University blues volleyball team tours China

Bound for Beijing
Days 1-2  
8 March to 9 March

An early start to the flight and the team had three hours to shake off tiredness and pre-flight nerves before we boarded the direct plane to Shanghai. Team members who didn’t know each other at this stage exchanged names and had a look at Chris Giacomi’s brilliant tour promotional brochure, put together with less than three days notice.

Ten hours on a plane is enough to test anyone and the tour group of 25 was feeling the strain by the third stop through customs at Shanghai. Thankfully everyone passed through unscathed, though tour leader KC Chong had some troubling news about her Australian visa expiring before the tour was due to end. Players wasted no time giving her grief for the oversight.

After a short stop in Shanghai, it was on Beijing and a relatively short flight to be greeted by our Chinese tour organisers Grace Chao and Zhao Long and a tour guide, who asked to be called Roland. Most of us were suffering some form of culture shock, taking in the smoggy air, mass of people and endless queues – all before we’d left the airport! Quotes we heard recited from Confucius helped restore our patience and the bus ride back to our home for the next two weeks, Han Ting Business Hotel in Lido Precinct, was a more relaxing and fun experience. For most it was straight to bed on arrival.

Breakfast the next day was another hurdle for those used to cereal or bacon and eggs – steamed rice, Chinese steamed buns, fried pork balls and tofu alongside the standard jam and toast.

Post breakfast pep talks from KC, coach Mrs Qi Shen and chef de mission Martin Doulton helped to focus the team on the importance of our visit to China – this was a first in many ways for a university squad to visit an Olympic host city and play against local teams. The collaboration of Melbourne and Monash volleyball players and officials and incredibly hard work of all involved in organising the tour was recognised by all present.

As Sunday was a rest and touring day, we then visited the first of two temples for the day, the stunning Lama Temple. Those who had never ventured to a culture as old as China found it hard to imagine that some of the individual buildings, shrines and idols of worship had been built or carved up to 700 years ago. Roland our handy tour guide  kept us on course through the Lama temple and following Confucian temple, despite the attempts of overfriendly locals to lure us away to buy their suspect wares.

Lunch at a western restaurant, shopping on one of Beijing’s most popular strips and an extravagant dinner rounded out the first non-competition day. The combination of too much food and good hospitality was very welcome but players and support crew were longing for some exercise to get all back into game mode.