Beijing airport express

Beijing's airport express train line opened in early August. For 25RMB (2.5Euros) you can take the 30 minute journey from inside the airport to downtown and connect with the rest of Beijing's rapidly expanding subway system. It is one of three new subway lines opened in Beijing before the start of the Olympics.

Since the city terminal is only a 10 minute walk from our apartment we gave the train a go when we came back from London last month. All was smooth until we arrived at Dongzhimen station with three large suitcases and realised there were no lifts from the station concourse to street level. Questions to a staff member soon attracted a crowd of station staff, police and curious passers-by. Apparently there was a lift for disabled passengers but it only went up as far as a mezzanine level. Since we were not visibly disabled and, more importantly I think, it meant someone allowing us back through the ticket barrier - we couldn't use it. A kindly policeman offered to carry one of heavy bags up the stairs and eventually we made it home.

Surely no-one can design a airport train terminal without lift access?
Airport express train station at Beijing's new, Norman Foster designed, Terminal 3. The temperature under this glass canopy must have been 50C during August. It was like a sauna but with luggage.

Its all over..

So, after 17 days and a second spectacular ceremony, the 2008 Beijing Olympics came to an end last night.

Even though I don't think I watched 5 mins of the Athens 2004 Olympics but over the last two weeks we became Olympic junkies. It was impossible to be in Beijing and not be caught up in the excitement of the events and be amazed by the splendour of the venues.
Boris, Seb Coe, David Beckam and Gordo (in yellow square) watch the US win the men and women's 4 x 400 relay on the last night of the Beijing Olympics

Of course, seeing Britain enjoy such success was a big plus. What a result - we held on to third place in the medal table (non-US ranking system; most golds lead) for nearly the whole of the second week and just lost out to Russia by two golds in the last 24 hours.

The final event we went to was the last evening of the athletics where, along with Beckham, Seb, Gordon and Boris, we watched the USA sweep the men's and women's 400m relays and an amazing Belgian woman - Tia Hellebaut - jump 2.09m. Afterwards, I stood against a wall and measured the height. I just couldn't believe that anyone was capable of jumping this high off the ground totally unaided.

And how about the London 'teaser'? We presented the five great pillars of UK society - the London Bus, the privet hedge, rain, Led Zeppelin and David Beckham. How much did we pay Beckham to stand there smiling, waving and then kick a ball into the crowd? And what was story with Boris? Good for him to fly economy to Beijing but surely the mayoral budget runs to funding a suit with a jacket that buttons up and the has the right length sleeves? At least we, and the rest of the world, didn't have to look at Ken Livingston's smug grin as he waved the Olympic flag. London so deserves more than either of them.

Anyway, we have next four years ahead of us for the memory of last night to fade and for London to get ready. I'm sure we will do a great job and I am ready to volunteer!
I'm ready, and in training, to carry the torch for GB in 2012

A great Olympics weekend

Beijing August 16/17th, 2008

To the Water Cube for the morning's session - under a beautiful blue sky - to see Michael Phelps win his 7th gold in the men's 50m butterfly. A controversial finish and a winning margin of only .01 secs..but who doesn't want him to break Spitz's record?

The real highlight for us was watching GB swimmer Rebecca Aldington power her way to victory in the 800m freestyle beating the 19 year old world record. She hit the front from the beginning and just steadily pulled away from the field (is that what you call it in swimming? or only horse racing) just giving a little ground in the closing 50m but it was far too late for anyone to catch her.

Luxury apartments overlooking Olympic Green. rumour is that Bill Gates bought here

A number of countries have set up hospitality venues for sponsors to entertain their guests as well as to provide relaxation facilities for athletes, their families and visiting nationals. We visited a couple - Holland Heineken House (guess the sponsor) - a vast beer hall sort of place set in the grounds of the Beijing Agricultural College where we seemed to be the only people not dressed head to toe in orange and the UK's 'London House' - a showpiece organised by the Major of London's office to highlight London as a tourist destination and, of course, venue for the 2012 games. The setting was the elegant surroundings of a private members dining club - Shi Cha Hai - situated on the bank of Hou Hai lake. Apparently, the originally planned venue of Ritan Park had been commandeered as one of the officially approved 'protest zones' during the games. Guests walked round an exhibition of London history whilst snacking on mini-pork pies and pate.

