I'm here!!

After a four hour delay at Sydney, we finally got here about 2am local time. Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), where we're staying, arranged some buses so we could just get here really easily. Drove past the birds nest and the water cube, very cool buildings. No photos yet, but watch this space. 

Took a photo of the sunset, which we chased for about three hours, around about the equator. I had a window seat so I got to look out. Flying over the Northern Territory and the islands was very pretty. 

Geordie - we were flying on an A330-300. Dunno how that compares to a B737, but I think it's about the same size. 34,000 feet, ground speed of about 950kms. 

Didn't get to sleep on the plane, so I was pretty much up for 22 hours straight. Needless to say, a shower and bed when I got here were greatly received. 

Kris - took a photo of the arrival hall, and amazing building. Absolutely huge. Also took a selfie of myself in front of the new terminal. It's beautiful, looks like a huge turtle shell. 

Today we didn't have anything on until 2pm, so slept in for a bit, and went for a walk. Found a supermarket and made my first Chinese transaction! You can't take backpacks into the supermarket, you have to check it in like at a theatre. I was a little nervous as I had my camera, iPod and other stuff in there. But I took some stuff out and everything seemed fine.

I can't believe how humid it is! And the pollution is worse than I imagined. I took a photo walking back from the supermarket. It looks like a cold, winter's misty day, but it's hot and humid and smelly! How they expect people to run a marathon in this is beyond me. I think they brought in their special pollution regulations yesterday, so it will be interesting to see if that makes a difference over the next month.

Today we found out what sports we'll be covering. And the winner is...

... Weight Lifting! Yes, not on my preference list but I'm sure it will be great. I think it only goes for three days, so I'm not sure what will be happening all that time, though a lot of it is training. 

Going out for dinner tonight, going to try to find an authentic place to eat.

All is well, and I'm really glad to be here.

By the way, my skype username is stevendschubert