Atlanta to Tokyo to Beijing
First off I would like to thank all of those that were able to attend the DVD filming on such short notice. My contact said it was very well received and highly effective in painting the picture of how CPBA was different than some of the NBA players and even current college coaches who have been here to conduct programming.
Thank you Jeff Glass, of Glass Video Productions for being able to pull that off with the editing and graphics in such short time.
I have so many people asking to keep them informed about the opportunity and possibilities with regard to the trip I thought it would be easier, educational and possibly interesting to keep a journal here on the website. I will do my best to stay up with it on a daily basis, as there is so much to do, see and learn. The primary goal is to make the necessary connections and nail down a mutually beneficial opportunity for CPBA and the potential facilities. I also feel it is important to have a healthy balance in everything so I have carved out some time to see The Great Wall, Tian' anmen Square, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum) and of course the Olympic Village.
Wednesday, August 5, and Thursday, August 6, 2009
Arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson at 12pm and made it through check-in, security and at the gate in under 20 minutes. Isn't it always the case that it goes smoothly when you are early. Now I wait to take off until 2:20pm.
Flying on a buddy pass with Delta (thank you again!!! if you're reading this) and got the business class bump up. This was calculated as I was very nervous with regard to the trip and the blood clots form last year. The roomy and adjustable seats that recline and allow you to put your feet up were medicinal as much as simple luxury. However, comfortable even pampered, 13 hours on a plane is a long time. Thank you Joe Colovito for the signed copy of your new book, The Inside Track as it was an insightful and motivating read.
I arrived in Narita, Japan about 5pm on Thursday, August 9th. The way the flight situation worked it just made sense to spend the night in Japan as opposed to try and match a flight (not connecting, but separate ticket) to Beijing. Narita is a suburb of Tokyo and one of two airports supporting the city.
At this point I am a zombie as I only got 4 hours of sleep Tuesday night and now it is 4am on Thursday Atlanta time. Eyes are bloodshot and just have that recycled plane air funk thing going. While waiting for the hotel shuttle I am trying to take everything in around me. It is very humid and everyone is in a perpetual sweat. The airport is heavily guarded with many uniformed police. There are many travelers as well as all the police wearing the white facemasks. Makes me feel like I am either in danger and unprotected or a carrier. It was comical to see the guy wearing one of the masks pull it down so he could take a drag of his cigarette, exhale then place the mask back over his nose and mouth...classic.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Woke up at 5am and hit the treadmill. At first I thought I was having one of my best runs in 10 years until I realized I was knocking off km and not miles. It is a 1.6 to 1 ratio so that brought me back to reality when I learned that my first mile was not under 5 minutes but rather 7.5.
Ok so I am a little nervous as I watched the news and learned there is a typhoon hitting Taiwan and mainland China today. Typhoon Marakot dropped 40 inches of rain in one day on the island of Taiwan. 40 INCHES in one day! Because it is a mountainous terrain it caused some rivers to rise 10 meters in some areas with flash flooding. If that is not enough, there is a rural village which has 9 people dead from a mysterious disease that they can't identify as of now. One of the people's dog died as well so they think it linked to some flea or mosquito. Maybe I should get a mask?
The Japanese are very polite and enthusiastic about their work. I saw multiple airline attendants running to help passengers. I mention how as coaches at CPBA we are looking for problem avoiders as opposed to just problem solvers. Problem avoiders see the train coming and make the necessary adjustment to prevent the accident. Problem solvers fix the problem for the future and clean up after it occurs. Both sets are required in life. I just prefer to be helped by the avoider and not just be a statistic for the solver. The people at Japan Airlines or JAL have a high level of initiative and are definitely problem avoiders. This is quite different from the attitude we see at Hartsfield-Jackson...don't you agree?
Three hour flight and arrived in Beijing, China at about 3:30pm. I met my contact and interpreter and was in a cab and out of there in no time. Did have time to exchange some U.S. dollars into Chinese RMB. 15 U.S. dollars buys about 100 RMB.
