Things
we have seen at the Olympics
Going shirtless in the cold seems to be the
thing to do at the events we have attended.
At the Men’s Moguls, we saw three Aussie spectators with their shirts off
for one of the runs. It must have been
freezing, but at least the moguls run only lasted 25 seconds. Even the on-course commentary team were
impressed.
At the Men’s Halfpipe there was a shirtless
USA supporter running around the stand, but it wasn’t that cold for this event,
so it didn’t rate as highly as the Aussies who just stood in the stands proud
to be Aussie supporters. Aussies are hardcore, do it in
the dark!
Again, at the Men’s Slopestyle we saw three Canadian
fans supporting the bronze medallist. (They really didn’t
think that through! They stuck tape to
their hairy chests! I would have loved
to rip the tape off, make their breasties a little pink! Haha)
On another day we saw what appeared to be a “fun
run” in freezing temperatures and a strong wind with many of the men running
without shirts. The clock was showing 44
minutes, so I am surprised they were still alive after being exposed for that long.
On the bus trips in to Phoenix Snow Park we
had seen a few signs on businesses about the Olympics killing them and today
realised why. The Olympics shut the resort down for the duration of the games
(and probably weeks prior and after) and everyone is then bused in for events
then bused out at the end of each event. Very few people were wandering the
streets and the ski slopes are off limits to the public. The biggest impact
appears to be on ski/board shops and rentals closely followed by eateries and
bars.
Our
Olympics
The days and events are starting to run
together. We are getting used to the
transport system, or lack thereof, and it is costing a little more, but at
least we know how to get to each event and back again without getting lost. He is whinging if you missed it! I didn’t care!
Men’s
Halfpipe
We attended the finals of the Men’s Halfpipe
to see Scotty James win his bronze medal.
This was a pleasant day (pleasant day, it was a
beautiful day! It was overcast, and we
were packed in like sardines), but we were in the “mosh pit” area and
viewing was restricted. Overall still a
good day. Those guys go so high in the
air and one boarder came down on the edge of the halfpipe and was stretchered
off. We didn’t get to hear how he was. I heard the boarder had
a broken neck and was being sent back to Austria immediately. Quite partial to an Austrian, almost Australian
with a European look! Quite yummy! Ooops so thoughts escaped to the keyboard.
In the afternoon we went back to Gangneung
for a late lunch and when we arrived, the winds were howling, but luckily the
temperature was well above 0 so it wasn’t the expected spine-chilling
temperatures. They decided to close the
Olympic for fear of injuries from flying objects, and throughout the afternoon
we continued to receive Emergency Alert messages on our iPhones. The Emergency Alert message title is in
English, but the message that follows is in Korean, so we would ask locals what
the message said. In the end we just
deleted each message. Does this ring a
bell about crying wolf? Again he makes me walk over this hill with the wind pushing
from all directions. Lucky for Papa Pete
he hung onto me because I’m sure I would have blown away! As most people know Pete and I aren’t touchie
feely! He has had to hold my hand so I
don’t walk off and take photos or get involved in the culture. A new reason, is so I don’t fall over and hurt
myself!
Unfortunately, medals don’t get presented at
the event. There is a medal ceremony
held every evening from 19:00 to 21:00 at PyeongChang Olympic Plaza. This is as far as you can get from where we
are based, so it would then take us another three hours to get home, so medal
ceremonies are out sorry everyone.
Men’s
Snowboard Cross
The next day was the Men’s Snowboard
Cross. This clashed with tickets we had
for the Men’s Downhill which had been rescheduled due to high winds. His decision to go to
the Cross event was a good one, I thoroughly enjoyed it. One of those rare moments when he gets it
right. Should I tell Denise I
still have to see a downhill race live?
Another overseas holiday… Yes, we will have to
see about that!!!!
The day was one of those bluebird days with
clear skies, little to no wind and temperatures above 0c. As the afternoon progressed, some cloud
appeared together with some breeze, but it was still a great day compared to
the ones we had experienced up until then.
