Hong Kong Report #4, Spetmber 21, 2008

Yesterday we managed to win a game against the only team worse than us, the Alliance Team 1 by a score of 2-1. I gained the respect of the Older Players of the World and the World of California Hockey when I saved a penalty corner against us with a lucky deflection. Oh well, such is life. On the walk back to our hotel, we stopped at The Stable for a bit of fodder and Cbeer, Don’t be surprised when The Stable fare sweeps American cuisine.

Right now, we are in our room, watching Chelsea playing Manchester United in some inane game of that other sport narrated in Chinese. At times, it almost makes sense; both visually and linguistically.

Anyway, tonight they had the awards ceremony. Fortunately, our medals were given early so we could steal away to The Stables for Bangers and Mash and a beer or two while the others were still rapt in boring elocution.

I will show everyone the medal when I return, victorious and triumphant on Monday. It is only a weak replication of our Cal Cup Medals that Elina Lorenzo has arranged for our Cal Cup. My first press conference will be held next Wednesday at Romio’s in Moorpark. It will begin promptly at 7:10 p.m. Late attendees may not be admitted.

We have had a good time in this far and distant land but, once again, we have been convinced that the best place on earth is Ventura County. After speaking to the world of hockey, I realize we are fighting an uphill battle to make American hockey a significant force on the world scene, but I believe all of us can make a difference.

Hong Kong Report #3, Spetmber 19, 2008

We have been so busy, the internet has not been checked since Sunday and there has been little time to write another report.

On Saturday afternoon we took a taxi to Times Square and had dinner at the Outback as I told you in Report #1.  On Sunday, we took a tour of the city. It included a ride on a cable car to a mountain to that has a nice view of all the many tall buildings.  The number and density has to be on the scale of New York City and many times greater than Los Angeles. We also saw some very expensive homes. As usual, the tour included a jewelry mart and a shopping center that is like many other places in the world. We also rode to the top of a tower where people make bungee jumps.

On Monday, we lost 8-3 to a German team. I played my usual game. Some of our players hit the ball to the other team and then we have to run to recover. Some of them are very casual about keeping their positions. After the game, we had some drinks at the Hong Kong Football Club bar. The building is very elegant, the service splendid and the beer cold. Some of my team mates are very cordial and outgoing but some are very insular and are not interested or impressed in my wit and charm.

On Tuesday, we took a ferry boat ride to Macau. As you probably know, this was formerly a Portuguese Colony and now is a semi-autonomous part of China. It seems the major business is gambling. I was told that the Macau Venetian is the world’s largest casino.  We visited the Wynn. There were many, many gamblers spending their money. All but a few are Chinese. The building, both on the exterior and interior are well-designed and maintained at a very high level. The shops in the Wynn building are Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. and carry very expensive items. I suppose this is in case anyone wins some money they do not have to carry it home.

Wednesday was an 8:30 game. We managed to tie 3-3 and the players were talking about it like it was a major accomplishment. I must confess that this group and the environment are not nearly as enjoyable as the Golden Oldies. Anyway, we will make the best of the situation. We are having a very good time seeing the sights. After a shower, we rode the subway under the ocean to Kowloon. It is a part of Hong Kong, but not connected geographically. As soon as we walked out of the subway station, Indian gentlemen were trying to sell us custom-made suits, shirts and other articles of clothing. Since I have three suits and I believe they will be enough to last through this lifetime we did not make any purchases. On fellow wanted to sell me a watch but I quickly showed him my $24 Casio and told him I already had a watch.

As in Macau, in Kowloon there are many expensive shops. While I had always thought Chinese people lived by modest means, some of them have some money or these shops could not survive. We found a nice German restaurant while in Macau. Our lunch was not as good as the one we had in Beijing but it was okay.
At seven in the evening, we rode to Lamma Island on a 35 minute boat trip. We ate at the Rainbow Restaurant. It is outdoors and the weather was very comfortable. They had live fish is tanks that could be ordered prepared in several ways and with several other dishes.

Yesterday, we did not have a game. Karen went to Disneyland so I stayed near the hotel reading and writing.
Last night we had a team dinner at our Emperor Hotel Restaurant. The food was so-so. Afterward, many of us walked three blocks to an English pub known as the Stable. We talked hockey and had some beer.
We play this evening at 5:15 p.m. Later, we have dinner at the Hockey Kong Football Club with all the participants in this the Grand Masters Hockey World Cup.

