"Olympic Beijing" a Beijing Travel Page by brewjohnson

My mom (VT member Stephanie) and her fiancee were so impressed by the opening cermonies for the Beijing games, that they jumped on a plane and flew to Beijing on a whim. When I told a couple of my buddies about it, they were so impressed (and jealous) that we decided to copy them. It was one of the best decisions we've ever made. In a span of 12 hours we made the decision to go to Beijing, found a contact at the Chinese embassy that could expedite our visas, purchased plane tickets and boarded our plane. It was a rash, spur of the moment decision and it resulted in one of the best trips of my life. Thanks to friends who happened to be in Beijing for the games we were able to attend a variety of events (including the closing ceremonies), live it up at private parties with the likes of David Beckham, Dwyane Wade, Vince Vaughan and a variety of gold medalists, enjoy a private tour of Master Han Mei-Lin's museum, and see some of the cities main attractions. I even got to eat scorpions at the Donganmen Night Market with my mom. It couldn't have gone better if we'd planned it for years.

There's something about being in a city during the Olympics. Hard core travelers will say that you're not seeing the real picture of a place. While that may be true, the atmosphere of good will that permeates a city during the games makes it a truly special time to visit.

I first visited Beijing in 1995 and for the past few years, a return to China has been high on my wishlist. I wanted to see the dramatic changes that had taken place in such a short period of time. I'd heard the stories about the explosion of cars in place of bicycles, the incredible building spree, and the emergence of China's middle class and wanted to see it first hand. Well, I saw it. And it was impressive. I was amazed at the transformation. Its going to be very interesting to watch this complex country continue its change.