Let us count the ways:
No camera in Olympic venues, which means I'm only going to get about 4 days worth of use out of my rig since we only have that many non-event days. We just won't have enough time to go out sightseeing and get back to the hotel to drop off the big camera and still make it to the event venues.
Hotel exercise facilities, unusable. They are open from 1 pm to 11 pm. Who the hell works out between those hours? Our plan to work out every day is out the window.
No access to the Olympic Green complex unless you have credentials or an event ticket for that day at one of the arenas on the Green.
Power adapters aren't working very well. We keep getting big sparks every time we plug something in.
A lot less English being spoken than we expected. We're staying at a hotel that is basically run by one of the main tour companies for the Olympics and the staff barely speaks any English. This is China after all, but we were being told to expect a decent level of English proficiency.
We do have internet access, obviously, so that's at least one thing going in our favor.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Camera Drama, The End.
So we got to the hotel. We got unpacked. We're all set to rock and roll and want to go out tonight and head over to the Olympic Green to kick off our Olympic experience. First thing though is to stick to the plan and show my camera to the Olympic info desk in the hotel lobby and get a final ruling on whether it is legal, or if any parts of it are legal (I'd started to convince myself that the body and small lenses might be okay).
The answer is an unequivocal NO.
No to taking it or any part of it into Olympic venues. No to taking it onto the grounds of any Olympic venues, like the Olympic Green.
Crap.
I knew this was coming, but I'm still pretty disappointed. Time for Plan B, which we are calling Tinkerbell (my camera is Wendy — Canon 1D... one dee... Wendy). It has some mad optical zoom action, so we'll see what we can get.
Sigh.
The answer is an unequivocal NO.
No to taking it or any part of it into Olympic venues. No to taking it onto the grounds of any Olympic venues, like the Olympic Green.
Crap.
I knew this was coming, but I'm still pretty disappointed. Time for Plan B, which we are calling Tinkerbell (my camera is Wendy — Canon 1D... one dee... Wendy). It has some mad optical zoom action, so we'll see what we can get.
Sigh.
WE'RE IN CHINA!
We woke up early this morning to be sure we could pack and catch the shuttle bus to the airport. We had set the alarm for 4:30 am, but we both woke up earlier than that.
With the help of our travel agent’s representative, the ride to the airport went off without a hitch. We got a little confused figuring out where to go after checking in, but managed to make it though Security and Immigration without difficulty and without having to remove our shoes. Our flight was on time and while most of the announcements were in Japanese, there were enough in English that we managed. The flight wasn't full so even though we started out with three people in our row, the flight attendant moved the third person to another row so we could all be more comfortable.
The snacks were traditional Japanese type snacks. I have no idea what it's called but it was good. For the meal, I had a pork curry which was tasty. Scott was laughing at me because I wouldn't try anything until he tried it first and told me what it tasted like.
Trip was shorter than posted because we must have had a tailwind. We arrived more than 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The terminal we landed at was beautiful. Apparently, it is newly constructed. It's huge and has lots of glass so it's very bright. We made it through Immigration and Customs with no problems. One thing that was different is that they re-X-Ray'd our carry-ons before we were allowed to go pick up our bags. Our guide was waiting for us after we had claimed our bags.
It was a fairly short ride to the hotel. Of note is that there are Olympic banners and other swag everywhere on the way into town. We even saw a whole building wrapped in a gigantic banner. The freeway had flower boxes on both sides nearly all the way into town and there is a special lane on the freeway for cars with Olympic credentials so they can bypass traffic. Riding in a car around here is a bit scary. No directionals are used and people switch lanes in less than a car length. Rather nerve wracking. I'd be too afraid to drive.
Despite all the reports about the bad air in Beijing, it appears at least as clear as Tokyo was. The sky is a pale blue with some streaky clouds. We haven't been out breathing the air much yet, but can see pretty far into the rest of the city. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about.