We took about a 45 minute cab ride to the hotel and it only costs 95 RMB. You can't match that anywhere in the U.S.
My interpreter negotiated a very good price and was able to get me in the heart of the city of Beijing. The area is Wangfujing. It is a high end shopping district as well as an outside market area. I went for a run/walk and felt like a rock star. I had people looking at me and in awe. Many have never seen western people, some wanted to see the ipod attached to my arm...thanks Coach Wells for helping me find the right armband and carry case.
Just like any city I have experienced you have polar opposite economic situations. Very high end and elaborate hotels, world class brand shopping boutiques and then what appear to be homeless living and eating out of the street. Just like in America though, what domintaes and keeps the whole thing together is a very large working class of people.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Today was a very memorable day in so many ways. We started the day by walking to a government run facility that houses 2 indoor courts used for basketball, badmitton and table tennis. There were also 8 outdoor courts and 2 soccer fields with an artificial surface. This occurred all in downtown Beijing proper. People can pay a monthly or annual membership fee or pay on a daily basis. Joking around I said that I bet it was cheaper to play outside where there were about 150 players playing (all male) pick-up as opposed to the 6 inside (1 of which was female). It cost $1.50 to play for one hour inside for a walk-up person or you could pay $2.25 and play outside all day.
All the outdoor courts where fenced in as it looked very similar to any major inner city playground. The only difference was that the clientele was completely Chinese. Also there was a huge mural overlooking the courts of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. It was an advertisement for their summer tour which is sponsored by Nike to help promote shoe sales. Lebron is coming August 24th. They are conducting, what appears to be a not so organized or formal 5 on 5 tournament where the top 32 teams get to attend a one day clinic and meet and greet with Lebron.
I also did some investigating into programming where they have a small summer camp for kids which runs Mon - Fri from 10am -12pm. There is nothing here organized or sanctioned in any way. They do not have any sponsored school teams on any level, elementary, middle, high school or college. Their system is still based on the old state sponsored sports schools. I will be visiting their Sports University later in the week.
Next we trekked to Tian' anmen Square. This was the site of the political rally and sit-in by college students back in 1989. The reported number of deaths was about 100. The unsubstantiated guess of the people is that many more were killed and many others were arrested and never seen again. There are so many other facts that just make you appreciate the US system, freedoms, etc. even though we have our problems as well.
After this we jumped the subway for a one way cost anywhere throughout the city for a whopping $.30 or 2 RMB. After living in Atlanta and refusing to use MARTA I do miss reliable and functional public transportation to help navigate a city. We made our way to the Olympic Village to see the Water Cube, Bird's Nest Stadium and the rest. It was the anniversary of the opening of the games so there was a huge crowd and all kinds of celebrations. Earlier in the morning they had 34,000 people performing an orchestrated Tai Chi session which was recorded as a new Guinness World Record. My photos did not come out real well as the pollution is overwhelming and there is a constant haze like I have never seen before.
Late in the afternoon I had to prove one of my teaching analogies which was confirmed. McDonald's is the same stuff everywhere in the world. I had a double cheeseburger with fries and a Coke for $2.00. The place was packed and I felt like I was working the floor of the stock market. So much pushing, yelling and extremely fast paced. It is very Americanized with all the recognizable brands; Coke, McDonald's, KFC, Wal-Mart, NIKE, Minute Maid, Snickers, M & M's, Oreo, Lays, you get the idea.
Finally I walked a street market near the hotel and saw what I am sure you have all imagined. There was snake, multiple types of fish (yes, whole), squid, octopus, snails, silk work, shark (yes again, whole...eyes, fins), starfish, sea urchin and they managed to get all things on a stick. Everything is negotiable and prices fall as it gets later in the evening. The littering is simply a cultural thing and the smells can be stifling at times.