BEIJING - Day 5

Hi everyone in Canada,

Your women's team has performed very strongly over the past few days.
After a small loss in the final match Tuesday evening against Spain, the
team scored two big victories today beating Argentina 20-10 and blitzing
Kenya 25-2 with our first posting of a 25 VP score. We have moved up to
ninth place, but a qualifying spot is still 21 VPs away. To move up to a
qualifying spot, the team will have to score most of the VPs available in
the three remaining matches and also to have some of the teams ahead
of us falter. Our chances of qualifying are not good but the team will give
its best efforts when play resumes on Friday. One of the joys of being
associated with the Women's team this year is the camaraderie and
determination all the players share.
Since we have been moving up a place or two each day over the past few
days, I have suggested to the organizers that the event be modified so that
we play a few days more. With those few extra days of play, I am confident
that our team would eventually rise to the upper echelons and qualify for
the Knockout phase. Unfortunately my suggestion has been rebuffed
without discussion by the WBF organizers.

Today everyone played only two matches and play was finished at 4:45
this afternoon. All players have the rest of the Wednesday and all of Thurs-
day off.

Karen, Pamela, myself, and Stephen Brown and Jurek of the Canadian Senior
Team took taxis to a Beijing market place for some shopping. However the
shops were closing within half an hour so we shopped very quickly. All
prices are negotiable with the expectation of paying maybe 10-30% of the
asking price. (Rebecca, if you have been tuning in, I got you a hanging silk
banner with your name inscribed thereon in both Chinese and English.)
Karen and Steve each bought themselves black purses and Steve's matched
his outfit quite well. Jurek bought a tea service and Pamela bought a bunch
of varied crap.
Then we took the subway to go to the heart of Beijing. The subway is very
clean, very modern and very inexpensive. The fare is about 35 cents Cdn.
Downtown Beijing is also very modern and impressive - wide avenues, fine
architecture, mostly modern in style. This is an amazing city. We had dinner
at a restaurant at about 9:00 pm. Maybe we just haven't been going to the
right places, but the food so far has been a big disappointment - we haven't
really had a special or memorable meal yet.
Tomorrow the aforementioned five of us and a number of other Canadians
are taking a trip to the Great Wall. I imagine most of the players will be taking
a day outing of some kind tomorrow. It is a welcome break in the schedule.

Our complex of buildings houses the players and provides the playing venue
for the Open Team, Women's Team and Senior's Team events. The Junior
teams reside and play at a different site from ours, along with all of the other
World Mind Sports Games. It is disappointing therefore that we haven't had
the opportunity to spend time with our Junior players or participants in other
disciplines.

It's past midnight now here in Beijing, so I am going to sign off. Our excursion
leaves from the hotel at 8:30 in the morning.

Good night Michael, Rebecca and all of our Canadian friends.

John