The weather and smog

The question I get asked most frequently from people back home is how the weather and the smog have been. Well, wet, rainy, hot and dark and that can change in about thirty seconds. We can’t figure if the darkness is clouds or smog but it seems to be a bit of both. I haven’t had issues breathing yet and we have done a ton of walking outside. Today for the first time it is actual a little cooler, which is quite a relief. The most interesting aspect has been the idea of rain inducing missiles. It has been said China has used an arsenal of rockets, artillery and aircraft to seed clouds and produce enough artificial rain to clear some of the smog. Engineers “seed” clouds by burning chemicals such as silver iodide to induce rain. Weird, but rather interesting.

The most important meal of the day

The mot important meal of the day has been the most interesting meal of the day so far. When we checked in the first day they gave us vouchers for breakfast every morning. Free breakfast just like the Courtyard Marriott, we would think. However, breakfast in China seems to be a tad different. Chicken, ribs, pork, congee and rice, lots of rice. They finally seem to be getting the idea of bread however there is no toaster. Dry cereal and Chinese yogurt has pretty much been my breakfast so far. There are eggs, green in color, which I assume isn’t their take on green eggs and ham. There is fresh coffee and bottled OJ thank goodness.

Our group massage

After a great sushi dinner (yes I know we are in China) a group of us headed to get our first Chinese massage. Myself, Chambers, Heiman and Karl got escorted into a room together for our full body traditional Chinese massage. Four tables sat side-by-each and we knew it would be a memorable experience to get a massage together. I mean a couples massage is one thing but four guys is a different story altogether. They gave us lovely brown shirts and pants to put on and in walked our four ladies. We all laid down and the masseuses began. Moaning and groaning and snoring erupted from the room and the whole experience was both comical yet extremely relaxing. For some reason my lady decided to beat me in these rhythms and the other three didn’t quite get that experience. They didn’t miss much. We all decided we would try to get a massage at least two to three times a week giving our bodies a couple days to recover. And the total for the hour long massage, roughly 12 American dollars.

The Great Wall of Fog

After a long night at Cargo, waking up at 7 a.m. to head to the Great Wall of China was quite taxing but something that doesn’t happen very often. I mean to go to one of the greatest wonders of the world was probably a once in my lifetime experience. We went to the wall with a group of like 30 people from Getty. For those of you who don’t know much about the wall it is just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus, stretching approximately 4,163 miles from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the sections of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared.

Once we arrived at the wall, it started to pour, which was completely unexpected. Luckily for us there were about 100 vendors ready and waiting to sell us parkas and umbrellas. After buying an umbrella for like a dollar we avoided buying anything else from the hawking vendors. The only word in English they knew was “one dollar.” As the rain hailed down we climbed to the top of the hill and reached a gondola that took us to a part of the wall. Once on the wall, the fog was so thick it was very hard to see much of the wall but we got the idea of the magnitude by climbing up and down a big portion of it. The rain finally stopped but the fog was still covering a great distance. The part of the wall went to was not very touristy which was nice so it was not packed with people. There were some people but our group dominated the portion of the wall we were on. We took pictures for two hours or so and headed back. It was probably one of the coolest places I have ever been to and would love to go back and spend a day there in a different section. Unfortunately because of the rain the toboggan rides were closed.

Cargo

I know this blog so far reads like a vacation because well so far it has been. From fancy dinners and seeing the sites all we have really been doing is enjoying ourselves. Our second night was no exception. After meeting up with some guys at a somewhat Americanized Chinese restaurant we walked down the street and found a nightclub called Cargo. As we walked into Cargo we were all searched but all they were looking for were drugs. They didn’t find any. They quickly escorted us to a table where we bought a bottle of Grey Goose. The club was half full but just thirty minutes later that all changed. Locals started flooding the club and the dance floor became packed. Dancing with the locals was funny because were couldn’t communicate with them but just danced. At first just house music was spun but later on they started playing some Britney, Rihanna and others. Five bottles of Grey Goose later we had our real first club night in China. It was definitely a night to be remembered.

The first day

Our first full day was spent sightseeing at the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square/Forbidden City and a marketplace. Other than the Great Wall, which we did on our second full day here in Beijing, these places seem to be the top tourist attractions in Beijing. Getty Images got us a van and a driver (who spoke very little English) and our group was escorted around town.

