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Olympic Games Beijing China 2008 |
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What an extraordinary phenomenal experience to be involved in performing at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. I feel proud and privileged to have been apart of it representing my country. Arriving in Beijing was like landing in Darwin in the wet season it was hot and humid and also smoggy unlike Darwin. Seeing the Birds nest for the first time was incredible after seeing it on T.V it is massive and I am sure an architectural nightmare to design and construct. The security was extremely tight as you could imagine as such a large event could attract some nutters.
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The first time walking into the stadium was exhilarating as I was overwhelmed with a mix emotions of happiness, pride, joy and honor, my wishes on the opening night were if my partner Amanda and daughter Isabella and also my grandmother Doreen whom passed away 2 years ago could of also been there to enjoy it would have been great too.I had met Williams mother Delmae before and she is a beautiful person but I had not met his older brother Robert whom I enjoyed meeting and got along well with! we spent several days together visiting the temples and the zoo ( for the Panda Bears of course) with his son Isaac.
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Experiencing different cultures was incredible we had African drummers, Mexican Mariachi, Scotts bag pipe players and Chinese flute players next to each other on different stages, a wonderful mix of musicians from the 5 continents representing their own music. The shopping was great getting well known surf brand clothing for a fraction of the price of what it costs at home. The beer was also cheap and drank lots of it to rehydrate after rehearsing and walking around all day looking at the sites. |
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The Ming tombs were amazing these huge logs made from one tree holding up the main building I couldn't help but wonder how they placed them there 2 thousand years ago without any cranes. The Forbidden City or (Imperial Palace) would have to be one of my favorite temples that I visited. The architecture is truly incredible and beautiful. The Summer Palace is also very beautiful and the Emperor whom built it for his mother must of really loved her as it is quite magnificent. The Temple of Heaven is a slice of serene paradise in the middle of the city were it feels like you are at times in the bush, the surprising part for me was how smoggy it was in the city and once entering the Temple of Heaven it almost completely disappeared and the air was so much cleaner and purer. Of course Tiananmen Square was a little emotional for me as I can recall watching in 1989 the horrible tragedy of the massacre of many pour souls. The Great Wall is truly a massive feat of engineering genius, 1 million people in a country of 5 million at the time 15 years to build and it stretches for 6300 km. WOW! |
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It was great to meet Corey Webster a talented young dancer with an x factor and a promising future. Richard Moore a traditional dance teacher with a strong sense of culture. David Williams from Rockhampton area a dancer Didj player and artist. The experience as a whole I will treasure and keep close to me for the rest of my life!
Thanks brother's! |
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