Hong Kong Report #2, Spetmber 15, 2008

Today we took a commercial tour of Hong Kong. It was interesting to go to the highest part of Hong Kong island on a Cable Car. The view was a little obscued by the haze below. However, sitting through a 30 minute session at the Hong Kong Jewelery Mart was not very enjoyable. If they set up some video games, it might be time better spent and more money
made by the hosts.

In the afternoon, I took a long, deep nap where I communed with some great ideas composed by some ordinary people. In the evening, we rode the hotel bus to Times Square. I have only seen this many people in the same placed in the New York Times Square. They all seem perfectly normal; young lovers, families with their children and older people with devoted middle-aged offspring attentive to their needs. We ate at a Japanese Restaurant just off Times Square. The food and service were not as good as Akio's in Thousand Oaks but it was nice to see how they operate in Hong Kong. We revisited the Outback to see if the Quality Control Officer was maintaining the level of quality and temperature of the Fosters.

Hong Kong Report #1, Spetmber 14, 2008

Thanks to Karen, some credit card miles and divine intervention, we rode from San Francisco to Hong Kong in Business Class. The new arrangement allowed us to lie flat and when we weren’t sleeping we could watch from a selection of more than twenty movies, thirty television programs plus some books-on-tape.

We arrived at the Hong Kong airport at about 6 p.m. and at the Emperor Hotel at around 8 after finding our luggage and riding the bus for awhile. We found a Japanese restaurant near our hotel. The food was so-so and the prices were too high. Fortunately, the beer was cold and plentiful.

We found the team manager and got our uniforms and paid our balance.

Our first game, on Friday, was against the other Alliance team. We lost 3-2 despite some brilliantly executed techniques by your truly. I haven’t perspired so much since I left Oklahoma 60 years ago. The games are in the middle of a race track. It was obvious that someone has put a lot of money in the hockey, soccer and rugby programs. The race track and the stand represent a large amount of money. There are three or four water-based hockey fields on the infield of the race track which is known as the Hong Kong Football Club. The Club House itself is first class, as nice as we have seen anyplace in the world. It housed a restaurant, bar, dressing rooms and everything else. We were given a guest card which gave us access to all the facilities.

Today, Saturday, we lost to the England Team 4-1 which reflected the relative strengths of the teams. (I could only do so much.) After the game, some of our players were complaining but I thought the results were fair. Bear in mind, most of my team mates are much younger since the age requirement in this division is 60 and above. Karen tells me that I am about the middle of the skill level.

Following the game today, we took a taxi to the Hong Kong Outback. The cab fare was about 3 dollars for a fifteen minute drive. The Outback made us very nostalgic for home. I thought the food was the same but Karen said it was different. The temperature and the taste of the Foster’s Beer compared very favorably. Hong Kong is a city of about seven million packed into a very small area. It is sort of like New York City but newer, safer and better managed. The people are very friendly and helpful.

This afternoon we visited a major, high-end, shopping center. I don’t know about expensive clothing but I did visit a Book Store. The variety was matchless but the prices seemed a little higher. The city of Hong Kong is very compact. The average height of the buildings must be about 20 stories. Some of them have a high height to base ratio. I would be concerned for the dangers of an earthquake if I was in a typical building if the Richter scale hit more than 5.

We are spending some of our time promoting our Cal Cup Tournament. We may have a few more entrants in our Golden Stars Division. At least we are making our event better known internationally. However, most people seem surprised that hockey is even played in the United States. As many of you know, Ravi Kanwal is originally from Hong Kong. Tomorrow there are no games so we are taking the City Tour. The guide has promised to include a side visit to the Kanwal Garden of Peace and Reconciliation. This promises to be one of the major highlights of this trip.

Our room is on the 22nd floor of a 23 story building. It is very nice, not expensive, and with some great views.

Beijing
Friday Afternoon, August 22, 2008

The first game last night between Germany and Holland was a classic, well played with consistent high levels of skills complemented by end to end action by all the players. Some rain fell during the full game, the overtimes and the penalty strokes. Most of the Dutch and Germans left after this game, so the stadium was only about half full for the Spain-Australia game. Once again, this contest was played with the same high level of skill and conditioning.

The results for these two games could easily have gone the other way since all four teams are so evenly matched.  I assume all of you are getting the full game reports on www.fihockey.org. It appears that all the statistics and game reports are available.

I continue to believe there is a way for the U.S. to be competitive in the 2016 Olympics if we can find twenty athletes to dedicate themselves to this objective. It will also require that many parents and interested people supporting them.

