Olympics Day 1
This is the first of what I hope to be daily posts while I am in Beijing for the Olympics.
My apologies in advance for the sub-par photo quality
Arrived in Beijing tonight and noted a few points of interest. Upon arrival and just prior to immigration in Terminal 3, there was a help/welcome desk manned by three Olympics volunteers clad in blue shirts. They weren't particularly busy, though. Immediately following immigration, there was a long series of tables on the left, manned by a few Olympics volunteers (it was nearly 930PM, so I figure most had gone home). At the end of the tables was a computer station where one could check Olympics information, such as scheduled events, results etc.
Customs presented an unexpected surprise. Upon exiting, each passenger has to place his/her hand baggage through the x-ray machine. This measure, however, has been in place for a few months now, so no big deal. As is common (due to my tendency to over-pack), my bag was flagged and I accompanied it for a hand-search. Presuming, as usual, that my toothpaste and contact lens solution (neither in a clear plastic bag) were the culprits, I was surprised by what followed.
After a cursory look at my passport and visas and the usual question (in Mandarin) "Where in China did you study?" the customs agent proceeded to open my bag.
I had two books inside, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Shantaram" both of which were pulled out, and examined briefly. I took the opportunity to tell him that the latter was a story about India. Satisfied, he placed both books in my bag and I was allowed to leave.
Upon exiting customs, I saw that I was walking on an oddly colored floor. Looking down, I noticed that leading from the exit, was a melange of strips colored pink, green, white and blue. The pink strip led to an elevator 35 yards away where there was a large sign "Olympic Family Members". The other three strips led to a nearby escalator, with green being designated for "Accredited Media", white for "Technical Officials" and blue for "Athletes and Team Officials"
Did I mention there was a mega-screen television showing the Olympics in the Arrivals area near the switchboards?
My apologies in advance for the sub-par photo quality
Arrived in Beijing tonight and noted a few points of interest. Upon arrival and just prior to immigration in Terminal 3, there was a help/welcome desk manned by three Olympics volunteers clad in blue shirts. They weren't particularly busy, though. Immediately following immigration, there was a long series of tables on the left, manned by a few Olympics volunteers (it was nearly 930PM, so I figure most had gone home). At the end of the tables was a computer station where one could check Olympics information, such as scheduled events, results etc.
Customs presented an unexpected surprise. Upon exiting, each passenger has to place his/her hand baggage through the x-ray machine. This measure, however, has been in place for a few months now, so no big deal. As is common (due to my tendency to over-pack), my bag was flagged and I accompanied it for a hand-search. Presuming, as usual, that my toothpaste and contact lens solution (neither in a clear plastic bag) were the culprits, I was surprised by what followed.
After a cursory look at my passport and visas and the usual question (in Mandarin) "Where in China did you study?" the customs agent proceeded to open my bag.
I had two books inside, "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Shantaram" both of which were pulled out, and examined briefly. I took the opportunity to tell him that the latter was a story about India. Satisfied, he placed both books in my bag and I was allowed to leave.
Upon exiting customs, I saw that I was walking on an oddly colored floor. Looking down, I noticed that leading from the exit, was a melange of strips colored pink, green, white and blue. The pink strip led to an elevator 35 yards away where there was a large sign "Olympic Family Members". The other three strips led to a nearby escalator, with green being designated for "Accredited Media", white for "Technical Officials" and blue for "Athletes and Team Officials"
Did I mention there was a mega-screen television showing the Olympics in the Arrivals area near the switchboards?
posted by Batcha at
9:24 AM
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