Judo/ Wrestling

My looks in Asia as a tourist can be both a pro and a con. On the one hand, I don't get stared at too obviously, which makes getting around on public transport much less of a parade (look a foreigner!); but the con is that if I need to ask for any help, they instantly start talking to me in the local dialect.

It happened a little in Japan, but seems far more prevalent here (thanks Chinese grandpa on Mum's side!:) They all look so confused when I start speaking English, that I feel like the donkey under the lion's skin, whose bray has just given it away as something else to what it had seemed.

My imitation of the few phrases I do know in Mandarin doesn't do me any favours either, I have a reasonable musical ear and can parrot well enough; so if a conversation begins in Mandarin, I'm soon lost in a torrent of dialogue that is far beyond my meagre Chinese language skills.

The reason I bring this up today is though this situation has been happening since I got here, it was far more of an issue when I was trying to get to my first Olympic Venue of the Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium.

I gave myself what I thought was a reasonable amount of time - leaving my hotel at about 9.15am for the 12.00 noon start (all the venues open 2 hours before the event so you can take photos, buy products etc.) And I decided to take the Olympic Green option as the Official Spectator Guidebook stated that there was a bus that you could take from the Olympic North Bus Depot that would be able to take you right to the venue.

I got off the subway at the South Gate of Forest Park, the last stop on the Olympic Line, and after some instructions, began walking along Kehui Rd to Lincuilu, where there appeared to be a stop for Bus No.7, the advertised transport to go to the Judo venue.

I was within sight of it when I got halted at yet another security station. Now I completely understand the need for security at the Games, the last time security was slack at an Olympics, a horrific terrorist attack happened which resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Munich Games; the documentary 'One Day in September'' is a riveting and profoundly tragic account of the circumstances involved.

Anyway, I think I went through about 6 security stations today. Most were general - upon coming into any subway station, you have to put your bags through an x-ray conveyor, similar to what you might see in an airport. But to get onto the Olympic Green line, which coincidentially is not currently hooked up underground - you need to exit the Beituchung station proper and then walk a short distance, go through a thorough security check - which includes scanning your ticket and a nominal body search (and yes, I mean wands and gloved hands running over your body!) before you re-enter the line again to go towards the Olympic Green.

It turned out that the bus I needed to catch was right behind a security section I couldn't get through...as it was located within the Olympic Village perimeter.

The weather was warm, I think it was about an hour before my event was about to start and I started to get a little loud in my questioning of just where I could catch this damn bus from if I couldn't get to that depot!! The Chinese senior volunteer kept telling me to walk back to the Olympic Green (well over 2kms away) and take a left, no a right (!) and with no one coming up with any other viable solutions, I was forced to take his directions.

While I was walking in what seemed to be 75% humidity, I saw some Olympic cyclists training (and taking photos of each other with other country teams:), humungous flags draped over the windows of the Olympic Village and thankfully at an intersection, taxis!

I gratefully plopped into the back seat of one, and after a map pointing discourse managed to make it to the Beijing University of Science and Technology Gymnasium - with 25 minutes to spare :)

I got another thorough security check here, but was more relieved than anything that I'd finally found the location.

The Judo was pretty good, a lot of grappling and I'm sorry to say that the Australians in the weight classes I was viewing didn't last beyond the first round. I did manage to chat a little however, to a friendly and knowledgable lady who runs the Judo Federation of Australia (she was seated quite close to me) and a few of the Australian competitors came up to visit her - she kindly introduced me as being 'from Perth' :) No photos though, I didn't want to bug them - but when they left we all wished each other well and to have a great time at the Games! :)