We were up and at 'em this morning and began assembling in the lobby from about 4.30am. Instead of looking bleary-eyed and moping around, everyone looked raring to go and get on the bus. Of course - we're heading home; starting our long long journey back to Wellington via Singapore & Auckland. Departing our hotel at 5am in Beijing (10am Sat morning back in NZ), our total travel time is more than 24 hours, with everyone arriving in Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
The atmosphere on the bus is a little subdued; I think we're all a little mixed up emotionally, torn between jumping on the plane and heading home, and hanging around and enjoying Beijing for a few more days. Our guides have really made the difference and on a personal note I will miss Ray's great sense of humour and little comments like "monkey coach", "my interpreter", "waka-waka", "wo ai ni" (I love you) and "hey... Ray.... pay...". A long-lasting memory will be Ray leading us in "Hey Jude".
As we head towards the airport we all get a chance to reflect on the past week. We've barely stood still between playing sport and touring and eating and just experiencing all that Beijing can offer. Actually, we probably have only just scratched the surface - in a city of 20 million people, how can we fit it all in to 6 days?? Outside the sky is the deepest of deep blues, like rich velvet, lightening as it meets the horizon. With the coming dawn and the bright streetlamps, the streets look surreal with the bright and the dark, and the early morning workers move around going about their business.
Nearing the airport now and Ray makes a little speech and presents the football team with a soccer ball that was once (15 years ago) very special to him - it will definitely find a place of pride in the display cabinet back homw. I think he's really enjoyed the time with us; we've certainly enjoyed his hosting of us. After checking in and saying our final goodbyes to our guides, there's not too many dry eyes and even Ray is choking up. Wo ai ni, Ray.
Then it's just a matter of clearing immigration and the pre-flight xray and jump on the plane!
It's our first leg, and the head pursor Goh Eng Chai finds out he has about 60 New Zealand sports players & hangers-on. Chai is an ex football goal-keeper and is keen to know a little more about our travels. And, nice guy that he is, he pops a few bottles of champers for all the adults! Cheers, Singapore Airlines!
It's a short flight, but as you can see from Maddy & Kennedy, there's enough time to catch 40-winks...
It's a good time for me to add some thank-you's to the support crew - you know, those adults that tagged along for the good food, the cocktails-by-the-pool, the quiet nights, 5-star restaurants, etc, etc. Yeah right... But there were a great bunch of parents along on the trip, so over and above the key coordinators (who have done a FANTASTIC job) I would like to do a big shout-out to them all. For hockey there was Anna, Tracey, Rachel, Leigh, Darryl, Craig & Christine. And for football there was Damien, Diane, Meryl, Leanne, Steve & Karen, Rochelle & Terry (me). Well done, us! While the coaches and managers did most of the heavy lifting, it was great to see us all pitch in to carry the water bottles, herd the cats, contribute the democracy (when needed) and generally make up the numbers.
For me, I have enjoyed this trip immensely and would not have missed it for the world - and the best part was travelling with you all!
We're now in Singapore and the girls crowd the free computers to check their Facebook accounts, and everyone enjoys a slightly cleaner bathroom too... Looking forward to jumping on that next SingAir plane home!!