In the evening we were at the Birds Nest. The building is just spectacular, with great views from everywhere. We saw the 100m final and the incredible - seemingly casual - run from the Jamaican Usain Bolt.

Home on the subway. Beijing opened 3 new subway lines just the week before the games started with one coming straight into the Olympic Green and a short walk from the national stadium and the water cube. The subway was free and they managed to move tens of thousands of spectators through the station and onto trains smoothly and efficiently with virtually no waiting.

Entering Olympic Green subway station

Sunday was a recovery day for us but we had been bitten by the Olympic bug and watched, transfixed, on TV as Michael Phelps made Olympic history by winning his 8th gold medal. By now, Tac was receiving regular update emails from team GB informing her of our medal progress. She saw that two British cyclists were racing for gold and silver in the individual pursuit later that afternoon so - with no tickets, but armed with cash - we jumped in a cab and headed across town to the veladrome. I had never seen track cycling before. It's really exciting and spooky at the same time. The sleek, skin tight suits; the aerodynamic pointy helmets and the bikes with solid wheels. It's something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Only the ray guns are missing. We saw Rebecca Romero win gold for GB and her team mate Wendy Houvenaghel take the silver. It was great to see 2 Union Jacks raised during the medal ceremony.


The highlight at the Laoshan Velodrome, however, was the men's team pursuit. Two teams of 4 riders each chase each other round the track. It's so elegant, so visually appealing - you can't take your eyes off it. The British team set a new world record in their semi-final heat and went on to win the gold the following day.

Incredible, by Sunday night team GB was 3rd in the medal table! Enjoy it while you can.

Overall, the organisation of the Olympics seem superb. Getting in and out of the Olympic Green wasn't too bad - usual security checks - but we were through it all in about 20 minutes on both occasions. The facilities are excellent and the thousands of volunteers in their in their blue and white Olympic shirts and hats are doing a terrific job in helping people get through with minimum fuss. The volunteers in the velodrome were spectacular - the most helpful and friendly we saw anywhere. They even lined up and sang as the spectators left the the venue at the end of the evening. Only the food selection has been disappointing. Lots of food and drink sales areas but a pretty limited selection to be had. The Bird's Nest has beer-only sales points and we got to know them well.

Beijing is looking wonderful right now. Flags line all the main roads; huge Olympic banners cover the half-finished buildings sitting in the middle of construction sites abandoned for two months during the games; and no construction noise or dust. The streets are relatively clear of traffic, cabs are still easy to find and the weather has been great. I hope the many visitors and press appreciate the effort that has gone into these events - not just the substantial money thrown at it by the government - but the hard work and dedication that ordinary people of Beijing have put in to make these games a success for the participants.

Olympic medal count

Apparently the IOC doesn't officially sanction any sort of medal tally...presumably because the Olympics are about participation and not just a nationalistic sporting land grab. But, of course, Olympic media coverage the world over features medal tables.

Not surprisingly, even this simple statistics gathering exercise is open to interpretation. The US media ranks based on total medal count; the Chinese and many others across the world rank based on gold medals won. This conveniently allows for two countries to claim top spot.

Beijing's cab drivers - we are ready!

They have been studiously listening to their 'English for cab driver' tapes for months. They know how to say 'don't leave anything on the back seat' and 'we don't accept tips'. Now in the final step of preparation, Beijing's army of cab drivers has been issued with a smart uniform of yellow shirt, blue trousers and blue and yellow striped tie. At last, they can also proclaim - 'we are ready' - to face the swarms of foreign tourists arriving in Beijing for the Olympic Games. But why the tie? Its 35C out there - give them a break. At least they don't have to wear peaked chauffeur caps.