By Jordan Delp

Jordan Delp is a men’s basketball player at Augustana. He is blogging about the team’s trip to China. For more posts about the Vikings’ journey, click here.

After our 4:45 a.m. wakeup call today, we loaded up the bus and headed to the airport, set to leave China. Our flight, from Beijing to Tokyo, Japan was the seventh of our trip and lasted about three hours. After landing in Tokyo and getting through customs, we got on another bus and headed into the city, an hour and a half drive from the airport. Along the way, we were able to see some pretty amazing sights, like Tokyo’s Disney Resort and Tokyo Bay. Disneyland, we were told, is owned by an independent Japanese entrepreneur who pays around $600,000 in royalties to the parent company. This American icon has been hugely successful in the Japanese culture, with an average of 35,000 people going to the park daily. One of the other main sights we saw was Tokyo Bay, which leads right into the Pacific Ocean. It was cool seeing this bay in the middle of the city that dumps right into the world’s largest ocean.

Our first stop on our day in Tokyo was at the Tokyo Tower, a structure in the mold of the Eiffel Tower that is actually about 13 meters taller. The observation deck at the tower offered an unbelievable view of the city, with different sights in all directions. On a clear day you can see the Tokyo Disney Resort to the East, the Tokyo International Airport to the South, the Imperial Palace to the North, and even Mount Fuji to the West. You could basically see all of Tokyo, which becomes even more impressive when you consider that it is the most populated metropolitan area in the world, with around 30 million people living there.

Our last dinner on our trip was at an authentic Japanese restaurant, and I think it’s pretty much unanimous that this was the best meal of our trip. At each of our tables we had our own grill, and got to cook our own meat. Also, because it was buffet style we got as much as we wanted. There were all sorts of meats, including pork, beef, and chicken, and it was just a phenomenal way to essentially end our trip. After dinner some we were already starting to reminisce about our experience and how much fun we had; something I know we will continue to do forever. It’s difficult to put into words the impact this trip has had on all of us, but if you ask tomorrow when we get back, we’ll be happy to give it a shot.

By Jordan Delp

Jordan Delp is a men’s basketball player at Augustana. He is blogging about the team’s trip to China. For more posts about the Vikings’ journey, click here.

On our last day in Beijing, we headed to The Great Wall. We were told that the Wall is so named because on a visit during his presidency, Richard Nixon called it “The Great Wall” and the name stuck. After about a two and a half hour bus ride outside of Beijing, we reached the wall, and as we have become accustomed to, were immediately met by people trying to get us to buy things.

We had two options to get up to the wall: take a cable car to the top, or climb 1,500 stairs. On the way up we all walked the stairs, and it was definitely a workout. It was well worth it though, because there was some pretty amazing scenery along the way. Reaching the wall took about twenty minutes, and when we reached it, the sight and view was jaw-dropping.

The wall was first built roughly 2,200 years ago in 220 B.C. Around 600 years ago the Ming Dynasty performed major reconstruction on the wall for a couple of reasons: to protect its borders from the outside world, and to clearly define the Chinese land. Today it is considered an historic landmark in China, and is clearly still an important part of the Chinese culture. One of the seven wonders of the world, it is just unbelievable to imagine how they were able to make such a huge structure without the modern technology we now enjoy.

We were told that it is nearly impossible to know the exact length of the wall, but estimates say that it extends roughly 3,000 miles through China. Just unbelievable. On the way down, some of us walked the steps again while others rode the trolley, but we were all met by the vendors before we even were able to get all the way down to their shops. It’s cool though, everyone got good souvenirs after bargaining for prices.

Tonight we had a very good dinner at a fantastic Chinese restaurant. The style was the same as we have become use to, but the main course was very definitive. We ate Peking Duck, a dinner that was meant to kind of put the cap on our stay in China. The name “Peking” is synonymous with Beijing, and actually has some relevance with the Quad City area because it lies on roughly the same latitude as Pekin and Rock Island, Illinois. Just some interesting facts that we learned about tonight.

