Travel News

There are still plenty of hotel rooms available for the Beijing Olympics.

Director of Beijing’s Tourism Bureau Zhang Huiguang says the crunch that was predicted doesn’t seem to be happening.

About 500,000 foreigners were expected for the games, she said, a figure Beijing officials have long been predicting.

She said Beijing’s five-star hotels are booked at 77 percent of capacity during the Aug. 8-24 Olympic Games, and the four-star hotel rate is 44 percent. And it’s even lower for three- and two-stars.
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All over Beijing, Olympic countdown clocks tick off the seconds that China has awaited for seven years: the moments until Aug. 8, 2008, at 8:00 pm, when the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics begin.

Perhaps the most important competition involving the Olympics will not take place during 16 days in August, but occurred in 2000 and 2001, when Beijing challenged Istanbul, Osaka, Toronto and Paris for the right to be the host city. Seven years and 26 days before the opening ceremonies would begin, Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games. Like firing a starter’s pistol, the award began the race to build the IT infrastructure to stage and support one of the world’s largest and most watched sporting events.
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BUTTERWORTH: Anxious to catch the Beijing Olympics 2008 opening on Aug 8, grandfather David Munusamy Reddie has embarked on a 4,400km-long solo bicycle tour to China.

The 56-year-old, who took up cycling after a heart bypass in 2003, left his Taman Minamah, Nibong Tebal, house at 9am on Tuesday.

Going on a shoestring budget of RM50 a day, David estimated that it would him take 65 days to reach Beijing after boarding a train in Padang Besar to Bangkok.

From there, he would cycle another 20 days through Laos to get to the border town of Mengla in China.

High road to China: Reddie hopes to reach Beijing in 65 days.

“From Mengla, I will cycle for about 3,000km to Beijing. I hope to complete this stretch in 45 days,” he said.

“I am excited about this,” he said before starting his journey.

David said he would cycle an average of about 100km daily and take a one-day break for every three days on the road.

“On each of my off days, I will do some sightseeing,” he said.

Apart from a spare tyre and three tubes, David has taken along with him a set of tools, pillow and blanket, sleeping bag, medication, camera, map, torchlight, speedometer and some clothes.

Those who want to keep track of his journey can log on to his website, www.bicycletouringmalaysia.com or follow the journey through his blog at http://cyclinginchina.blogspot.com/

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By Glenda Korporaal

OLYMPIC host broadcasters, who have paid billions for the right to televise the Beijing Games starting in eight weeks, are furious with China’s oppressive security measures, endless red tape and unexplained delays they claim are jeopardising their coverage.

Saul Shtein from Australia’s host broadcaster, Seven Network, has told an emergency meeting in Beijing between Chinese organisers, high-ranking International Olympic Committee officials and TV executives from nine host broadcasters that “if this story gets out that these difficulties are being experienced, it will have a very negative impact, not only on the Olympic ideals, but also on Beijing and China”.

“There are still significant issues needing to be resolved immediately,” Mr Shtein told the meeting. “They are not trivial issues - they need to be resolved very quickly.”

The issues range from permission for live coverage in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City to allegations that shipments of television broadcasting equipment are being held up in Chinese ports, difficulties moving personnel and equipment in Beijing, and overly complicated procedures for accreditation and accommodation.
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