Mandarin Lessons

In the early 1900's China adopted Mandarin as its official language. Mandarin was adopted as the standard Chinese language because it was best for the country to have one standard language. One of the most intriguing parts of the Chinese language is that the characters are all written the same way, but pronounced differently when spoken aloud. As an example, a person in China that speaks Mandarin may not understand a person who speaks Cantonese although they can read the same written characters with no problem. In discussing the characters it is important to note that there are simplified characters (used in mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore) and traditional characters (used in Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong).

The language and characters are very different from English or any of the romance languages. Mandarin is character based, uses a lot of tones and has sounds that have no English equivalent.

Here are some of the unique sounds in Mandarin:

c sounds like ts
z sounds like dz
zh sounds like ger
r sounds like the r in read

To make things easier for Westerners trying to learn the language there is pinyin. Pinyin is the most widely used system for writing Mandarin in the Roman alphabet.

I have taken Mandarin classes at the local community college to get more comfortable with the language. I've gotten use to the sounds, but the tones are a challenge. Depending on the tone used, the letters m and a together can have different meanings. By way of example let's look at the pinyin form "ma".

Mā (flat tone) represented by the character 妈 means "mother" or "mom".
Má, (rising tone) represented by the character 麻 means "hemp".
Mǎ, (rising falling rising tone) represented by the character马 means "horse".
Mà (sharp falling tone) represented by the character 骂 means "curse".

So an attempt at a joke:

我 妈妈 骂 马。 马 吃 我 妈妈 的 麻。

Which translates:
Wo MāMā Mà Mǎ. Mǎ chī wo MāMā de Má.

or


My mother curses the horse. The horse eats my mother's hemp.

Our Itinerary

Today's posting is a quick one. This is a high level itinerary of our trip. The Beijing portion is going to be busy, but exciting. We plan to see four Olympic events.


6-Aug Wednesday: Leave NY-JFK
7-Aug Thursday: In flight cross date line
8-Aug Friday: Arrive Seoul, Korea then on to Beijing. Go to park to watch Opening Ceremonies on Big Screen.
9-Aug Saturday: Guided Tour of Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and Summer Palace. Donghuamen Snack Market with pen pal.
10-Aug Sunday: OLYMPICS!!! Beach Volleyball in AM and Afternoon. Olympics Team Handball in Evening
11-Aug Monday: FREE DAY: Shopping @ Silk Market, Temple of Heaven
12-Aug Tuesday: Guided Tour of The Great Wall and Ming Tombs
13-Aug Wednesday: OLYMPICS!!! Weightlifting in AM and USA Soccer vs Nigeria in the evening
14-Aug Thursday: Leave Beijing and Arrive Bangkok
15-Aug Friday: Temple and Palace Tour
16-Aug Saturday: Riverboat Market
17-Aug Sunday: Bangkok Cooking Tour
18-Aug Monday: Leave Bangkok and Arrive Phuket
19-Aug Tuesday: Phuket
20-Aug Wednesday: Phuket
21-Aug Thursday: Phuket
22-Aug Friday: Phuket
23-Aug Saturday: Phuket
24-Aug Sunday: Phuket
25-Aug Monday: Leave Phuket and Arrive JFK all in the same hour!

Chinese Currency

We thought it would be a good idea to have some Chinese Yuan on hand when we arrived to make sure we could hit the ground running when we arrived in the Beijing. I want to pick up a street map and a Time Out Beijing magazine when we arrive in the airport. I have read in numerous travel books that Beijing is changing so rapidly that the maps can’t keep up! Time Out Beijing has proven to be a fairly resourceful site so that we can have the most up to date listing of what is going during the Olympics.

I thought it appropriate that I was doing my small part to reverse the trend of China and USA’s currencies. Then I thought, I just brought Yuan into the country only to take it back to China. I bought $102.41 worth of Yuan. This translates into roughly ¥700. The formal name for the currency is Chinese Yuan Renminbi and the informal name is Kuai like “quid” in the UK or “buck” in the US. We used the service offered by eZforex on another super recommendation from Peace Frogs Travel. It only took 3 days to get our Chinese Yuan.

While it is not exact, the rough conversion rate is to divide everything we buy in China by 7. This will give us the value in dollars. This was interesting because my 2006 Frommers Bejing guide divides everything by 8. I guess this shows the appreciation of the Yuan and in the weakening of the US dollar. Here is an example of what things cost based on the 2006 Frommers Guide:

• Taxi from the airport to the city center: ¥70 or $10
• Metro Ride: ¥ 3 or $0.43
• Bowl of Noodles: ¥ 5 or $0.71
• Regular Coffee at Starbucks: ¥12 or $1.72
• Bottle of beer at a tourist bar: ¥30 or $4.29
• Entry into the Forbidden City: ¥60 or $8.58

Now I suspect that the prices for these items will be jacked up during the Olympics, but I hope we are not gouged on things. I am also relieved we won’t be victim to much of this as we have already purchased most of the large items, like hotels, some meals, guided tours, and tickets to 4 Olympic events. We do plan to use taxis and public transport to get around.

Olympic Mascots

Since Graeme has written all the blogs to date, I figured I should do my part. The Olympics is rich in history, and part of the history is the story behind the mascots. Over the years, Olympic mascots have ranged from a beaver in 1976 to strange looking dolls with big feet in 2004. Admittedly, I was surprised by the variety and, well, the randomness of the mascots. This year is no exception.

