OLYMPICS /
News
Guests going home with lasting memories
By Zhang Haizhou
China Daily Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-08-25 07:14
For Briton Larry Teague, the past two weeks of the Olympics was all about the world converging in Beijing to celebrate as one.
Watching the closing ceremony of the Games on the big screen in a bar in the capital's embassy area last night, the 62-year-old retiree said Beijing had done "a really good job" in hosting the Games.
"I am more lucky than most of my compatriots back home because they didn't have the chance to see the Games from this close," Teague said.
The Briton paid 5,000 pounds ($9,300) to enjoy the Games in the capital with his wife and said it was worth every penny.
Teague and his wife arrived in Beijing on Aug 7 on a tour group made up of about 100 people from the United Kingdom.
It was "lovely" to have people from all over the world, including fellow travelers from Uganda and South Africa, celebrating the event together during their stay, Teague said.
Other than watching the Olympic events, the Teagues also took the opportunity to visit Beijing's attractions, including the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, and the Great Wall.
"Beijing is a lovely place," Teague said.
The success of this Games also meant that London would be under a lot of pressure for the 2012 Olympics, Teague said.
"I hope London can do it as well as Beijing," Teague said, as he watched London mayor Boris Johnson receive the Olympic flag from his Beijing counterpart, Guo Jinlong.
