Arrived in Beijing

Well, so far so good. I arrived in Beijing last night. I travelled on Air Canada from Ottawa to Vancouver. I had a four hour wait in Vancouver to board my flight to Beijing. I travelled on Air China to Beijing, which is an 11 hour flight from Vancouver. Air China is a good airline, which has its own unique cultural differences which require some adjustment for someone like me that is more accustomed to travel on Air Canada.

I arrived at the T3 Terminal in Beijing which is a very impressive structure. It recently opened in March of this year. I am told that it is the largest terminal by volume space. Below are some photos taken at the airport.

My father picked me up at the airport, and we travelled to the NOC (National Olympic Committee) hotel. One thing that is quite apparent is that the security in and around Beijing in general, and at the hotel in particular, is omnipresent. The Chinese government has ensured that the security is quite visible. One certainly feels safe travelling around the City.

Below is a photo of my accreditation that allows me to access the hotal and the venues.

After I dropped my stuff off at the hotel, we went out to three receptions held last night. One was hosted by the City of Lausanne where IOC President Jacques Rogge delivered a speech. We then travelled to a reception hosted by Premier Gordon Campbell to promote Vancouver's hosting of the Winter Games in 2010. Former gold medalist Becky Scott delivered a speech describing her work with the program Right to Play which is an organization that promotes athletics in impoverished parts of the world through the travel and participation of Olympic Athletes.

On route to these events, we drove by Tiananmen Square. Below are two photos that I took as we drove by. I hope to have some better photos in the coming days.

As for today, we are travelling to Canada Olympic House in preparation for the Opening Ceremonies tonight. We are loading on the bus at 4 p.m. to head to the Olympic Stadium (referred to as the Bird's Nest). The ceremonies start at 8 p.m.

One thing that is quite accurate as described by the media back in Canada is the effect of the humidity and the presence of smog, or haze, depending on who you speak with. It is quite humid, with the present temperature being about 35 degrees Celsius with the humidity. There are still lots of cars on the road, even with the even/odd licence plate prohibition imposed during the Games. That prohibition is that one day, only even numbered licence plate cars are allowed on the road, alternating with odd cars the next day.

The people of China are certainly very proud of their country (as they should be), and practically the entire city of Beijing is closed down for the Opening of the Games. The architecture of Beijing is incredible. Many of the newer buildings are very impressive.

Well, that's it for now. Hope you all have enjoyed my first substantive post.