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When you have a group flying in from around the globe, sightseeing is a must! We had some amazing times in Beijing – the Forbidden City, the Great Wall at Badaling, Olympic Village (still under construction in preparation for 8/8/08…..). The best part is that is was crystal clear with no pollution and blue skies (a rare thing for the city up North)
From top clockwise; an incredible day at the Great Wall; view from the Nike Office in Beijing, The Forbidden City is amazing - it is huge and no picture can do it justice!
The Olympic Village will be amazing when completed. Above is the administrative building - it is stunning; and the Birdcage which is an architectual gem!
The four pics below were taken at Suzie Wong's in Beijing. Bunny ears courtesy of Halloween.
That would be Rick at Geronimo's
And of course managed to party a bit in all of the cities we hit. In Tokyo the legendary Geronimo’s shot bar was on the agenda. There is no way of getting out of this bar without hearing the loud drum over and over again – which signifies that yet another round of shots is being bought for the bar…..so dangerous, but so fun. And with a proprietor named Rick how can you go wrong.
In Beijing we managed to celebrate Halloween at the famed Suzie Wong’s in San Li Tun. Much dancing happened there. There were a few costumes around, one friend punked out because it was “too crowded”. Come on, it’s Halloween – and you’re in Beijing—CHINA!!! I don’t think a crowd matters at that point. But of course he’ll be living with the consequences of that decision for as long as he knows us – a 29 year old single male will never live that decision down. What was he thinking?
And of course in Bangkok….oh dear, it’s just so easy to get in trouble. One highlight was the same guy who punked out in Beijing getting hit-on by a girl we affectionately called “The Hungarian Hobbit” and “Shiny Green Girl” (She was from Belarus – yeah we know that is not in Hungary – but it was like 4am in the morning, so geography wasn’t really a focus - she was about 4’11 and was wearing a green satin dress) I miss her. We found a bar called Bed and watched one of our co-workers – literally the tallest men I know --dance like a fiend – truly mesmerizing, and we made an unfortunate stop in PatPong – and I will actually never talk about the experience as long as I live. Enough Said.
Good times all around!
Above , in a TukTuk in Bangkok on our way to the club "Bed" where you can see the lounging guy below and the dancing guy on the right.
Late night relaxation for cheap is always a reality when traveling in Asia. So we hit everything from a Thai massage parlor in Bangkok (it’s always a little awkward to hear a co-worker sound like he is DYING because the masseuse is being unusually cruel with a stretch!) to 5-floor foot massage place in Beijing that stay open all night.
Foot massages......the bright spot of business travel in China.
And of course, we also did do some work while we were on the trip…..it’s just more boring so it’s not included in my stories – if you would like pictures of meeting rooms, retail spaces and the like, they’re available upon request, but I have included a few of the interesting things we did; watched some dancers in a park and met with professional footballers in Bangkok; visited a high school in both Yokohama and Beijing to meet and talk with some teen athletes, saw some of our best flagship stores around Asia….. take a look.
The next three shots are from a High School in Beijing. And check it out, the woven "walking suit" is not dead.....and apparently not just worn by retirees in Florida. Awesome.
I kind of enjoyed the trick biker guy who was peddling and spinning around the quiet dancing ladies. A lovely clash of rebellous youth and traditional ladies. Below I'm chatting it up with a member of the Thai National U-17 Football League.......it's as obscure as it sounds.
In Yokohama (a suburb of Tokyo), we met with some Bukatsu kids who spend their Sundays practicing with their Handball team. You can also see the Japanese cheerleaders who were dying to perform for us! And a co-worker and I attempting to balance in a very dated weight room!