The bus to the subway was extremely crowded on our way to the subway last night. I felt physically violated and within an inch of losing my virginity.

On our walk from the subway station to the hotel, we stopped by a non-descript Chinese restaurant. Without my intention, I ordered some more of the variegated insole. This time it was cut into thin strips and mixed with a green vegetable that could have been related to lettuce or cabbage. Anyway, the beer was cold and plentiful.

This afternoon, I have a slight cold so rest in the room seemed to be recommended. Karen is shopping. Tonight, we are returning to the Paulaner Brahaus for another meal of sausage, sauerkraut and potato salad plus the Paulaner Bier. I am saving my strength.

Yesterday, I saw a little boy of about one year of age being pushed in a stroller by his parents on the street. While there are all sorts of religions practiced in China, this family was definitely not Jewish. I have read that China has a one family-one child policy. It seems that the one child is with each young couple.

We noticed that the Afghanistan women’s beach volleyball team elected not to participate.

There is one English language channel (9) available in Beijing. However it does not carry any of the events live but rather news summaries of the games, results and medal counts.

Table Tennis is big in China—almost as big as badminton. They both receive much more publicity than hockey and many other sports.

Each day, we receive one roll of toilet tissue in our room. The roll is less than one inch thick. I find myself counting the squares as I use them. I do miss the Wednesday evening hockey hit-around at Moopark and the camaraderie afterward at Romio’s. I will be holding a question and answer session this coming Wednesday.

If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to answer in my next report. (Contact Tom Harris at: CALCUPFH@aol.com)
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Beijing
Wednesday Evening, August 20, 2008

There was no men’s hockey today so we did some exploring. We started the day at the Harley-Davidson first store in China. There were about 18 motorcycles including a vintage model. We were the only customers but decided not to buy a hog but a shirt for our cousin who owns one.

We walked for awhile and wound up at a revolving restaurant, the Summit Club on the 29th floor of the Kunlan hotel. It revolves once every two hours. That was the good news. At two o’clock, they turn off the revolving mechanism at 2:00 p.m.. We only got about 87° 19’ 48”. I demanded a refund but suddenly no one could speak English.

Yesterday, we had some fresh vegetables. With them was an item to wrap them in—sort of like making a taco. Anyway, this wrapper had the appearance of a variegated shoe insole and tasted very similar.

The longer we stay here, the longer the taxi rides. The resultant price is now about fifty percent higher. When I point to the map, they tell us that some streets are closed to vehicular traffic. It is an inducement to use the subway since the price is always thirty cents, no matter where you go.

After our afternoon nap, we took a taxi to find the Outback Restaurant. Unfortunately it is in the Beijing Hotel where the International Olympic Committee mucky-mucks are staying and we could not gain admittance. We were lucky that one of the volunteers went in and got the manager and he gave Karen one. We plan to give it to the manager of the Thousand Oaks Outback. We got him one in Brazil and he has begun a collection. In the future, if you are forced to have noodles with your steak, you can blame Karen.

Adjacent to the Beijing Hotel is a street that is pedestrian mall. It was very crowded with people. We went into a Olympic souvenir store and I have never felt more crowded. I was worried that I might lose contact with Karen. She told me to go wait by the door and not to move until she came and retrieved me. I did.

We found a Chinese restaurant (of all things). The food was great for a change. It tasted as if the items had been cooked individually. The shrimp, the carrots, etc. actually had unique tastes.

Earlier today, the Chinese women won the semifinals in hockey, so as I write this, they are playing the game on television for the third time.

Taxis were in big demand in the evening. We rode on the back of a three wheeled motor scooter. If there had been an accident, you would not be receiving this. The driver originally told us the price would be 30 yuan. When we arrived at our hotel he wanted 30 yuan for each of us. I began to reason with the man when Karen grabbed my arm and whisked me away without a backward glance the driver. In this country, the taxis have seat belts but no one, including the drivers use them. I have not seen a helmet for any of the hundreds of motorcycle/scooter drivers nor any for the thousands of bicycle riders. If the government ever makes a helmet law and you could make a one dollar profit from each one, well you do the math. Where is a lobbyist when you need one?

What is in a name?
A Chinese man was doing whatever they do on the trampoline. I had no idea the trampoline was still used since there are hardly any in American high schools and universities. Anyway, this man was named Dong Dong. Reports are that his biggest supporters are his brother Leong and sister Ding.

