Entrance to the Forbidden City with Chairman Mao's picture on the wall (in the distance, kinda hard to see) as you enter...
Most of our first group at the Forbidden City...Some Australian-Chinese and American-Chinese which offered me some very interesting conversation about politics, democracy and communism. They leave on Thursday and we get the next group mostly Australians with some Americans in the mix. Almost 40 people compared to the 17 we have now...things are going to get a little more hectic I think!
Isn't she a Chinese cutie...
After we left the Forbidden City I had the driver drop me at the subway so I could run into the office while the group headed to see some soccer. While I was at the office I was asked to stop by another hotel and drop off some items. No problem. I had been there before and had taken the subway so off I went...As I exited the subway at my stop I looked around, here, there...nothing looked familiar. I was lost. And I had made the one and only mistake a tourist who doesn't speak english in China could make. I didn't have a little piece of paper with the name of my destination on it in mandarin (that is essential to commuting in China!) ...ugh...now what?? Can't get a taxi because I can't tell him where to go...can't call anyone because I couldn't pronounce the street names well enough for confirmation...yikes. The only thing I could think to do was to return to the subway and start all over. And that's what I was going to do...until I decided to just stand still for a bit. I took a good look at where I was and things were all out of place but then they started to look familiar. As it turned out, I was lucky...I had only exited the subway on the other side of the street and was just turned around. I managed to find my way...but definitely have learned a lesson! I will not leave my location until I have my destination on a piece of paper, in mandarin...in case.
Danya, from Desert Dog sent this to me today...because I was worrying...
Lucky and his sidekicks...he looks happy!
A muddy wet dog is a happy dog...and unfortunately a stinky dog...sorry Chris...
Tomorrow my morning is open so I'm going to head to the swimming cube and see if I can catch Michael Phelps win one of his Gold medals! Stay tuned!!...
5 comments:
I saw a sport on MSNBC that I have never seen before. It looked like indoor court soccer only you threw a smaller ball rather than kick it. I have checked the list of events and can't figure out what it is. Does an Olympic expert and Tour Organizer like yourself know what it is?
FINALLY, an expert at something!! Ha! Believe it or not, Chris, the sport you are talking about is handball...Definitely not the type of handball we are used to playing but there you have it.
Thanks for the answer. It has just been bugging me. I went back to the Olympics page on MSNBC and looked at the pictures for handball, and by gosh, YOU ARE RIGHT! I guess we know why the USA does't have a team in this sport - we sent 2 people for a match in a small boxed room.
Well, with mastering the Chinese subway system you will sneer at the paltry NYC subway! Heh.
I'm sure the whole standing still for a moment to get your bearings thing can be expanded for use throughout life, just not for directions.
Please, please, please continue to update us -- I am SO enjoying this!
And Lucky is practically rolling his eyes in those photos -- Mommmmmm, I'm FINE, jeez, not in front of my friends!
Love from your Cuz
Rats! I thought some dark, handsome greek soccer player was going to rescue the damsel in distress! Good thing you're such a level headed gal!
So, NBC did a food episode tonight - the reporter went to "Snack Alley" and ate a jumbo fried scorpion - she wasn't smiling. At one restaurant, she was served a soup of goose lips and rabbit head - you don't even want to know what I thought of that. Then there was the cow stomach dish. Yee Gads! How is McDonald's over there????? Miss you! Keep up the great postings!
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