Beijlympics

My apologies for the lack of a recent post.

Even though I carry my laptop with me everywhere, I just can't seem to write when I am on vacation. Frankie and I took a three month Pacific Asian tour, taking in Australia, Malaysia, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Moscow, Mongolia, Nepal, Mumbai, Bankok, Hanoi, Da Nang, and, obviously, Beijing.

We visited the Olympics in the middle of our trip, and we took in some magical experiences. We saw Michael Phelps win his fifth gold medal, and we watched the US Women's Gymnasts win the team silver. We spent a week traveling (where we were allowed) in China, and I have to say, it is much, much different than it was the last time I was there, in 1994.


The Olympic architecture was spellbinding. I especially loved the "bird's nest" (where we were lucky enough to catch the Closing Ceremonies) and Frankie was enthralled with the "beehive." The entire Olympic Village, though at times sparsely attended, was a testament to the optimistic future China and the world hopes for. I did manage to use my influence to squeeze outside of the approved boundaries for a day and a half, and the bleak world I came across served as a dark portent to an untended future.



But we had a great time on our trip, and I look forward to regaling you, dear reader, with more stories about our trip in the coming weeks.

We were thrilled to see the girls and the pets upon our return, though I can't say they were as thrilled to see us. They feigned excitement, mostly in appreciation of the numerous gifts and trinkets we sent back throughout the trip.