Our hotel room isn't quite as nice as the one in Tokyo, but it is much roomier and has a huge bathroom. I think it will do just fine for our stay. We have finished unpacking and now it's time to go explore!
With the help of our travel agent’s representative, the ride to the airport went off without a hitch. We got a little confused figuring out where to go after checking in, but managed to make it though Security and Immigration without difficulty and without having to remove our shoes. Our flight was on time and while most of the announcements were in Japanese, there were enough in English that we managed. The flight wasn't full so even though we started out with three people in our row, the flight attendant moved the third person to another row so we could all be more comfortable.
The snacks were traditional Japanese type snacks. I have no idea what it's called but it was good. For the meal, I had a pork curry which was tasty. Scott was laughing at me because I wouldn't try anything until he tried it first and told me what it tasted like.
Trip was shorter than posted because we must have had a tailwind. We arrived more than 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The terminal we landed at was beautiful. Apparently, it is newly constructed. It's huge and has lots of glass so it's very bright. We made it through Immigration and Customs with no problems. One thing that was different is that they re-X-Ray'd our carry-ons before we were allowed to go pick up our bags. Our guide was waiting for us after we had claimed our bags.
It was a fairly short ride to the hotel. Of note is that there are Olympic banners and other swag everywhere on the way into town. We even saw a whole building wrapped in a gigantic banner. The freeway had flower boxes on both sides nearly all the way into town and there is a special lane on the freeway for cars with Olympic credentials so they can bypass traffic. Riding in a car around here is a bit scary. No directionals are used and people switch lanes in less than a car length. Rather nerve wracking. I'd be too afraid to drive.
Despite all the reports about the bad air in Beijing, it appears at least as clear as Tokyo was. The sky is a pale blue with some streaky clouds. We haven't been out breathing the air much yet, but can see pretty far into the rest of the city. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about.
Our hotel room isn't quite as nice as the one in Tokyo, but it is much roomier and has a huge bathroom. I think it will do just fine for our stay. We have finished unpacking and now it's time to go explore!
Tokyo Day 2 a la Angie
Our second day in Tokyo was very full of sightseeing as you can see from Scott’s post. I won’t repeat his descriptions but just add some of my own insights.
I did have one adventure on my own. We needed some more cash and Scott wanted to spend time working on his photos so he wouldn’t fall behind, so I set out to find a bank or ATM with some instructions from the hotel’s information desk. I was very nervous and told Scott if I wasn’t back in 30 minutes to send out a search party. As it turned out, the “Post Office” which also had a bank branch in it was about two blocks from the hotel. Because I had a foreign debit card, I was required to use the ATM which only had prompts in Japanese. Fortunately for me, in true Japanese fashion, the clerk was more than willing to go with me to the ATM and interpret the prompts so I could withdraw funds. She was very nice and I couldn’t have managed without her.
I enjoyed going to the shrines and they were very beautiful, but it feels kind of weird basically sightseeing and taking pictures at a place of worship. It feels quite disrespectful. I suppose if they minded, they wouldn’t charge admission and let you in, but it still doesn’t feel right to me. While there, I did have one gentlemen tell me to take off my cap before giving my respects. There were many other Japanese people with hats, but apparently me wearing my hat was more offensive. I didn’t mind being told, but felt kind of stupid for forgetting I had it on. I would have taken it on at a Christian church. Doh!
I meant to post this yesterday, but today is good enough. I’ve been wearing my pedometer to track how many steps we take in our sightseeing. Yesterday, we walked 19,214 steps. Today, because of trains, taxis and subways, we only walked 9,033.
We’ve had a basic American breakfast all three mornings in Japan which usually includes scrambled eggs. I’m not sure what they do to the eggs, but they have a weird texture and are kind of slimy. Edible but very different from the way they are made in the U.S.
One thing I regret missing in our stay in Tokyo is that we never managed to try Ramen. I guess that means we will have to make another trip. I think it would be nice to try to learn at least a little Japanese before doing so. We managed without on this trip mostly due to the kindness of the Japanese people and Aiko, but without that it would have been very hard. I think it would be easier and I would be more comfortable if I could understand a little of what people were saying and/or be able to read some of the characters.