Let me introduce you to to the 2008 Olympic Mascots:

Beibei (a fish representing the blue Olympic ring)
Jingjing (a panda representing the black Olympic ring)
Huanhuan (a flame representing the red Olympic ring)
Yingying (a Tibetan antelope representing the yellow Olympic ring)
Nini (a swallow representing the green Olympic ring)

Pretty cute, eh? As someone who was never a fan of stuffed animals, I can honestly say I find the little creatures cute. Even better, when you put the first syllables of each mascot together you get:

"北京 欢迎 你 !" or "Beijing huanying ni!".

This phrase translates to "Beijing Welcomes You".

Bejing Olympics Tickets

It was recently reported by the LA Times that two internet sites have been illegally selling tickets to the Beijing Olympics. It got me thinking about the progression of events that we had to undertake to get Olympics tickets. To my knowledge there is only one USOC sponsored ticket distributor, Cosport. Their website is bare bones, but their video confirmed my excitement about attending the event. The process to get Olympics tickets started for us in the Spring of 2007. Cosport ran a several phase purchase process that helped identify those who said they were interested in buying tickets and those who really meant it. I assume this phased process helped weed out the casual fans because it meant dedication to come back to the site on a regular basis.

Phase 1: During this phase I was able to request a maximum of eight (8) tTickets to any individual session of any sSporting eEvent and a maximum of two (2) tTickets to Opening or Closing Ceremonies, for a maximum of forty-eight (48) tickets per individual order. I expressed interest for Swimming and Gymnastics (as the premiere events) first and then Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Diving and a few others second. I suspect Cosport used this phase to guage demand for the different sports.

Phase 2: This phase involved expressing how many tickets we wanted on a particular day for a particular event. You had to be strategic in your selection knowing that certain events conflict. The company required also asked me for two credit card numberss. The tickets you were allowed to pick were available from the ones you won via a "lottery". We won tickets to soccer and beach volleyball.

Phase 3: Once all the tickets that were in high demand were gobbled up, there was a third phase of ticket selling. I looked at the days we had tickets and chose to get tickets on the same days but in the morning of those days. The tickets for these less popular events were very cheap. This is how I came to get a pair of tickets to weightlifting and team handball. An individual ticket for these events was $9.00.

Phase 4: I keep checking back for a Phase 4 ticket sale. I am hoping that I can come back to Cosport to find some cancelled tickets available for people who cannot make the trip.

Regardless, after the time and effort put into purchasing tickets, it is strange to think that there are some fans out there that think they can purchase tickets for events at the last minute, and shame on the vendors for faking the ability to sell Olympic tickets.

A few months ago we were delighted to find out that we will see the US Soccer Team play. When we won the tickets we had no idea which teams were playing. When they announced the schedule we learned that we will see USA vs Nigeria and Serbia vs Argentina.

Finally, my dream tickets for the a finals session of swimming at the Watercube in Beijing are going for astronomical prices on Ebay. Anyone? Anyone?

Obtaining a Visa for The Olympics

There have been numerous articles about the tightening of restrictions for Chinese Visas. I recollect that the visa restrictions will be lifted when the Olympic Games are over. New York Times had an article about the impact the restrictions on the economy, and the BBC had an article about the restrictions as well.

Obtaining a visa for China in the months leading up to the Olympics has proven to be a challenging undertaking. There were a few articles about the tightening of restrictions that came out this Spring. I tried to go to the Chinese Consulate in NYC in February 2008, only to be told that I was not eligible for a visa because I was there to early. I thought since the visa's duration was 6 months, I would be OK with the coverage until late August. That is not what the clerk told me and seeing the line that day and the swiftness by which my number came up, I saw no problem with coming back in April or May to try it again. Unfortunately, the restrictions had tightened. When I went in April, the lines were longer, so long it made the DMV look good.

This time, I didn't have the time to wait, so I came back a second time rejected for my visa. I told my wife about the experience and she decided to take over. I told her to get there early (at 9:00am) and take all the required documentation. Even still at 9:00am the line was long, and she didn't have the patience or the time to wait. After officially striking out to get our Chinese Visas, we decided to go with the recommendation to get a third party handle them for us. I received a recommendation from Rochelle at Peace Frogs about Travel Document Systems. This is one of any number of online Travel Document Services that can provide assistance for a nominal fee if you send them all the documentation. I guess they hand deliver it to the consulates in bulk, make sure everything is in the right order, charge your credit card and send along the visa in the passport. The scary part is that we had to send our passports in the mail to TDS. So I made sure that the packages were tracked and we received delivery confirmation. We received the Chinese Visa in less than a week's time and paid a nominal fee. Considering the time, effort and confusion in the process, I highly suggest using one of these services. TDS helped get it turned around quickly. Here were the requirements:

1. A letter from my manager at my employer indicating that I worked for the company and that I was scheduled to take some time off.

2. A bank statement from my bank indicating that I had $100 for each day I planned to be in China

3. A notarized copy of my Green Card (signed by a lawyer in my hometown)

4. Airline and hotel confirmation

5. Passport photos

6. Visa Fees

7. TDS Fees

8. Visa documentation

Because Kate is a student we had to receive a similar note from her graduate school indicating that she was indeed an full time student there and that she was going to China for tourism purposes.

As you can see the Visa is quite attractive, and we are thrilled to say we are eligible to go to China to see the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.