The first spot was the Sumer Palace. The Summer Palace is the largest imperial garden in the world. We were at the Palace for about an hour or so just walking around and then we got a call from Harry and he said we need to go find the lake. The lake was absolutely stunning as you can see from the photos. The Summer Palace is also the first place that I got asked by a local to have a picture with them. An old man came up to me and had his wife take a picture with me. Luckily Jed was there to get a picture of the man with me and I’m just waiting for the photo so I can post it here. My moment of celebrity is nothing compared to the attention Patrick gets but I want to save that for another blog at another time.

After the Summer Palace we ate lunch at a dumpling shop in a non-tourist part of town. Being that our group was so big and made up of Americans and Brits the entire dining staff was excited to see us come in. From the cooks to the waitresses they were all snapping photos of us with their cell phone cameras. It was a very cool experience to see how excited they became when we arrived. The food was outstanding as well as we had many different types of dumplings.

After lunch we headed over to Tiananmen Square, which is the world’s largest gathering place. The history and the massive size of the structure was simply remarkable. As you walk through the square and reach the building with the picture of Chairman Mao you enter the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is a massive Palace and is like a mile long. Its not exactly my idea of what a Palace would look like but I’m the emperors enjoyed it. There is a ton of empty space. If I was designing a Palace I would make it more like the Playboy Mansion but that’s just me.

The first nights sleep

We all knew our internal clocks would be off with the all the traveling and wanted to do whatever we could to minimize the jetlag. I mean we completely skipped Monday July 28 because we passed the International Date Line. I did a good job with staying up as late as I could last night but after the big meal I was extremely tired. I probably feel asleep around 10 p.m. but woke up around 5 a.m. I just did some work on blog, checked on Toni at home to see if she was ok after the earthquake in LA and then went to breakfast and the gym. I have to say I slept really well and feel like I should be ok to get through today. I still haven’t seen my roommate Streeter because our schedules have been completely different so far. On the agenda for today is a tour of the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City and a tour of downtown Beijing. Some of our coworkers are heading to the Great Wall today but our group will go tomorrow. It’s nice being here so early before the games to be able to get a chance to explore China before we get to busy and things get to crowded.

The first couple hours

After unpacking and a quick shower we then did what any good Getty Images employee would do and found the media village bar. A couple Tsingtao’s later we decided we wanted to head to our Getty office in the MPC. After a 15 minute shuttle ride passing Olympic venues such as the Olympic Stadium (Birds nest) and the Swimming venue (Water Cube) we pulled up to the MPC. The MPC is a massive building that houses the world’s media covering the games. Our office is on the second floor next to all our rival agencies. Inside our office is room for our 78 employees to work, with like 30 big screen monitors to sync to our laptops up to and 20 TV’s located all over to watch all the games once they begin. Our team that set up the room up did an amazing job.

After catching up with fellow coworkers who were at the MPC, the west coast US crew went to dinner at a hotpot restaurant. Getting there was rather interesting as our cab driver cut off a bus which led to the cabbie behind us, who was carrying our people, to get out of his taxi opening our door and start yelling at our cab driver. We were shocked to say the least. Unfortunately it was all in Mandarin so we couldn’t understand what he was saying but we had a good idea.

So hotpot was a totally foreign concept to me. Similar to a Korean BBQ restaurant where you cook your own food, however the difference is instead of cooking on a grill you drop the food in boiling hot liquid. The liquid, similar to a soup, was in a pot split in two with one side spicy and one mild. LA based photographer Harry How, who can speak enough Mandarin to get by, did all the ordering for us. We had squid, special beef, fat lamb, shrimp paste, and lots of vegetables. The food was excellent and the service might have been even better. Our waitress Cady (her American name she said) who knew very little English but enough for us to kind of understand her at times was so helpful and stayed by our side the entire time. She kept bringing our more and more food. We must have eaten for two hours straight and there wasn’t a moment where she didn’t find something new for us to put into the hotpot. After the meal was done our bill came to approximately 10 American dollars per person. This meal at home would probably run like $60 per person with all we had if not more because of the beer. We were so thankful of the service from our waitress that Patrick gave her a couple Getty Images Olympic pins. We offered her a tip (an equivalent of $5) but she refused to take it because the Chinese do not tip.