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Beijing

Tuesday Afternoon, August 19, 2008

In the Netherlands 4 Pakistan 2 game, the Dutch played full-court hockey while their opposition tried to attack with five while the defenders checked their sticks for imperfections. While the Pakistani forwards may be able to beat a defender one-on-one, it is difficult to play 5 v 11.

The weather was warm and sunny this morning. The field lights were on the entire time.
Germany defeated New Zealand 4-2 in a very physical game. Both teams have some very skillful players but they were also very strong. Both teams played full-court hockey and substituted freely. Most of the teams have only one goaltender dressed for the games and use the extra player in the field.

Our daily trips from our hotel take about an hour to the field. The trip is divided into three approximately equal legs. First the walk to the subway, then the subway ride and finally the last leg, a bus ride to the field. It takes about another ten minutes to go through security and then walk about 400 yards to the ticket taker then another 200 yards to our seats.

Most Chinese seem to be in good shape, very few are overweight. It is probably from their diet and the amount of walking and stair climbing that is required.
I have seen no graffiti.

More men and boys smoke cigarettes than at home. I cannot remember seeing one Chinese woman smoking.
On our way back from the field, we stopped and ate at an interesting restaurant that will be nameless since the name was written in Chinese characters. We sat at a table for four with a couple we did not know and who did not speak English. When they left, an older woman and her daughter sat with us. As we were leaving, the younger of the two spoke to Karen in English. The bathroom had three stalls. Each of them had a sign on the door welcoming either males or females. The acoustics in the restaurant were filled with echoes of loud Chinese voices. Fortunately, the menu had pictures but not all the items were available. Anyway the VanJing Beer was cold.

Some of the very small children do not wear diapers and no clothes other than a shirt and the slightly older ones have pants with a cut-out in the crotch. Sort of reminds me of when the flies in Oklahoma got really bad, we would cut the seat out our pants to keep the flies out of our face..
Beijing is a city of multistory buildings in the 15-20 story range for the most part. They are used for housing with stores on the first floor. The majority appear to be of recent construction.
Since we were here two years ago they have installed fences in the meridian so there are fewer pedestrians playing dodge-em in the fast lanes.

11:00 pm
We have returned after watching the evening games. None of the results were meaningful but we did see some great games.

We are always trying to promote Cal Cup with some success. Still, we do not have any commitments but a lot of interest.

The subway system in Beijing is remarkable. It is extremely clean, always on time, and usually very crowded. When we show a ticket to any Olympic event the ride is free. Otherwise, it is thirty cents. The bus is fifteen cents. There is a little crowding and cutting lines but most people behave in a civilized manner. It seems to me there are more very small children than you would see at home but Karen tells me I just do not notice them at home.

We saw Terry Walsh this evening.

Larry Kornofsky also ran across our path. He is the person who has written the Olympic Hockey Statistics program. Gabe and Phil use it for Cal Cup. He has been gone from California for 12 years. He promises to try to come to our tournament this year.

Bogdan flashed by, low on the radar.

Finally, the hockey we have seen is about three levels above what we play in intensity and skill. It is not out of reach but will require a concerted effort.

I read that Michael Phelps, the swimmer, spends several hours practicing each day. If we could get twenty young men to give the same effort, the same commitment to hockey, our U.S. Men’s Team could be at the Olympics in 2012 and we could be contenders. I hope our boys will decide to be there and are willing to pay the price of admission.

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Beijing
Monday Evening, August 18, 2008

Yesterday, we arrived at the Hockey Center in time to see the two morning games. In the first game, Canada had a one goal lead before settling for a 1-1 tie. Canada played well and could have won but for what I would consider a lucky deflection. It was unfortunate for Canada after they played their best game of the tournament.

In the second game, Belgium led 1-0 before they appeared to collapse in a 3-1 loss. To play at this level, a player must be able to run the entire game and to cover the field from one end to the other. I believe our team could play at this level, but they need to be able to play the entire field for the entire game. Right now, I wonder if any of our young men could play hockey with the same consistent movement of a basketball player.

The weather was a moderate temperature with a morning light drizzle that became sunny later. At the evening game, all the spectators were given plastic ponchos at the gate.

The layout of all the venues for all the sports does not allow anyone to get close to the stadium without a ticket. Imagine that this Olympic Hockey was being played at Moorpark College. Then the closest one could get without a ticket would be down at the shopping center at the corner of Collins and Campus Park.

