Torch Relay Fake Out.

Above is a video of my place of residency. The video really makes it look a lot cleaner and developed than it is, but it is a taste of where I live :-) I don't know how to rotate videos so you'll have to turn your head and I promise I will shoot videos the other way before I upload them.


So, on the August 6th we tried to go to the Torch Relay as it entered the Temple of Heaven (the last stop of the day). We lined up several hours before hand along with everyone else and their long lost brother. The atmosphere was intense. At first it was relaxing and we had a great spot, then the police moved everyone back past the police tape. The torch was scheduled to pass by at 3:50 pm and right before that time either the police broke the tape or people broke through and people ran closer to the road. Basically the fight or flight instinct set in and we SPRINTED so that we could keep our spot in the front of the line. We stood on a ledge above where the torch was supposed to come through for another hour or so, forming a chain link with our arms so that the people behind couldn't push us down or push in front of us. The police reorganized the people all around us with barricades several times and people kept breaking through them. We saw a few vans come through with Olympic cheerleaders to get the crowd pumped, but no torch. The police and security officers kept rearranging people and we stood anxiously with people pushing and elbowing behind us. We watched some vans enter the Temple of Heaven and about a half an hour later we saw them exit, with an unlit torch. Then the crowd and police dispersed. I think that the crowd was too out of control for the police to control so they decided to end the torch relay earlier than planned. It was quite the adventure. Below is a picture of some of the crowd control action.
After the torch let down, a few of us went to my new favorite restaurant...Hu Tong Pizza. Pizza is a pretty nice break from the food at the hotel. I have to be honest, I am not so much enjoying the food recently. Yesterday there was a worm in my juice, just swimming around. Today there were shells in my egg. The other day there was hair in the soup. When we saw the people who work at our hotel cutting the vegetables on the street outside our hotel, that kind of grossed me out. Although there is much not to be desired at our hotel as far as food goes, I do enjoy a few of the dishes. Rice is a staple (obviously?), but the blandness is wonderful among the other adventurous choices. There is an egg and tomato dish that is pretty delicious, the orange chicken always flies off the table (probably because it is familiar?) and I like pretty much anything with chicken and peppers.


I am in Starbucks now, so I have unlimited Internet (until we go watch the Opening ceremony on t.v.) so I will probably give another update about the SWEET OLYMPIC soccer games we saw last night before I leave. I did update more pictures, so feel free to check those out!

Love from China!