After spending a day and a half in Beijing, I have come to the not-so unexpected, but still quite pleasing conclusion that Beijing has modernized herself for these Olympic games. Many new buildings have been constructed, and at least two new subway lines have been built to accommodate the surge of traffic that is surely to come.
Six or seven years ago, which is around the last time I was in Beijing, the city was much different. It wasn't as English friendly as it is now, and many facilities appeared be to outdated and in extreme need of renovations. This is definitely not the case now.
So for our first day in Beijing, a couple of the guys and I decided to head down to the outdoor basketball courts adjacent to our dorm. We were greeted at first with stares and quizzical looks, but finally a couple of local players accepted our challenge to play a pick up game of four on four. Our team definitely had a size advantage, but the locals had experience on their side. While we were able to have our way the first few games, our lack of being in shape showed up quickly and we finally lost. It was a great time regardless of winning or losing, and this is something that I'd definitely love to do again.
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