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Jimmy B is going abroad once again. Well actually, a couple more times. He's back on the Team USA staff and that means quite a bit of traveling over the next few years:
Over the course of 2010-2012, USA Men's National Teams will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship (Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey); if necessary the 2011 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games (July 26-Aug. 12 in London, England.
You know what that means...MORE JIM BOEHEIM TRAVEL BLOGS!!!
The best thing to come out of Beijing last year wasn't the gold medal but Jim's on-going thoughts on the people and places of China while he was there. Whether he was amazed by his hotel's cleaning service or shocked with how Chinese everything was, it might have been the greatest collection of essays ever penned. How it hasn't been turned into a paperback travel book for tourists in Beijing, I don't know. Some samples...
We're staying at the Ritz-Carlton - which, by the way, is another pretty nice hotel - and they have a "food room" for us there. They put out five or six different things to eat, which is impressive enough. But there are, probably, 15 people working in that room. Fifteen people to serve 20 of us. Again, it's mind-boggling.
We went out to a local restaurant on Monday night and finally ate a Chinese meal. It wasn't like a P.F. Chang's; it was, you know, more Chinese.
...the maids were in our room for an hour and a half cleaning it up. They fold your clothes. They straighten this and that. They do everything. You walk in the door and you look around, and every time it's like you're just checking in on your first day.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm 90% sure Jim Boeheim had never stayed in a hotel before.
So I am giddy as all hell for the upcoming Turkey travel blog ("Contrary to popular belief, they don't actually eat a lot of turkey here.") as we prepare for 2012's London travel blog ("People drive on the other side of the road here. Mind-boggling!") I guess they'll play some basketball and win some medals too, but, whatever.
Hopefully this time Jim can spring for some first-class flights for Juli. If you're gonna keep up all of this moving about, James, Lady Boeheim needs to be taken care of.