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Wow! What a hectic three days we have had. We are now at our new hotel near the Watersports Centre but I had better go back to October 1st to get you all up-to-date. MONDAY October 1st Today was the last day we spent with our hosts. In the morning we visited the Shanghai Theatre. A really impressive building, especially since they had moved it a hundred metres to make way for the elevated highway. They jacked it up and rolled it to its new position. After this we went kite flying. This was no where near as successful as our kite flying at Mackintosh this year! There was no wind but the kites, had they flown, would have looked great. Christopher managed to get his kite into the air but, sadly, not for long. We then went to see the arrived of the Torch. This was great since three of the team had actually held the torch when we went to the National Grid do in Birmingham. Unfortunately, the run was late and so we had a long time to wait. However, soon various people in the GB team began some improvised entertainment. It was not long before Richard was entertaining everyone with a virtuoso perfomance in air guitar (Eat your heart out Cliff Richard). Eventually the Torch arrived amid great cheers and lots of speeches. The day was probably the hottest we have had so everyone got back to the hotel really hot and sweaty. In the afternoon we went to a local Community Centre where we engaged in a variety of activities including - and I quote "Making little people from coloured mud". Actually this turned out to be more like PlayDough and we were told it would dry hard in a couple of days. We shall see. Either we will be bringing home coloured models of little people or we will be bringing home squashed mulicoloured 'lumps' After this we had a reception at the British Embassy in Shanghai. Very posh with lots of important people, drinks (non alcoholic) and nibbles. We were entertained by a circus act (more about this later). They were very clever and very  flexible people who made you ache just watching them. We were to see more of these people since we went from here to the circus proper. No animals or clowns but a lot of acrobats and jugglers who were very impressive. The climax was the Globe of Death. You can see this in the picture but what you probably cannot see it that there are three (yes three) motocycles in that globe racing round and round and just managing to avoid crashing into each other. TUESDAY October 2nd  This is now the start of the Games proper with the Opening Ceremony. Words cannot truly describe the experience. Sadly, neither can the photos since much of the action was so far away that the shots were out of focus. I don't advise trying to expand the pictures since they only get worse not better! However, I hope they give you an idea of what it was like. I have been told we will get a DVD that will include scenes of the opening ceremony that we can show you when we get back. The stadium was immense with thousands of people in the stands and thousands more in the teams gathered on the floor of the stadium.  One of the presentations included a young lady in a sampan and since this was the nearest they had to a kayak there is a picture of that. The evening was ended with a firework display that just took your breath away. Firstly, because it was so spectacular and secondly because the stadium quickly filled up with falling cartridge cases and smoke. Getting out, always a difficult situation in the best organised events, proved to be very successful and apart from four of us having to be rescued after we temporarily lost contact with the team we were very soon all on the 'bus and heading for our hotel and a late night to bed. WEDNESDAY October 3rd. After a late night we had to get up very early and pack ready for our move to the Watersports Centre and our new hotel. Although this took until lunchtime it went every successfully and we were soon having lunch there. The new hotel is really great. Again the paddlers are in rooms of three but the rooms, and the beds, are bigger than before. The food is also much better and whilst still Chinese is more like the Chinese food we get at home. A special note for Paul and Angie, there is a pond round the hotel full of Koi Carp. I will try and get a photo of this and the hotel for tomorrow. Torrow is our first practice day so at long last we get on the water. |
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