We had front row seats and after some South
Koreans, who were sitting beside us, got up and left before the event, the
parents of a USA competitor in the event, Johnathon Cheever sat down beside us.
Although Johnathon had a medal chance he
was eliminated in the first round of the finals of which there were quite a few.
The racing format in Snowboard Cross is
so cut-throat and you can get knocked out/over by another competitor, or just
make your own mistake. A few races later
he turned up sitting beside me. Us, but of course he forgets about me. I didn’t forget about Denise as she was
sitting on the other side of me, so no, he didn’t sit between us. You are Picking straws!
The Snowboard Cross Final was exciting with
two Australians in the Big Final going for gold. Another silver medal to Australia. That now makes three medals for Australia in the
four events we have attended. Not a bad
strike rate.
I was a little surprised I saw no bare
chests at this event, even though it was perfect if you were inclined to get
your shirt off. Not me, too cold still. Too Old!! Haha
Women’s
Snowboard Cross
The next day was the Women’s Snowboard Cross,
followed by the Women’s Aerials in the evening.
Luckily both events were at the same resort, so we just stayed there all
day.
The Women’s Snowboard Cross Final wasn’t as
exciting as the Men’s because there was only one Australian, fewer racers and
less testosterone so not as many bumps and crashes. This time we were sitting
in front of Belle Brockhoff’s (Australian competitor) parents and sister. Belle
made it to the small final (for 7 to 12 ranking). There were more bare chests
as we saw two French spectators with their shirts off during the event.
The Halfpipe is right beside the finish to
the board cross finish and during the event we had the Men’s Halfpipe
competitors training so that was a little distracting, particularly when there
was a spectacular trick or a fall on the Halfpipe.
The day was another beautiful day but as
expected the later it got the colder it became.
After that event we wandered around the
resort and had a late lunch and (These lunches are so
big we don’t need dinner. Mind you we
are having lunch at 2.30pm); then settled in at a bar and waited, and
waited, and waited some more. I’m sure there was a quick nap for me!
Women’s
Aerials
The Aerials had two Australians, but again
no medal. The weather wasn’t the best
either with -7 and a stiff breeze at times with the last round having some snow
just to prove it was winter.
The Aerials as an event was amazing to
watch, even the warmups. It would be
good to watch the Men’s as well, but we can’t be everywhere and I couldn’t see
Australia with a medal chance when booking.
I was wrong, as there was an Australian who had a shot, but didn’t get to
the medal round.
Once again it was a late-night taxi home. Still complaining!
We sort of slept in the next morning then
went for a walk. I ended up walking up
to the local sports centre where they have soccer fields under lights, an archery
range, tennis courts, basketball courts, an international standard outdoor
climbing wall, a big athletics stadium and what appeared to be two indoor
stadiums, but I couldn’t get in to either stadium to see what they were used for.
I waved goodbye
and walked off to take some photos without him huffing that he had to stop
again!
For lunch we went to another hotel and
discovered that the restaurant was on the top floor overlooking the coastline
north and south. The meal was good (great), but the view was even better. Richest food I have
had so far. Then it was home for
a nap before heading out for our next event.
Men’s
Big Hill Ski Jumping
That night it was off to watch Eddie the
Eagle wannabes, the Men’s big hill ski jumping which began at 21:30 and
finished after 23:00. We knew this would
be another COLD night, and it didn’t disappoint. Denise enjoyed it more than me. Watching the crowd
was fabulous. Don’t get me wrong,
watching somebody ski down that ramp and then fly through the air for 140mtrs+
is amazing, but after watching 50 people doing the same thing, I found the next
50 a little monotonous. Baa Humbug! The final 5 jumpers were exciting as
that was deciding the medals, but as my toes were frozen I was glad when it
ended.
Exiting the venue was the next challenge as
the thousands (Sea of humanity, as we have been told by
our friend) trying to get out were channelled into two wide spaces at
times. This was followed by a walk to
the bus (over a hill), then wait for a bus for 10mins (remember it’s after
23:00 and -7c, with some wind chill on top of that). At the train station it was a 15min wait, but
at least we were in a heated room, then the taxi was a 20min wait outdoors. By this time it was after 01:00. We got home just before 02:00 and I set the
alarm for 06:20 for our next event. The
good news is we had no more outside night events.
