Letting Steam Off

15 Nov 08 – The highest Beijing bar

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Our good friend Ken (UNICEF) is heading back to the Big Apple and gave a memorable farewell party at the recently opened Park Hyatt Hotel, on Jianguomenwai across from China World. As for now, the highest bar in town, in a glass pyramid at the very top floor (66th plus staircase), in the honeycomb part at the top (the tallest building at the right). The Beijing Yintai Center has 3 buildings and the Hyatt is located in the tallest one, 249.9 meter high. Soon World Trade Center 3 (on the left in the picture) will beat the record.

a view from Jianguomenwai bridge, looking towards WTC 1, 2 and 3, China World and Yintai

Great night view, great company. But the interior decoration of the hotel is weird, dark, somber, black. Like walking in a catacomb. So dark that poor old Gilbert first walked (unsuccessfully) through a glass door and later stepped in a water pool around the lobby. I ended up with blood running from my nose and soaked shoes. I guess I will not be the last to step in the water as you can’t see it well. Maybe I could sue the hotel. Instead I found it too hilarious, like in a Mr. Bean movie.

Fun with red wine, and at the barber

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Labels in China can be great fun, earlier entries gave some samples (“Great Well” wine).
In one of those typical Chinese very official events I got this bottle of red wine.


The more you look at it, the more strange and – hilarious. So, California seems to be a new French province? Crabby wine? I like most the mention “Last Laugh Gifts”. Maybe some disgruntled employee or supplier does have a real sense of humor.
I did drink the bottle but avoided the bikini afterwards. I am still looking for Mary Jane Miller.
The 3rd pic is a shot I took with my mobile at my barber. Paris Loreial: sounds familiar? Not sure our L’Oreal friends have seen it. And no, whatever it was, I did not try it.

Keeping fit, oh boy

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Continuing with the funny pics, oh well, been plagued by some real ugly back pain (sciatica, unlimited amount of discs went partying in the nerve channel). Being a very stubborn Flemish guy I do not intend to scrap all my plans to get back to a more active night life, the gym, some running (OK, hope gives life as we say, “hoop doet leven”).

Can’t compete anymore with Michael Phelps. But neither want to move from the stage 3 in life to stage 4.

And certainly I don’t want to become a blown-up TV addict. (Any similarity with certain nationalities is a mere coincidence)
We will work on that. Today is Belgian “Dynasty Day”, my family is asking me what that means and I pretended to be too busy to answer such a simple question (birthday of some king? euhhhh). So, we’ll all head to the embassy hoping there will be some Belgian beer. One of my pals just called me to go to my karaoke. Next time. Yep, I do sing now, incredible what you end up doing in this place.

Ticket scalpers and incompetent police

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

When we went to watch the football game Belgium – Italy in Gongti, we helped to distribute many tickets we had secured from the sports people, and made many people happy. When Sun was handing them out at the entrance, plain-clothes police approached her, asked her what she was doing. She was soon tricked by them, explanations to no avail and she found herself basically locked up in the police station near The Tree in Sanlitun. After patiently trying to explain she really got mad, called some high friends who then forced the police to apologize and let her go. Result, some of the Belgians failed to get their ticket and Sun arrived only during the second half of the game.

The same evening we went back to the police station, for me to take a picture. With their paranoia they also built an iron gate between The Tree and the station. Sun told them again in her very direct way what she thought of their lack of professionalism. And she also called up half of Beijing’s government people to complain. You don’t mess with Sun.
Obviously coordination between the police forces is poor and there is too much incompetence.
We have some good friends in the security forces and they try to do a good job. But there are others who are totally brutal, inept and treat normal Chinese citizens worse than animals. Disgusting really and I despise them, including the totally useless traffic police. They never do anything but make life miserable for taxi drivers and others. They stand in the middle of traffic chaos without even noticing.
Those are the shame of China and as long as the government does not clean up, it will only bring more resentment among Chinese and foreigners alike. They spoil the image of a friendly China.
Ticket scalpers have been very busy doing their work, one day the police completely ignores them and another day they round up everybody without even checking.
A lot is to be said of the disaster ticket sales for the Olympic events. Whole sections of stadiums are empty and authorities sometimes at the last minute bring in buses of “spectators” to fill the seats for TV consumption. And normal people can’t find tickets. In a way, thanks to the scalpers, people find tickets, be it at astronomic prices.
Seems the Beijing Olympics are the worst in this category. Athens tickets were expensive but were available. In the end, Beijing tickets are more expensive – I was offered tickets for Brazil – Argentina on 19 August for 5000 RMB. The ticket I got from the sports people cost me 400 RMB.