Like many Americans, I caught Olympic fever over the weekend. Admittedly, in my case, I already had the fever because of a head cold, and there wasn't much on television except the Olympics. Still, it was exciting, especially the American swimming victory over the French in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Short of defeating Al Qaeda for the gold medal, a come-from-behind victory over France is about the most exciting thing that can happen in the Olympics for Americans.
The Beijing Olympics start four months from today, that is, if the Olympic torch ever actually makes it there. With all the protests about Tibet, that's questionable, but if the Games do get started, they may be the oddest ever. If you don't believe me, just take a look at some headlines from the official web site.
The Beijing Olympics are just a year away, and I couldn't be more excited. These are going to be the best Olympics ever, mainly because of two words: weather rockets. You see, the Chinese government has already promised that there will be no rain for the Opening Ceremonies. Originally, no one knew how they would accomplish this feat, but now thankfully we do. The Chinese government plans to prevent rain storms by launching rockets at rain clouds in an attempt to disperse them, which actually sounds a lot more exciting than any of the other Olympic events.
So are they friendly here?" I ask when we enter Beijing's Friendship Store.
"Of course not," my friend Peace explains. "This is China. When they say one thing, believe the opposite."
The Friendship Store, by the way, is not where one comes to buy friends. (I'm told there are other places for that in Beijing). Instead, it is the state-run department store, and Peace is right. Nobody here is particularly friendly. Only in China, would a government ever attempt to make itself synonymous with the word friendship.
It's late April, and Beijing is certainly not the most popular vacation destination for Americans. The American and Chinese governments are still bickering over the collision of an American spy plane with a Chinese fighter jet, and yet here I am, arriving in Beijing for an eight day vacation. I had planned the trip months earlier. My friends Peace and Brian are studying here for the year, and I didn't want to miss this chance to see Beijing. Little did I know that I would be visiting during a major diplomatic crisis. Needless to say, my mother is not thrilled.
With the Beijing Olympics about to begin, here are a few pieces from my 2001 trip to Beijing:
Having visited Beijing recently, I was shocked to hear that Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympics was accepted last week.