Day 5 - Drew Continues to Amaze

Drew swam 200IM today, and to my utter delight, placed 4th in prelims:



For those swimming novices out there, 200IM is 50M of each stroke in succession. Drew does really well in 200IM because he is proficient in each stroke, whereas some swimmers focus one one or two strokes.

Drew's position going into finals gave me heart palpitations, and we spent some rather nerve-racking hours in between heats and finals, trying not to think about the possibilities.

Emma had been wanting to get her hair cut in Beijing, so we stopped by the local shop:


We had a really interesting time trying to communicate with the staff, because none of them spoke any English at all. We eventually agreed on a price and a style; luckily, one of the girls in the shop had almost the exact cut that Emma wanted. The stylist took about 2 hours to cut her hair, and she looks beautiful! No pictures - sorry!

There are lots of things that are different in Beijing than they are in Canada. One of the things that I keep seeing are ladies wearing short, skin-tone stockings with their sandals or shoes:


Women of all ages seem to wear them, and I've never seen them in Canada.

The footbridges in Beijing are very fancy:



This one is right by our hotel. I love how the traditional co-exists with the modern - we've seen examples of this all over Beijing.

Bicycles, and bicycle-like vehicles are the go-to method of transportation in Beijing.



Bicycles, electric and battery-powered bikes, bikes towing large boxes, scooters - you name it, we've seen it. Hoardes of bikes are lined up on practically every street. There are special bike lanes marked on many streets, yet bikers seem to feel free to ride anywhere, especially through red lights. We've had several near-misses! No one uses a helmet, and I haven't seen a single person wearing anything other than regular clothing while riding a bike. No skintight lycra or technical fabric here.

Our hotel is right beside a market, and we see locals coming to pick up their daily fruits, veggies and meat, as well as vendors picking up truckloads of produce. Yesterday we saw men unloading sides of beef, and laying them right on the road!

We see lions everywhere:



There are always two. One is a male, and one a female, with the male on the right, and the female on the left. The male is always a bit larger, and his paw rests on a ball. The female has her paw on a baby lion. They are meant to keep away evil spirits.

Some things in Beijing are just like in Canada. McDonald's is as ubiquitous here as it is at home:


Beijing Bob (our tour guide in the Forbidden City) told us that mostly young people eat at McDonald's here; the older folks just think it's junk and that it makes them fat. Sounds familiar :)

Ok, onto the swimming.

Before the finals started, a cameraman from the CBC came over to where we were sitting to find out who we were and which swimmers we were there to cheer on. Maybe we'll make it onto the CBC (all 8 hours of coverage, not that I'm grumbling...).

My heart was in my throat when Drew's event was called. He always walks out fully geared up, complete with headphones, parka, and full team gear. The swimmers have a bin to put all their gear in, which is promptly taken away by an army of volunteers.

I didn't manage to take any pictures, although I think I was clutching my camera with one hand and our flag with the other. To sum it up:

DREW is 5TH!

I have no words.

Drew swims 400 free next. Go Drew GO!