Sunday, August 31, 2008

Beijing Olympics & Shanghai impressions on a nutshell

I just arrived now in Tokyo, but I must summarize my rich experience lived in Beijing & Shanghai.

I can summarize Beijing Olympic experience as STUNNING!
I saw 21 games on: Football, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Handball, Judo, Kong-Fu, Basketball and Tennis.
Did 3 great sightseeings days: The Forbidden City; The Great Wall of China and The Summer Palace!

My secret project for the end of the year retrospective movie got some great new shots. Just you wait for 31st of December 2008 and see...


After Beijing Olympics closing ceremony, I only had 2 days left so I went to Shanghai, the city in mainland China for Finance & Trade, and thus is a city of international immigrants. I met my Brazilian friend Saulo, now a CEO for China´s branch of an international shipping company. He gave me an insight with a local perspective of the cities Highlights, among them: Shopping, Chinese Massage, the Pudong skyline, tailors that design and deliver a custom suit in 12 hrs

Thank you Saulo!!



Lessons Learned in Beijing Olympics?
DO's:
* Buy a pre-paid SIM card to use your mobile locally with the friends you meet;
* Have Smoked Peking Duck and pearl prawns with friends @ restaurant near SciTech building;
* Buy the DVDs of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
* Travel with friends, and/or join groups to make your trip a greater experience;
* Shop in the Silk market, for silk clothes, bags, suitcases, wallets, ties, shirts, and everything you need FOR VERY CHEEP (as 10% of the first price offered, and close the deal in 20%);
* Go party in the Holland house (only valid for Olympic Games), and in Sanlitur neighborhood;
* VISIT THE GREAT WALL, THE SUMMER PALACE AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY.


DONT'S:
* Give up coming just because you have not been able to buy tickets.
* Forget to buy tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremony 1,5 years before the event.

But the best was MEETING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, in the Olympic Spirit of ONE WORLD - ONE FAMILY!!!


















Some of the international community (Dutch, German, Brazilians...)
















The Dutch Hockey players!




















The Great Wall and Uncle Ben (Steinbruch)! :->






























































































































TV & US Brazilians!!



































Brazil´s VOLEY!










Brazil´s Kung-fu delegation!

































Bruno de Luca Vai para Aonde? Por ai em Pekin!























Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Beijing TV films Where is Mario

Michael, Beijing´s TV (BTV) director and his team has made and interview about this website and our Brasilian Supporters participation in the Olympics, that went on air (BTV´s Broadcast) August 21st 2008.


We also came out in the Veja (Brasilian´s Time Magazine) journalist Fotolog. See it on the link below: http://veja.abril.com.br/colunista/fotolog-olimpiada/103155_comentarios.shtml

Today´s the Men´s Beach Voleyball matches were incredible, and 3 of the 4 teams runnig for final matches have Brazilian Players (including Georgia)

See more about the Beach Voleyball results on site:

Sunday, August 10, 2008

One World, One Dream..Beijing Olympics 2008!

The unity spirit pledged in this Olympics slogan "One World, One Dream" is really being felt and its a party every time you meet a supporter from a different nation.

The dream of mankind being one world family is a humanity´s desire of today. It can heard in the theme song "We are family"of this Olympics (see video link of Olympic torch below), and be seen by the amount of international couples and families I´ve met wherever I´ve been up to now.


Seeing almost all the presidents of the attending countries in the Bird Nest stadium on the opening ceremony, really shows the world as already being one thought sports.

Now China is a world on it´s own, and this August the world is ONE in China!

See amazing videos of the opening ceremony on:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1601148/2008_beijing_olympic_opening_ceremony/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1601039/beijing_olympics_light_torch_shocking_the_last_torch_bearer/
http://v.ku6.com/special/index_2545229.html

Party also unites people. In the Holland Heineken House I saw the crown prince, his Argentinian wife, and even met the Prime-Minister of Holland (on the photo below). This was a wonderful venue for gathering the always happy Dutch supporters and their friends.








I arrived to
Beijing on August 7th and met 3 Brazilians in my hotel, Paulo (EDS Manager on vacation), Cadu & Renata (Brazilian workers in Beijing´s Hotel industry). We saw the opening ceremony fireworks from outside the Bird´s Nest stadium, and had a party @ the famous party neighborhood. To watch fireworks where it was invented is really thrilling.









China is very different, getting around is already a challenge, as you can see by the map of the city on the photo below:








But the Chinese are making an impressive effort to make everyone feel welcome, even going out of their way to take you somewhere, and always with a smile.









The food is amazingly inexpensive
, and various sweet and savory dishes will really entertain your taste buds. If you don´t like hot spices, add the word "BUH LAH TEEAHUH" to your order (usually done with help of menus with photographs). I also experienced a bit of China´s generous hospitality once being invited to dinner by to 2 Chinese university students I met in the restaurant.








In regards to the Games, I´ve attended so far:

SATURDAY AUGUST 9th: BEACH VOLLEY

On the first day, besides seeing the Brazilian Girls beat the Brazilian Girls representing Georgia (they changed their nationalities but train in Rio), other 3 highlights were:

1) The massive attendance of the Chinese supporters, that would only respond to the Chinese co-MC (master of ceremony). The surprise was they were there even if China did not play that day.

2) The triumphs comeback of Germany over Norway, that one even having passed over 3 match points against them.

3) The great Beach Girls that came all the way from Spain to entertain us all with their dances in the intervals.











SUNDAY AUGUST 10th: TENNIS

James Blake - USA (#8 ATP) beet Chris Guccione - AUS (# 90 ATP), and Serena Williams - USA (# 4 ATP) was on the way to winning from 19 year old Olga Govortsov - Bielorussia - (# 47 ATP)









It has been a pity since the matches were interrupted due to rain. We waited for it to stop, which eventually never did, but I met the President of the Finland tennis association, having a president noodle snack (nothing really presidential about it).














And as usual we had a fun time with the Dutch with their very creative Olympic rain gear.












Still Pending (will write on the next post):

MONDAY AUGUST 11th: BEACH VOLLEY

TUESDAY AUGUST 12th: TENNIS

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13th: BEACH VOLLEY

And hopefully next week soccer in Shangai ! :->


See more news on 1st day of Tennis on: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/tennis/n214526702.shtml

See more of my photos done in Beijing on: http://flickr.com/photos/mariosworld/sets/72157606648148399/