Well, tomorrow we head off for the last stop on our trip, Tokyo. Should be an interesting day, with our wake up call at 4:45 a.m. It’s about a 3-hour flight from Beijing to Tokyo, and then we have a day of seeing the sights Tokyo has to offer. Should be a good ending for our trip to Asia.

By Jordan Delp

Jordan Delp is a men’s basketball player at Augustana. He is blogging about the team’s trip to China. For more posts about the Vikings’ journey, click here.

“4-0” has a nice ring to it, and that’s how we finished on our China basketball tour after defeating Qinghua University 68-58. It was the most challenging game on our trip, and after playing poorly in the first half, we really responded as a team in the second, pulling together when it mattered most.

The atmosphere was the complete opposite of the last game, as we played in front of a crowd of three people — Coach Jessee’s wife Bonnie, and Dr. and Mrs. Moline. The facility was actually pretty nice, and will be used next year for Olympic teams practice facilities. Because the Olympic Committee has control over the venue, we did not have many of the usual things we play with like a scoreboard, shot clock, etc. There were about four lights on in the gym, but we pride ourselves on being able to perform anyplace, anytime and under any conditions.

We played well down the stretch and were able to finish undefeated. It was the second straight international trip where the Augustana men’s basketball program was undefeated. After going 5-0 in Ireland in 2004 we now have a winning streak of nine straight outside of the United States. In all it was a good ending to a great trip.

Changing gears, we finally had a day to rest up a little bit and sleep in. After getting up and eating breakfast at about 9 a.m., we got on the bus and headed for the Silk Street Market to get some shopping done. Driving habits are a little different here (first person into the spot gets it, and no one really gets mad at what we would consider “cutting” a car off), and unfortunately on the way we hit a taxi. That slowed us down temporarily, but once we got there it was a good time. This was another one of those places where we could bargain with the salespeople. There was pretty much everything you can imagine at this market. Items ranging from designer clothing to Chinese trinkets, entertainment equipment (XBox 360, PS3, etc.) to Jordan apparel, and so on. Everybody was able to get a lot of cool stuff, and it was a lot of fun for our guys. The atmosphere at these markets is unlike anything we have in the states, with the salespeople sometimes literally blocking the exits if you don’t buy anything. Some unbelievable stuff that probably just wouldn’t fly in the states.

I forgot to mention that we had a chance to briefly stop at the 2008 Olympic facility yesterday. Much of it is yet to be completed, but the architecture on what is done is unbelievable. One of the more interesting parts was the (outdoor) Olympic stadium, and we were able to get a pretty unique team picture in front of it. Wait until you see the stadium, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Tomorrow is our last day in Beijing, and we are going to the Great Wall of China. Should be an awesome sight, and its something we are all definitely looking forward to seeing. More on that tomorrow.

By Jordan Delp

Jordan Delp is a men’s basketball player at Augustana. He is blogging about the team’s trip to China. For more posts about the Vikings’ journey, click here.

Not to sound like a broken record, but today again started with an early morning and an early flight. We woke up today at 5:30 a.m. for our flight back to Beijing after our win in Hohhot, ending a stretch of three flights in three days. It was definitely a grind, but luckily today was an off day for us. With no basketball on our schedule, we were able to see some of the greatest sights Beijing has to offer.

First, we started at Tiananmen Square, the largest public city square in the world. The square has been known to hold up to 1,000,000 people in the past. As we walked through the square, many street vendors approached us, attempting to sell us a variety of goods, such as kites, fans, shirts, hats, etc. What’s more interesting is the way you can barter with the people. They’ll tell you a price first, and then you come back with a lower price. They may say no first, but if you start to walk away they will chase you down and offer a lower price. Once you reach a price you can agree on, and if you really want it, you get it. It’s cool how it allows you to get some pretty cool stuff at a cheap price.