Something I think is awesome about Tokyo is that there are cold drink vending machines like every 3 to 4 blocks. They are ubiquitous as Starbucks in Seattle. You can get a variety of drinks: water, soda, tea, coffee, juice. The price is reasonable so there is no reason to stock up and pack your water as you are sightseeing. The machines aren’t just in the touristy areas either. They are all over the city. Unfortunately, they don’t have Diet Coke in them. I’ve had to make due to Coke Zero. Not quite the same, but it’s carbonated and has caffeine.
Another thing I really appreciate about Tokyo is how clean it is. Despite having a large number of people in such a small area, the streets are tidy and the alleys don’t smell. Now that may be that most of the alleys have shops in them and therefore can’t be used as they are in Seattle. I also never noticed any people I would have pegged as homeless and only a couple of spots of graffiti. Whatever they are doing in Tokyo, they need to share with Seattle to help them clean things up!
I did have one adventure on my own. We needed some more cash and Scott wanted to spend time working on his photos so he wouldn’t fall behind, so I set out to find a bank or ATM with some instructions from the hotel’s information desk. I was very nervous and told Scott if I wasn’t back in 30 minutes to send out a search party. As it turned out, the “Post Office” which also had a bank branch in it was about two blocks from the hotel. Because I had a foreign debit card, I was required to use the ATM which only had prompts in Japanese. Fortunately for me, in true Japanese fashion, the clerk was more than willing to go with me to the ATM and interpret the prompts so I could withdraw funds. She was very nice and I couldn’t have managed without her.
I enjoyed going to the shrines and they were very beautiful, but it feels kind of weird basically sightseeing and taking pictures at a place of worship. It feels quite disrespectful. I suppose if they minded, they wouldn’t charge admission and let you in, but it still doesn’t feel right to me. While there, I did have one gentlemen tell me to take off my cap before giving my respects. There were many other Japanese people with hats, but apparently me wearing my hat was more offensive. I didn’t mind being told, but felt kind of stupid for forgetting I had it on. I would have taken it on at a Christian church. Doh!
I meant to post this yesterday, but today is good enough. I’ve been wearing my pedometer to track how many steps we take in our sightseeing. Yesterday, we walked 19,214 steps. Today, because of trains, taxis and subways, we only walked 9,033.
We’ve had a basic American breakfast all three mornings in Japan which usually includes scrambled eggs. I’m not sure what they do to the eggs, but they have a weird texture and are kind of slimy. Edible but very different from the way they are made in the U.S.
One thing I regret missing in our stay in Tokyo is that we never managed to try Ramen. I guess that means we will have to make another trip. I think it would be nice to try to learn at least a little Japanese before doing so. We managed without on this trip mostly due to the kindness of the Japanese people and Aiko, but without that it would have been very hard. I think it would be easier and I would be more comfortable if I could understand a little of what people were saying and/or be able to read some of the characters.
Something I think is awesome about Tokyo is that there are cold drink vending machines like every 3 to 4 blocks. They are ubiquitous as Starbucks in Seattle. You can get a variety of drinks: water, soda, tea, coffee, juice. The price is reasonable so there is no reason to stock up and pack your water as you are sightseeing. The machines aren’t just in the touristy areas either. They are all over the city. Unfortunately, they don’t have Diet Coke in them. I’ve had to make due to Coke Zero. Not quite the same, but it’s carbonated and has caffeine.
Another thing I really appreciate about Tokyo is how clean it is. Despite having a large number of people in such a small area, the streets are tidy and the alleys don’t smell. Now that may be that most of the alleys have shops in them and therefore can’t be used as they are in Seattle. I also never noticed any people I would have pegged as homeless and only a couple of spots of graffiti. Whatever they are doing in Tokyo, they need to share with Seattle to help them clean things up!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)