After dinner I just headed back to the apartment and finally was able to get some real sleep.

A warm welcome

After nearly 24 hours of straight traveling we finally arrived in Beijing and the first thing all of us wanted to do was find our apartments, unload our gear and shower. This happened easier and faster than we all thought as we breezed through customs and found our Olympic bus that took us to our housing. We were welcomed at the North Star Media Village by a large number of volunteers who were ever so generous in helping us unload our bags and feel welcome. The common theme so far is the Chinese people are very excited and proud of their country and want everyone to feel comfortable. It can almost be overwhelming at times being that there are like five people helping each one of us. My first impression of my apartment was that I was pleasantly surprised at the size and the cleanliness. There were lots of little gifts all around the room – pins, alarm clock, sandals, mugs, etc. – which is nice. I lucked out and got the bigger room compared to Streeter but our living area is smaller than a few other coworkers. The biggest issue so far with the housing is the lack of an internet connection. It’s going to make things tough to talk to Toni and my family on Skype without some sort of privacy and also harder to update this blog as quickly. Hopefully we figure something out.

The airport

The Getty Group at Daily Grill

I am typing this currently sitting on the floor at the terminal at LAX. Our flight is delayed an hour but the good news is the plane is here. We killed some time eating dinner at the Daily Grill, which was great. The 10 of us who are on this flight from LAX to Hong Kong then on to Beijing are just ready to get on the plane and get out of here. It's been a lot of waiting.
Getting our boarding passes was a hassle but lucky enough we were able to score seats together. I am sitting with Jamie Squire and Jeff Gross, which is good.

Jeff and Jamie (my seatmates, this will be a long flight)

Me writing this blog

Inside our living and working quarters...

I leave in just a little over a day now.

The move is finally over and now it’s time to think about packing. With all my stuff scattered between my girlfriend’s and my parent’s house its going to be tough to dig though everything to make sure I got it all. I’m hoping to pack early enough tomorrow to leave some time to see “Step Brothers.” My flight doesn’t leave until midnight tomorrow so I should be able to fit the movie in.

I am posting two links. The first link is a tour of the Beijing Main Press Centre. The MPC is the central work place for the 5,600 accredited written and photographic press covering the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, providing 24-hour services and facilities, news and information. The MPC is also the headquarters of BOCOG's Press Operations.

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2008/07/15/olympic.mpc.guided.tour1.kun.cnn?iref=videosearch

This second link is just a couple pictures of the housing where I will be staying. I wish there were more pictures (like of the bathroom and kitchen) but I guess I can wait a couple more days. I’ll definitely post pictures on themaxxfactor of my apartment as soon as I get there.

http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/official/preparation/n214215646.shtml

The move

My move is done, well sort of.

The storage unit is packed to the top after Richie (my mover and longtime friend) and I spent five hours moving everything yesterday. Let me tell you that I have a new found appreciation for movers. It’s not just the lifting that’s the hard part but also the strategy of fitting boxes, beds, etc into the exact place to make everything fit.

All I have left is a few more items still at the condo and some cleaning to do. I’m going to try to get it all done today, which would be nice being that I leave on Sunday.

I also have a ton of errands to run before I go like getting socks, a haircut, a couple books and small things like that.

Items from home...

Being that we will be away from home and our loved ones for 30 days I asked some of our experienced Getty Images team members what they bring with them to remind them of home or an item they can’t live without. Here is what they said:

Streeter Lecka (Photographer) – I can’t sleep without a fan so I always bring a little fan with me to have in my room.

Mary Ciecek (Editor) - Whenever I have long trips, I make sure to bring my favorite soap and my favorite shampoo and conditioner so it feels like I am still at home and I don't have to use the free stuff. I have also brought my favorite picture of my brothers and sisters in a frame and put it on my nightstand during my past two Olympics and I will bring it to China as well as a picture of me and my boyfriend.

Chris Graythen (Photographer) - I'm going to be a bringing a Team Waffle House shirt given to me by our NASCAR photographers to remind me of what I get to shoot once I get home from Beijing (“They are just jealous.”) I’m also going to bring a video camera so I can chat with my wife.

Scott Halleran (Photographer) – I always try to bring two different kinds of vodka, one of them flavored and the other original.

