Sights, sounds and.............aroma of Beijing..

Discussion in 'Olympics BEIJING 2008' started by ctjcad, Aug 9, 2008.

  1. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    ..hey, again, guys. I made it here and still surviving...:p;)

    Well, i've got 5 comments so far on my 1st few hrs of my stay in Beijing:

    1. The people are truly passionate and love their country..i took the subway earlier on, and i saw people with Chinese flags being temporarily tattoed on their cheeks, arms...and carrying miniature Chinese flag...really cool!:cool:

    2. A lot of people, everywhere, and most of them are young folks..:cool:

    3. The subway system reminds me a bit of S'pore's MRT subway system.

    4. The new airport (terminal 3) is marvelous!:cool: Humongous. The transport train system reminds me of KLIA, in M'sia & Chek Lap Kok airport in HK.

    5. And last, yes, the smog....is real....as i'm still sniffing the smell of it through my room...:p :cry:
    (boy, i was out & about this evening, and i definitely couldn't see the sky. It was pure smog and a nightmare to smell the air, to be frank). I really couldn't imagine what those athletes (track & field runners will feel when they run).:p:(..If anything, IMO, this smog issue could be the achilles heel of this yr's Olympics..:(

    In all, i'm still trying to come to my senses that i'm actually in China!..:eek::cool:

    Oh, btw, wasn't able to see the Opening Day matches but was able to meet with Fengwei at the conclusion of the evening matches. Then we went out to grab a quick dinner. We were the only ones who spoke in English (in the whole food court) and boy, did we talk quite loudly, as well.:p
    Yes, he took some pics of the 1st Day events. Hope he'll post them soon.:cool:

    And pictures will come in a bit while....

    okay, that's all for now as i'm really out of energy...will share a bit tomorrow..:p
     
    #1 ctjcad, Aug 9, 2008
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2008
  2. huangkwokhau

    huangkwokhau Regular Member

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    Chris, Look at your PM
     
  3. Fengwei

    Fengwei Regular Member

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    Well, hehe. Chris has finally met the real Beijing :D

    It was really cool this evening meeting you. Dinner was quite good, and we talked a lot about all kinds of stuff.

    I'll see if I can get my cardreader working on this laptop (which hasn't got a built-in cardreader ;)) Then I can put my photos from my Compact Flash card onto the net. Going to try tomorrow :)

    Oh jolly, Chris is friendly :D
     
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    nice to hear that you arrived! enjoy your stay and look forward to more updates.
     
  5. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    Chris, re the smog: how are people dealing with it? Do they just accept it and get on like it's nothing? Can't be good for the health for foreigners who are not used to it.

    Enjoy the rest of your time there. Match reports and pics please
     
  6. yannie

    yannie Regular Member

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    chris, nice to read your write-up..!!! glad you like beijing so far. yeah, and chinese people are truly patriots these days.. hehe. looking forward to see your pics!!!

    ps. kwun, i can open bc again.
     
  7. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Aw, come on... nothing beats Smog Angeles, er, Los Angeles :p
     
  8. huangkwokhau

    huangkwokhau Regular Member

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    ERRRRR............very clear here in LA....:mad:..I even can see Hollywood sign on mountain..:cool:
     
  9. wood_22_chuck

    wood_22_chuck Regular Member

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    When in Beijing, do you say "Chinese Food" or just plain "Food"? :D

    -dave
     
  10. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    what does beijing smog smell like?

    -have fun in beijing-
     
  11. madbad

    madbad Regular Member

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    Chow mein... :D:D:D
     
  12. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Quick reply..

    ..local people here, at least from what i've seen, aren't using any face mask. Nor do foreigners or visitors. There is a few that does that.
    Anyway, woke up this morning, expecting some clear air, but still saw smog hovering over the city.:p
    Although, i talked with a friend of mine and he said it was "worse" before (one can't even see the blue sky). Now it's somewhat better.:p
    ..ah hah, you must've given your laptop a nice little tap on the side, eh??..
    My first, early impression of Beijingers is, overall, i would say, they're care-free people. And they tend to not really mind what other people are doing. Rather would go about their own business.
    One thing, though, in general, I would say from their facial expression, a bit of a "friendlier" or "warmer" look would help. Although, y'day, an older lady that sells a HP sim card, at one of those roadside small shop, was friendly (she was speaking in Mandarin and i just shook my head, smiled and laughed; and vice versa, i chatted in English with her and she also smiled and laughed. What a scene it was:p)...:)
    :p..i haven't gotten into that tricky situation, yet...:);)
    :)...L.A. is definitely not a perfect place either. But one thing that really stands out, until now, is the smell of the smog. Unless one is inside one of those high-end malls/buildings, one can't escape the smog.
    When i arrived in Beijing/airport y'day, it was hot & humid. The smell wasn't as prominent. Same thing when i arrived at my living place, didn't notice the smell. But boy, after traveling to and fro and then coming back to the lodging, the smell of the smog finally bites in.
    I would say, the smell of the smog reminds me a bit of Jakarta (if one's been there).
    :p..well, hmm, i don't really know how to describe it. I would say, if one is indoor, it smells almost as if one is inside an auto repair garage. If one is outdoor, it smells almost as if one is watching one of those professional auto races. Just simply gas/oil/diesel fume, everywhere. A face mask, wouldn't be too bad:p
    As for the chow mein smell;), i'd say even the Chinese restaurants' temptous cooking smell would have to battle the smog's smell.:p

    Okay that's all for now...gotta run...;)
     
    #12 ctjcad, Aug 9, 2008
    Last edited: Aug 9, 2008
  13. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    ahhhh. So beijing air is more suited to a mechanic or a auto racing fan:D
    Well, according to taneepak, beijing air is cleaner than LA, on per capita basis:D;) lol
     
  14. Chu Liuxiang

    Chu Liuxiang Regular Member

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    The API ( Air Pollution Index) for Beijing which issued by SEPA ( The State Environmental Protection Administration) sometimes ago (>6 months ago) shows as follows :

    SO2 : 58-104 ( API) - 22-67 ppb
    NO2 : 52-111 ( API) - 44-73 ppb
    O3 : 50-120 ppb.
     
  15. Pemuda

    Pemuda Regular Member

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  16. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    good to hear that u have fun at beijing now...:)
     
  17. robin7

    robin7 Regular Member

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    Oh dear, smog, I can see it during the tennis match aired just now... Not good for the athletes...
     
  18. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    hmm..currently the wheather in beijing is 22 celcius..thunderstorm and rain currently:(
     
  19. BadFever

    BadFever Regular Member

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    It's an excellent timing. Only started raining at around 9pm Beijing Time where all games for the day ended. Good cooling for all athletes coming from winter countries. Good cooling for me too. I am already half melted. :p
     
  20. robin7

    robin7 Regular Member

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    Rain will be good to improve the smog.
     

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