In the morning I stepped out of my hotel and the main entrance emptied out into a rather non-descript alley with men sitting on crates smoking cigarettes, and dogs roaming about. The chaos of cars, mopeds, bikes dogs, people, busses and general commotion was overwhelming at first. I must have stood there for 5 minutes just watching and soaking in the commotion before venturing past the curb. I took my 1^st steps, in no particular direction, and the cautious part of my brain started to say something. It was trying to remind me that I had no clue where I was, or how to find my way back if I ventured very far. I made a mental note to try and pull some landmarks out of the visual clutter, but the curious side of my brain already had my legs moving at full speed into the chaos. It was 7am local time but I wanted a beer, I wanted some good Chinese food, I wanted to ride one of those mopeds around like one of the mad Chinaman that seemed not to care what was in front of them. I really wanted to see what was happening around the next corner.

So the next few hours I wandered about and soon found myself at ease with the city and my location and the chaos was starting to fade into the background. I had learned I was in the southeast part of the city inside the 4^th ring (Beijing is has a series of beltways that circle the city) and my meanderings soon brought me to a subway sign. It was 1 month before the Olympics and I really wanted to go see all the wacky architecture of the new stadiums and see how the preparations were progressing. The Olympic area was in the north central section of Beijing, I had heard rumors of how time consuming it is to get around BJ, but I figured I had 15hr till I had to leave for the airport again so that should be plenty of time.

Some notes for the day and Picture Gallery below

· Beijing’s new subways are very nice and modern

· Smog and rain so bad you couldn’t see more than 3 blocks, terrible for pictures

· Saw the Birds Nest Stadium and the Water Cube in the Olympic park area

· City is still scrambling to get ready for the Olympics…wonder if they will make it?

· Got interviewed by a Chinese newspaper, and apparently I’m 30 years old so I’ve gained back a few years. Read Article