Torch Relay

What a long day! I woke up at 6:30 AM and went to the opening ceremony only to find it was postponed. Thinking this to be very inconsiderate to the millions of people who got up early for the occasion, I went home and slept for a few more hours. When I came back at noon, I went to the central square to join my colleagues and fellow photographers. I had a press pass with photo ID to enter, but alas, the security was not having it. Several bystanders appealed on my behalf to no avail. Could it be because I am a foreigner and therefore a threat to the security of the torch? Who knows. This left me irritated as I was expected to get good shots of the ceremony. So there I was, shoulder to sweaty shoulder in a crowd of a billion under the hot sun. Despite this less than ideal situation, the energy was positive and the crowd was a spectacle to behold, with people climbing trees and such. After the ceremony, the square emptied out and people lingered around to take photos. I had fun doing this as well and posed for about a hundred myself. If you see me online somewhere, please let me know. After this I went to Litchi Park for much of the same. I never expected so much energy and enthusiasm from the crowd. However, it felt more like "one china, han dream" than "one world, one dream". Endless chanting of Go China! Go China! Go China! Anyways, my friend showed up with a Chinese flag and Olympic flag attached to his head, attracting a load of attention, cameras, and even an interview with a Beijing TV station. We left to escape the crowd before the torch arrived, and went to his apartment to get a birds eye view (sorry for the pun) of the the procession. Eventually after taking my photos into the office, I finished the day of work at 8PM. All I have to show for this is two photos in the paper's photo spread of the torch relay. Oh well - it was a good day overall, and I feel glad that I am in China during such exciting times. Here's a photo gallery on my Flickr photo site.