I am here in Beijing once again, but this time I am here for the next 7 weeks, which will mean some Olympics overlap as well as the run-up to the Games which should provide some interesting anecdotes I would think.
Accessing this blog has proven to be quite difficult and though I may have found a work around, I'm not sure how effective my posting will be or if I will be able to attach photos. We'll see I guess. Speaking of seeing, I am writing this from my 19th floor office and have a great view of Jianguomen dajie, a main drag that cuts across the city. The visibility is at an all-time low. The smog and fog are ultra-thick, and I have yet to see blue skies since my arrival on Monday morning. If they plan on tweaking the weather somehow for the Olympics, they should probably start now.
The most noticable difference of this visit versus my others has been that Beijing certainly has put on its best face this time around. The freeway leading to the airport is stradled with manicured mini-gardens and trees, which were never here before, and they are way more signs in English than before. Most of them point you towards various Olympic venues. There are also crossing guards at a major intersection near my hotel. It the past it was pedestrian mayhem. This time there is more of an illusion of control.
Unfortunately, they have also apparently tried to clean up the black market and have shut down a number of bootleg DVD outposts and street vendors, which is a bummer. Fortunately, I knew of a couple of places that were still in business, so my jones was filled.
More soon.
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