11th Day of the Games

Sorry for not updating sooner. Its been soooooooo busy around here. Work, work and more work. Long days. Some days, I'm picked up at 6 am and return to my hotel at 11-12 midnight. Yesterday was one of those days. We escorted our clients to The Great Wall, then to lunch and then straight to a Gymnastics event, which ended at 9 pm and by the time we got the clients back to the hotel is was 10 and we had a bite to eat and back to our hotel by 11:30 pm. I was exhausted. The good news, I had off today and was able to sleep, sleep and sleep.

So, I'm gonna go back a bit..... So Paul arrived!! I met him and another one of our US clients at the airport. I must say, when I saw Paul and Amy, I was in tears. I was so excited to see them!! It has been wonderful having them here. We got them all registered and settled in and then I met Paul and Amy for dinner that night. I had my first try at Peking Duck!!! And OMG, it was soooo good. Interesting story about that dinner.......So we decided to have dinner there at the Hyatt where they are staying. And of course, we have all kinds of contacts there. I contacted them and asked for a reservation. He said got it, and then he asked how many ducks? I said What?? How many ducks? Heck, I don't know. There's three people. He said, Oh, you need just one duck. I said Ok, one duck it is. So, we get there, and lo and behold, they can't find our reservation. So I do what little magic I can, and the girl says wait one minute....She comes back and tells us "This your lucky day. We have one table. People no show." We said, great, let us have it. So we get seated and the girl comes to take our order and Paul tells them we want the Peking Duck. She tells us, "one hour. Peking Duck take one hour because you no have reservation". Paul said Fine. We want the duck. She walks away and comes back within just a few minutes and says "This your lucky day. We have one duck because people no want. But we bring right now." (LOL!) So we said, great, bring it on!! Great dinner. It was a lot of fun! They carve the duck tableside and they showed us how to fix what I call a "taco". What they call a "pancake". Ah, it was great! :)

So the next day, I attended my first Oympic event (this does not include the opening ceremony) this past week. It was swimming!! So I can say I was at the Water Cube! Which, btw, is a beautiful building. It's walls are nothing but lights. And the lights change colors. So beautiful. And yes, I saw Phelps!! :) I also attended a tennis match...US vs Chile. US lost, but it was an awesome awesome experience. Blake vs Gonzalez. Of course, if any of you watched it, the game went on forever. But it was so exciting to be there. And our seats were phenomenal!! We sat center court, lower section. AO is taking really good care of its clients! :)

My next event was track and field. The finale of the night was the finals for the mens 100m. And omg, I loved it!!!! That particular event lasted 9 secs, but it seemed to last forever!! There was so much energy in the Birds Nest! And we were on the 15th row from the floor!!

Then last night, I attended the finals for Artistic Gymnastics. Gymnastics is held in the National Stadium. And I had front row seats!!!!!!!!!!!! The competitors were just right there!! Great event. I was really banking on hearing the Star Spangled Banner at that event. And it was sad when Romania knocked Shawn Johnson to the Silver. But Romania deserved it. She was phenomenal.

I normally work at the Hospitality Suite. However, I was able to attend these events because I worked the "Coaches" (or buses) this week since Paul was here. And I'm so glad I did. I was able to attend these events with our US clients that are here and with Paul. Such great memories!!! I will never forget any of this. It has been breathtaking.

Yesterday, we we got to the Great Wall, I was almost in tears. It felt so surreal to be there. It was simply breathtaking. We took cable cars up to the wall and we came down by a Loge (I think that's how you spell it?!?!?) Great ride down. Anywho, it was so phenomenal!!

Our lunch yesterday was another awesome experience. We took our clients to a restaurant call the Ba Ha Restaurant. All of the help were dressed in these elaborate Chinese costumes. And while we ate, they put on a presentation explaining their costumes. The restaurant itself was so beautiful. And outside, it is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Unbelievably beautiful!

As I write this blog, my eyes are heavy. I just can't seem to get enough rest. I've been working everyday, and some days are 20 hour days! Today was my first full day off. Slept in, and then Laure Anne and I took off to tour The Forbidden City. Then we went to the Silk Market and enjoyed haggling and bargaining for good cheap prices!! (which I'm extremely good at!!) :) I got all kinds of good bargains. All the girls here want me to go with them so I can help them get good deals. The secret: walk away. They will come running after you begging for your business and meeting your price! :)

So, I'm adding photos to My Adventure Album. Be sure and click on the link at the top of the right side and see my photos.

PS: I will come back to China. This experience has been beautiful and I love it here. I really do. I miss home terribly and I miss my family and my job..... But I will visit this country again. I will bring my family here. :)

Ciao xoxoxoxox