I just heard from my friend in Beijing that the Equestrian events at the Olympics are going to take place in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong?
If you’re not familiar with Chinese geography, Beijing and Hong Kong are like New York and New Orleans, Berlin and Marseille, Bombay and Trivandrum, cities separated from each other by a two or three hour plane flight. This was mentioned nowhere in the cosport.com site when I entered the ticket lottery, and as I chose Equestrian over some other event taking place at the same time (and happening in Beijing) I’m now left a worthless ticket.
Ah, the adventure of it.
This latest “development” comes on top of the elevated visa fee I was charged ($130), extra documents requirements to get the visa (my friend had to fax a formal invitation to me saying that I would be staying at his place, where he lived, how long I would be staying, and what our relationship is). Tomorrow, I’m arriving at the airport three hours before my flight as I’ve been advised that security will be extra-thorough.
And lastly, the government didn’t want any airplanes landing during the opening ceremony, so my flight from Tokyo is delayed for 4 hours so that I’ll get in at 1:30 am rather than 9:30 pm.
Thus far, I’ve tried to avoid complaining; I’m still happy to be going, but I hope (publicly) that this is the last disappointment. The games haven’t even begun and I got the feeling that my presence there is viewed as an inconvenience or even a threat.
Update Just arrived in Tokyo, hunkering down for a a five-hour layover, and it occurrs to me that U.S. President Bush is, at this very instant, doing something interesting in Beijing. I’m imagining what it could be – eating some noodles? shaking hands? I’m guessing he doesn’t try to use any Chinese – “Ni Hau” or something similarly beginner. He strikes me as a guy who’d have no interest in that sort of theater (I say something in your language and you compliment me on my effort and I reply with self-deprecation). And what’s more, he’d probably get the Chinese horribly wrong; would his hosts even recognize it as their language? A President has to maintain the dignity of his nation.
But that’s not what occurred to me that I wanted to write here (can you tell I’m sorta outta sorts after twelve hours in an airplane? Kung Fu Panda was one of the our movies – it was nice and gentle, a little funny, touching, good for the kids) ... Of COURSE THEY’RE NOT LETTING PLANES LAND, there’s gonna be several heads of state at the opening ceremony. I imagine the airports usually shut down when the President’s – THE President – is in town.
I remember being taught as a boy in school that you never capitalize president except for when it’s the “of America” sort (and by America no, I don’t mean you too Canada). So it’s President Bush but not president Sarkozy or president … trying to think of another world leader who’s definitely a president and not a prime minister or premier or monarch … Google’s in Japanese already.
President Bamir Topi of Albania! Can’t forget ole Bamir.
I used to want to go to Albania, back in the late 80’s, just as the Eastern Block countries were dropping communism, Albania had been communist in the extreme, completely shutting themselves off from the outside world, eschewed all international trade in a quest for 100% self-sufficiency, kept their people leaving in Middle Ages poverty for a half-dozen glorious decades. I heard stories of oxe-driven carts and canons pointed at the water (to keep Albanians from swimming to Yugoslavia. My morbid curiousity made me want to watch.
By the way, I’m skeptical of that “only capitalize our President” rule. The wikipedia article I’m reading has capitalized every one of ‘em. Could this be, like the Four Food Groups, yet another somewhat nefarious relic of grade school, an unattractive artifact of our Americanism?