9 a.m. I’m here to contribute to The Times’s live coverage, and I’m sending updates to editors from my phone, describing what I’m seeing. I can’t type with gloves on, and it’s 12 degrees Fahrenheit, so I quickly tap out messages, then cram my hands back in my pockets and clutch hand warmers as if I’m trying to squeeze juice from a lemon.
10 a.m. I’d like to stay outside to hear from Shaun White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. (All athletes walk through the “mixed zone,” where they stop to answer questions from reporters.) Instead, I return to the warm workroom to write text for a piece that my Graphics desk colleagues are working on. They break down the biggest tricks of each day.
Noon Booking taxis is a luxury here, and now I’m using the much more common transportation system: buses for closed-loop participants. I take one to my main media center and I am beyond thrilled to find a pizzeria. (I hear your protests, but I can assure you that very little authentic Chinese food is available within the loop. After nine days, I still crave a taste from home.
3 p.m.I take a bus from my home to cross-country ski course. The press area places me right at the finish. I’m not writing any stories here, but I’m keeping an eye out for any breaking news or inspiration for a feature story. It is still so cold.
5 p.m. Another bus to the Biathlon. From the press area, it’s pretty hard to see the part where the athletes shoot the guns, which is disappointing.
7 p.m. For my fourth event of the day, I take another bus to the enormous ski-jumping center, a mammoth facility that looks a bit like a Bond villain’s lair. I’m agog at how high and fast they are flying.
8 p.m. I take two buses back to the train station, chatting with editors and responding to emails on my way back to Beijing, where I’ll have to book one more taxi.
10:30 p.m. I make it back my hotel and get into my bed. It is one of my most memorable nights here.
Source: NY Times
