The kids are out and about today and I am enjoying a quiet air conditioned afternoon with a book and a view of blue sky and white fluffy clouds. I almost forgot what our view looks like without the grayish overcast of smog. Ahhhh.....it is good to have some fresh air!!!

News from China

Yao Ming (basketball star) was married on August 6th in Shanghai. The location of the ceremony was top secret to keep paparazzi away. The newspaper announced on Tuesday that the ceremony was held in the Pudong Shangri-La hotel that is just down the street from our apartments....I am pretty sure our invitation was lost in mail or something...ha ha

Yesterday was the 1 year countdown to the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing. Yao Ming had a very short honeymoon because he was a participant in the ceremony and had to travel from Shanghai to Beijing where the ceremony took place.

Some Olympic factoids from The Shanghai Daily:
16 days from opening to closing
302 events
16,000 athletes and officials will be accommodated in the Olympic Village
91,000 seats in the Bird's Nest Stadium
7,000,000 tickets will be available for events
5,000 yuan (US $661.40) for opening games (most expensive ticket)
137,000 km distance covered by pre-game torch relay
24.9 Celsius - average temperature in Beijing in August.....I find this one hard to believe having just been in Beijing when the temperature was 32 and 34 Celsius

The City of Beijing
15,810,000 permanent residents
2,000,000+ expected visitors to Beijing during the Olympic games
65,000 old buses and taxis to be taken off the road before the games
3,000,000 cars in Beijing
10,000,000 bicycles in Beijing

About Shanghai blue skys:
Apparently Typhoon Pabuk is responsible for our slightly cooler weather and blue sky this week. The typhoon is not expected to hit Shanghai but the winds from the storm have "blown the stink" out of the air. Yippee!!!