about Logan (go figure). I asked "how are you" to which he answered "two"--that's our boy, trying to figure out what we're going to say before we say it. He wanted me to know that he's two.
Thanks for the update, tell Eric hi from Mom and I and we are so excited for him. Dad and Kellie will be there in a few hours - you guys have fun - Kellie packed a ton of snacks ;) You might need to tell them how to get a taxi and get around - they were a little nervous when I talked to them lastnight. Have fun and good luck!!! Keep up the posts!!
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