Rebecca Butala How (Editor) - I'd say my top three are my travel mug for my herbal teas, speakers for my two IPODS (a nano to workout with and a video 60gb which has my full library) and my neck pillow for the plane. And finally, my husband Harry How (sports photographer.)

Harry How (Photographer) - I ALWAYS bring a Lonely Planet guide of the city we are visiting for quick facts, restaurant suggestions, maps and carry it with me the whole time.

Al Bello (Photographer) – Pictures of my family and my webcam so I can see them.

Patrick Sutton (Editor) - swimming trunks - I have 6 pairs of swimming trunks all purchased on the road because every opportunity I have to swim I have always forgot to pack trunks, conversely when I remember to bring my trunks I never have an opportunity to swim.

Jonathan Ferry (Photographer) - I can not go to Beijing without my family photos and voice messages, my dry fit shirts and my oxygen mask

Nick Laham (Photographer) My Ipod, I go nowhere without my IPOD.

Me (Editor) - The care package that my girlfriend is making for me.

Welcome!

The longest wait ever...
As I sit here in my condo in Woodland Hills, Calif., I realize that I leave for Beijing, China in exactly one week to the minute. Why Beijing you might ask? Well, I am traveling to China for 30 days to cover the 2008 Summer Olympic Games for Getty Images. By now you would think people would have heard that China is hosting the Olympics but you wouldn't believe how many people I tell I'm going to China and these people still say for what. Seriously! It just happened to me again a couple hours ago.
So being that this is the first blog post for themaxxfactor and I'm still in the United States, I'm just going to lay down some basics and hope to answer some questions that people have been curious about.

The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008, with the opening ceremony beginning at 8:08:08 pm CST at the iconic National Stadium in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
The program for the Beijing 2008 Games is similar to that of the Athens Games of 2004. The 2008 Olympics will hold 302 events contested in 31 sports across 37 venues; one event more in total than in Athens.
Amongst the 40,000-strong ‘Olympic Family’ consisting of athletes from 203 National Olympic Committees, 15,000 accredited journalists and broadcasters as well as sponsors, marketing partners and the IOC itself will be Getty Images’ own 78-strong team of 27 editorial photographers, 14 editors (me), four picture desk editors, 10 IOC and sponsors photographers, one Brazilian Olympic Committee photographer, one photographer working exclusively for NBC’s Today Show, six sponsors services specialists, five IT professionals, four operations managers, a marketing communication specialist, two representatives of our sales organisation as well as members of our executive committee.
Getty Images is rightly proud to continue to be the International Olympic Committee’s Official Photographers, a relationship that has spanned 20 years, and one that has just been extended to run a further eight years until 2016. The sponsors’ team will receive privileged access from the IOC to areas not accessible by any other media in order to properly fulfill their brief.
In Beijing this challenge will be provided by the distinct cultural and political climate in China.

Accommodation for the Getty Images team at the 2008 Olympics will be at one location – the North Star Media Village in northern Beijing.
Altogether 38 two bedroom apartments have been reserved at the media village. Each apartment is configured as two single bedrooms sharing a living area and bathroom as I will be sharing apartment 1404 with my good buddy and photographer Streeter Lecka. Streeter hails from Banner Elk, North Carolina and currrently resides in Charlotte.
Each bedroom will be equipped with a TV set connected to the CATV Olympic feeds and commercial channels, telephone, desk, chair and a room specific air conditioner. The living area (aka party central) will be equipped with a refrigerator, kettle, coffee table, sofa and room specific air conditioner.
Services at the North Star will include pre-paid breakfast, general store, post office, express delivery service, bank, ATM, currency exchange, transport help desk, media service desk, concierge, gymnasium, swimming pool, 24-hour first aid, self-service and serviced laundry, daily room cleaning and a bed linen change every two days. As well as the inclusive breakfast, catering at the village will feature an a la carte dinner menu, 24 hours self service food and a café/bar.

The easiest way to reach me will be by email which will still be available on my blackberry. However, I will receive a Chinese cell phone and my number will be +8615077204030.
If you need another way to reach me Streeters cell number will be +8615077204037 and Brandon Lopez (manager) will be +8615077204013.

Please feel free to ask me questions as I get ready to depart for Beijing. I will try to update this blog as much as I can as because I know a lot of friends and family think this is a great way for them to experience my journey in the PRC with me.