After flying over the North Pole, the mountains and deserts of northern Asia, and the Great Wall (see photo), the plane landed in Beijing an hour ahead of schedule on a cold, clear, sunny day. As cars inched their way into the city, an old man on a bicycle loaded with green vegetables kept pace on the inside lane. We drove past the new Olympic Stadium construction... an exquisite bird's nest woven of thick silver strands. People were climbing all over the construction fence trying to get a photo. I had been awake for about 24 hours so when I got to the Jingyu Hotel, I went to sleep.