Ni-hao (hello)
Wow - we are getting busy. Here are some weird stuff.
Taxis are an adventure in Beijing. Some of the drivers do not know how to read. When we point to our Chinese list you hope you get a driver that can read.
All cars are manual shift, even the big shuttle vans. When they stop at a red light, the car is put in neutral & the emergency brake is used - gotta try that when I get back.
The Taxi drivers wear one glove to shift with & the other hand is bare - I guess Michael Jackson was their influence - gotta try that.
Men grow their left pinky fingernail longer. It is a tool, it points to things on the map, it scratches & it picks - nifty idea - maybe try that too.
U-Turns are a blast. In the USA you U-Turn when your light is green. Here you U-Turn on your red so you drive up the crosswalk and head-on toward traffic; don't worry, the crosswalk is wide enough for the car - I would like to see people's faces if I try this.
I have not heard any music in the taxis, only talk radio & it seems to be the same guy. Must be a Rush Limbaugh of China.

We found a restaurant that serve only donkey meat, the NBC crew was brave to eat there - not us.
One of the things you can order is live shrimp in wine - I guess it's like the tequila worm.
We found a place that serves chicken stomach & also pig intestines - I hope they are empty.

The dried lizard in the photo album is a medicine remedy. The skin is dried on a bamboo holder, then you boil it in water and then drink the broth - yummy yummy.

Most deliveries are done by bike. You will see a three-wheeler loaded with a dozen big water jugs or some boxes of equipment.

2 more weeks to the day & I am heading home - Nathanael cannot wait. He told me one day he wanted me home tomorrow by the time he woke up.

Beijing said the tickets were sold out -no they are not. The scalper or "Ticket Managers" bought them all & are selling them at a huge mark up. A swimming $50 RBM ($8 American) ticket sells for $1000 RBM ($150 American). because of that, the stadiums are empty. The same thing happened in Athens & they did not make a profit.

Time to get back to work

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- On Friday night, the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony gave the world a spectacular visual feast. The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG) held a press conference here on Saturday, where it released statistics about the event.

    50

    In minutes, the time it took to send all the athletes present back to the Olympic Village after the ceremony

    10,000

    The number of raincoats prepared for the athletes in case of rain. BOCOG said there were two possibilities of rain on Friday, before and during the ceremony. BOCOG's deputy director, Wang Ning, hailed work by the Beijing Meteorological Bureau, which performed cloud-dispersal operations. He also suggested, tongue-in-cheek, that the spectacular ceremony might have scared away the clouds.

    160,000

    The audience in the Bird's Nest, or National Stadium.

    75

    In minutes, the time it took for the audience to leave after the ceremony, which was 15 minutes less than expected.

    600,000

    The number of staff from Beijing's traffic branch working on transport lines on Friday. There were eight subway lines open around the clock and 28 buses running direct to the National Stadium.

    81,000

    The number of traffic volunteers keeping transport running smoothly.

    33,866

    The number of fireworks lit in the ceremony.

    22,000

    The number of performers and advisors for the ceremony.

    170

    The height, in centimeters, required for the martial arts performers.

You probably already heard about the men’s volleyball coach's in-law that was attacked & killed. They let us know immediately & told us to be aware of our situation around us. It is believed the attacker was a nut-job & the attack was purely random. They did beef up the security for our USA House & the hotels. The Hilton was secured to begin with some high profile athletes & officials moved into the hotel.

Our female fencing team swept the medals – very cool.

Swimming starts on Sunday.

Restaurants are a little different around here. The waitress will stand at your table till you are ready to order. Once you are done, they don't give you the check till you ask for it. They don't expect a tip unless you eat at a big fancy restaurant, then they automatically add 15% to the bill - even for 2 people. If you ask for a coke, they bring you the can & pour for you. There are ratings for the places from A being very clean & down. I've seen some places that should get a F, so they don't post their sign.

The number one rule - never look in the kitchen.