In the afternoon we returned to our hotel for our afternoon nap after lunch at a restaurant without a English menu. In the evening we saw Bogdan Matuszewski and his son, Paul. They had arrived in the afternoon. Paul had bought a ticket from San Francisco on Philippine Airlines. It was a 37 hour flight. He said he got a good price.

We found and made good use of a Beer Vendor at the Hockey Field. We watched China tie New Zealand 2-2 to a full crowd of enthusiastic supporters. Whatever they lacked in knowledge of hockey they made up for with their constant chants. The Chinese run, run, run. When they got a break-away, the crowd’s cheering was quite vocal.

The last game we saw was Germany 1 Spain 0. This was a must win for Germany and Spain. The other big game was Australia 1, Netherlands 1 but it was on field 2 and we did not have the tickets for it.
Compared to the U.S. network publicity, you get a much more balanced view of the totality of the sports. For example, on ABC, one would get the idea that gymnastics is very important. By contrast, in China, badminton and table tennis get expanded coverage.

Today we rode the subway to the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest. There were no tickets for sale in the ticket booths so we approached some scalpers. For a ticket with a face value of $29 U.S. the asking price was around $728. Of course you are not sure the tickets are not counterfeit. Needless to say, we did not buy any. I wanted to see the architecture and structural engineering of the edifice but we were able to get no closer than about a half mile. We bought some trinkets at the Official Store then had lunch at a Chinese café. The Chopped Chicken and Rice I had contained chopped chicken without any of the bones removed. I remembered my dog when I lived in Oklahoma when we would feed him leftover chicken and the way he would cough when he got a bone caught in his throat.

As one might expect, the streets and sidewalks are immaculate, the gardens are well manicured and the traffic manageable. At intersections, might makes right. In other words, the biggest vehicles go first and the pedestrians had better stay alert and nimble. The crosswalks are clearly marked, but their meaning is not known to the drivers here.

One thing I think is odd is how the Chinese on the crowded subway will get up and offer me a seat and not Karen. Is it the age or the ethnicity? Either way, it is nice but I seldom accept.
We walked for about four hours today around the National Stadium and, at about three o’clock, this cowboy was just plumb tuckered. It is now seven and the nap has restored me to my vibrant self. Karen has found us a Japanese restaurant for this evening. If I never have to eat Chinese food again, it will be fine with me. And the warm beer is simply wrong; against everything that is right and good with humanity.

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Beijing Sunday, August 17, 2008 --

We arrived on Thursday afternoon to good weather and friendly people. The forty minute taxi ride from the airport to our hotel cost about the equivalent of $15 in U.S. money. Our hotel sits back off the street about a hundred yards behind some other buildings. While the taxi driver was looking for it, Karen spotted the sign up an alley in a construction area. The room is small and about the quality of Oklahoma circa 1960. It is expensive but that is the way it is in an Olympic city. A buffet breakfast is available. If you don’t like Chinese food, you are in the wrong place. In the evening we went to a Chinese restaurant. The food was so-so and to give the experience some consistency, the beer was room temperature.

On Friday, we arose early and took a taxi to the hockey stadiums. The ride was in heavy traffic and cost about $5. The stadium is made of metal and appears to be made to be taken apart after the games. The weather was warm, sunny without too much humidity. We saw some Canadians and some British Indians we knew from previous hockey tournaments and Cal Cup.

I will let you read about the games on the web but I can say that the teams seem to pass earlier than we do. The Pakistani team still tries to dribble like in days gone by and their results are not good for them. We saw two games in the morning. While we were there, we found we can ride the public transportation free when we show our game tickets. From the stadium, we take a ten minute bus ride to the subway, then the subway is about another fifteen minutes to the station near our hotel. We still have to walk another fifteen minutes but the air is clear and the sidewalks relatively smooth. In the afternoon we had a nap in deference to the jet lag. We saw two more games on Friday evening. By the way, the food is practically non-existent at the stadium and we are not allowed to bring anything through the gate. Fortunately, the beer is a little below the ambient temperature.

Yesterday, Saturday, we walked a little more than five miles to the Hard Rock Café so we could get some shirts for the granddaughters. The food and shirts are the same anywhere you go in this world. While in this area, we walked through an area with a German Restaurant known as Paulaner Brahaus. It has a Munich flavor. The bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad plus the cold beer were perfect. Today, Sunday, we are going to watch two games in the afternoon and two in the evening.