After walking to the end of the square, we entered The Forbidden City, which took one million workers 14 years to build. The Forbidden City is so named because it was off limits for 500 years; it is the largest and best-preserved clusters of ancient buildings in China, which was home to both the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City is (was) a collection of public and private buildings that served both political and social means. As you go deeper and deeper into the city, the buildings become more and more important. It was interesting to learn that the number of animal statues on the buildings signified its significance. For instance, nine statues were regarded as the most important number, and can be seen on the emperor’s most important buildings. There are a lot of ongoing renovations at this site, as the Chinese prepare for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Every one of the buildings and walls are being repainted for the events, so not all of the buildings were not open for us to see.

Because of the renovations, we were not able to see Mao Zedong’s Mausoleum. Zedong was the leader of the revolution that took place in 1911, and was the first leader of the People’s Republic of China. His body is preserved in a coffin that everyone can see, but at this time the tomb was closed. Our last stop of the day was at the Summer Palace, a huge collection of gardens, temples, lakes and corridors that was initially constructed as one emperor’s gift to his mother. One of the more interesting facts about the Summer Palace was that one corridor contained 14,000 paintings, with no two paintings being the same. It was definitely an eye-opening day into the ancient culture of China.

Tonight we are laying low in the hotel, preparing for our final game on the trip tomorrow. We play Qinghua University, one of the finest Universities in China, both from an academic perspective and on the basketball court. Should be a good test for our team, and a great way to end our basketball tour.

By Jordan Delp

Jordan Delp is a men’s basketball player at Augustana. He is blogging about the team’s trip to China. For more posts about the Vikings’ journey, click here.

Another early morning, and another flight for our team. This time we flew from Beijing, over the Great Wall, and into Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia. When we arrived in Hohhot, we were met with a nice surprise: no humidity. It was a welcome escape from the punch-in-the-gut humidity levels we experienced at the other stops on our trip, our first sunny and cool day in China.

After getting settled in our hotel, we headed to lunch to eat with our day’s opponent and a few of the other people associated with the event. This lunch was unlike any other experience we have ever been a part of. It started off normally, with some light dishes and drinks, but took a turn when about 20 Mongolian men and women, uniformed in some sort of kimonos were led into the room by two others pushing a fully intact ram (head-to tail — it was all there) into the middle of the room.

As they chanted and sang words that none of us understood, they asked Coach Giovanine to make the first cut into the meat of the animal, go through some traditional ritual and take a ceremonial drink. After a little bit more singing and chanting, things settled down, but their mark had been put on us. No one really knew what to say or think.

And oh yeah, did I mention all of this was in the dark?

After lunch, we were able to see a few of the sights of Hohhot, including two Buddhist temples and a mosque. Dr. Moline (the esteemed professor of geography at Augustana who has been so helpful as our tour guide) informed us that we were at a juncture few people would ever get to see. Looking left, we saw Western architecture and influence; looking right, we saw Eastern architecture and influence. It was an interesting dynamic that we all could appreciate.

As we approached the sight of our night’s game, we were reminded that we would be playing the first game ever played in Hohhot’s brand new, downtown 6,000 seat arena. Outside the arena, the Olympic rings were hanging above the entry way. As we walked into the gym we saw a banner that read something to the effect of “Chinese vs. USA basketball game” and knew that this would be an important matchup.

The game went well, an 83-70 win for us, making us 3-0 on the trip. As we have the entire trip, our team really defended and rebounded well, and our depth helped us to wear down the Zhejiang Lions from nearby Shanghai.

The game ended in Augie fashion, with a steal and fast break dunk by junior Chandlor Collins. After our win, we were awarded a trophy and then a melee broke loose: people looking for photos with our guys and autographs. It was a cool environment that I don’t think many of us could ever get sick of. So, we leave Hohhot tomorrow morning 3-0, with one more game left on our schedule.

We know we aren’t finished yet.