TK's All-Access Beijing: Air today, China later same day

After packing and organizing until the wee hours of the night, I finally calmed the pre-journey anxiety and energy enough to get about 4 hours of sleep. Alarm blares at 5am...wide awake, quick shower re-check and re-examine baggage and carry-ons. Load car with bags and sleepy kids (Dad needs his departing ceremony, even if he has to make it happen himself!)

20 minutes later we're at the airport, difficult to say goodbye to my fam...I'll miss "em a lot over the next 3 1/2 weeks, but with promises to come back with bags full of gifts and trinkets from the far east' (my 5 yr old wants a replica of the great wall, which I'm sure will pack easily). I hug my way off to the ticket line.

The trip to Chicago is aok, getting extra leg room in an emergency row window seat starts my journey off with a smile. The 1st leg of our Olympic odyssey has us all (Amanda,Marc,Chris and Alex) smiling.

Two and a half hours later we're in Chicago, and NBC has the China charter agenda nailed. After presenting id...we learn of a huge surprise, extra seats available in business class. (leather king bed that reclines, waited on hand and foot, fed the exotic and delicious relentlessly, 'lest you go hungry)

Of our five KSL travelers...a healthy 40% win the Willie Wonka golden ticket...I am not one of them. Amanda and Chris, both well-deserving, picking the unmarked envelope that, at least for this trip, separated the "A" list flyers from the rest of us worker bees in steerage. After some early bitterness we losers 'got over it and made the best of it'. Which will be a very suitable motto for dealing with the occasional Olympic frustrations that come with working such an immense and amazing event. Kidding aside the seats in coach were spacious and a few no shows gave us all empty rows to sit in.

I was able to read up on Beijing city, note some of the great and historic spots we'll want to visit and report back home about.like the "Forbidden City". Centrally located in Beijing, built in 1406, the former imperial palace is some 8 million square feet, 800 pavilions, 9000 rooms and in imperial times was home to households of 80,000 people. I also looked ahead to the Olympic events schedule that picks up even before opening ceremonies.

Took a few pictures of Siberia, since we flew northwest from Chicago over Canada. down across Russia, eventually into Northern China. North pole was covered in clouds...and Siberia looks a little like the rugged, desolate regions of rural Utah.

Even though this is my 7th trip to an Olympics, once again I find myself caught up in eager acceptation of what this amazing gathering of peoples, blending of cultures and epic athletic battles will look and feel like. Mix in the fact that it's china's modern day coming our party and it promises to be a festival for all our senses.

Tomorrow we hit the ground...climbing at the Great Wall where we'll gawk and take tons of pictures as amazed tourists that we occasionally are. We will also shot "promos" "From the great wall to you, KSL has the 2008 summer Olympics"...stuff like that.

Once get to our hotel room, time to start tracking down our local Utah contacts and athletes. I've already received an email from Weber State's Lindsey Anderson, coming in her 1st Olympics in the 3000m steeplechase, first time it's an Olympic event.

That's all I have at the end of a long,long, 20 hour travel day. I hope some of this makes sense.

Xie,xie, zai jian

TK

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