While waiting in the taxi line I amused
myself by playing peekaboo with a small child in his/her mother’s arms. This child was in hysterics, maybe he will make an alright
grandparent (no pressure there girls). It passed the time and kept everyone around us
amused.
Men’s
Slopestyle Skiing
The next morning it was back up the
mountains for the Men’s Slopestyle Skiing. We felt like we had just gone to bed when the
alarm went off.
This was a little like watching people in
the ski parks riding rails and doing jumps.
As we were already a little tired, our interest waned when the
Australian was eliminated from the event, so we decided to call it a day and
head home ahead of the crowds. We were
glad we did when we discovered that the event went on for another three hours. I would have been
asleep cold or not.
Today is a much needed day off, and I have
noticed that our used ticket pile is now bigger that our unused tickets, so we
must be in the final week.
Our good luck to Australian athletes appears
to have run out, and we have no more events where I believe Australia has a medal
chance, although I would love to be proved wrong. This week is more Denise’s week with figure
skating, ice dancing and ice hockey. We are going to a Gala
event, but Peter insists on calling it a Galah Event.
Every event here seems to have a different
format, and so far, the Snowboard Cross has proved the most exciting.
The volunteers here are amazing being so
helpful and happy. They are saying thank
you to us, but it is them who we thank gratefully. While walking out of events many volunteers
are lined up applauding and high fiving the spectators.
I have discovered that directions don’t work
on Google Maps in Korea, well at least where we have been anyway. This could be to stop the North Koreans
planning a road invasion (my wild guess). I have still managed to find my way around
using Google Maps.
I have also discovered we can get a refund
on the downhill tickets we didn’t use, so we are going through that process -
it takes time (weeks or months, not days).
Sound a little like Tanzania or Kiribati?
On
the roads
Speaking of Kiribati, drivers here drive a
little bit like those in Kiribati. They
stop their vehicles on the road and even on pedestrian crossings, and people
just go around them without any road rage.
The buses here love using their horns to tell other cars to get going or
get out of the way, and people love to run red lights. If you have a green walk signal, don’t just
blindly walk out. Look both ways as they
drive on the wrong side of the road here (left hand drive).
Other things we have noticed on South Korea
roads are that indicators appear to be an optional extra, but the hazard lights
work well.
I have seen several examples of two marked lanes
coming into the lights to go straight ahead, but as you exit the lights there
is only one lane. Double parking is also a big hit! Even in a bus stop! Wouldn’t happen Australia.
Dinner
Last night we went out for Korean BBQ with a
couple of people from our hotel we met.
The first place said they had no seats, the second choice was down some
stairs and there were red lights and narrow hallways. When we finally found someone, it was “no
food, no food”, so I am assuming it was a place for something more
pleasurable. On we went and found a
Korean restaurant and went in. It was
only after the first beer we decided it wasn’t Korean BBQ, but who cared. While selecting something to eat, the waiter
took Denise over to another table (we were sitting on the floor) to see what
they were eating at which point the other guests (Korean) offered Denise a
taste. With that I ordered two more
beers and sent them to the Koreans table.
Well that made the night really interesting as we became their best
friends. The woman decided she would
come over and explain how to mix the food and even fed one of the others at our
table, including cooling the food down by lightly blowing on it. This was all done without us knowing Korean
and her not knowing English.
At the end of the meal it was hugs and
kisses all round and the Korean woman even started to cry. She definitely had a tank full of alcohol. She also liked to discuss my generous chest! Unusual! Denise thought we were being invited back to the
Koreans place (how did I get to be blamed for that interpretation),
but we ended up just going home for some much-needed sleep.
Oh, just for Lisa (daughter), I cut my hair
yesterday so you will be happy again. Yes he is back to
Mr No Hair! He better not complain.
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