We're just getting out of "soft" lockdown here in Beijing (don't ask what "hard" lockdown is). After months of not being able to find Bing Dwen Dwen anywhere in this country, I stopped by a random gas station by my place the other day to find this. Not even the surviving Olympic shops have this sort of supply.
I was able to attend the Closing Ceremonies. The goodie bag given to us was noticeable less exciting (no branded hats, mitts, etc.). This was only a concern because there was nothing for sale at either Ceremony or the hockey game I went to. All stores in town are virtually sold out for months now, too. You have to wonder what would have happened if millions of people were here like what was supposed to happen. I don't want to be negative, because this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, but it's like the organizers went out of their way to suck any spirit out of these Olympics, although the volunteers were incredibly nice and helpful. I'll tell more stories later. For now, here are some pictures!
Have the commentators always received the speech "printed out" beforehand? I only noticed this time- opening and closing- because, having no clue about the language, they finish translating well before the end of the speech by the Chinese guy.
I can tell you that in the stadium, the speech is up on the screen in English, French and Chinese as he's talking, so it has obviously been submitted beforehand.
Well, Norway may have broken our shared gold medal record, but Canada tied the bronze medal record today (ROC is there, too). If a certain country is ultimately DQed from figure skating, we may have already broken it.
Tonight I went out for dinner and drinks (mostly drinks) with some friends in Wukesong, where the Wukesong Hockey Arena is located. Wukesong isn't really a neighbourhood, it's a purposefully made nightlife area (though they close by 11pm apparently...). It is sunken and has tons of "foreign" restaurants and bars, and an Ikea. It is a 15 minute scooter ride from my place.
The Japan/Czechia hockey game was just finishing up when I got there. Here are some pics of the venue.
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We're just getting out of "soft" lockdown here in Beijing (don't ask what "hard" lockdown is). After months of not being able to find Bing Dwen Dwen anywhere in this country, I stopped by a random gas station by my place the other day to find this. Not even the surviving Olympic shops have this sort of supply.
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