Opening ceremony

What can I say, it is China, it is huge! First we went on 5 different boats with our country flag and drove around in front of the big spectator area. Then there were balloons, soldiers, cannons and a jet-ski show.

Representing Sweden

We drove in front of the site with our flags


Practice

So, we all rode our practice runs here in Linyi today and I’m really impressed by the other girls riding. Rami’s S-bend, Robbies grabbed toeside backrolls and Ambers steezed out stfsh 3. I had a pretty bad practice but at least then it has to go better tomorrow. 

Some of the riders

The tallest building in Asia

When I was in Shanghai I visited this building. It’s the tallest building in Asia and the 3rd tallest in the world. They have so many sick skyscrapers and I was really lucky with this one. While waiting for a red light I started talking to this Australian couple right next to me and asked them if they knew if it was possible to go up in one of them. It turned out that they lived in the hotel which was the tallest building and they just asked me if I wanted to come with them and see the view. So I did, the lobby for the hotel is on the 87’th floor. Later on I found out that the hotel is private and that there’s an observatory that charges you to go up in the building.

Check this view from the 87th floor. I mean, those are pretty big buildings and then check where I am…

Linyi

Just got here and got picked up from the airport and driven to another 5 star hotel. I love my life! So stoked to go to sleep right now after a really looong day. Tomorrow we’ve got our practice at 1.30 so I can sleep as long as I want! Amber, my room mate for this stop, and I are just chilling in our beds now and watching TV.

See you on the flip side. Oh and let me introduce you for the heroes of this trip. They work so hard, never give up even when I got lost in Shanghai and it took me 1 whole hour to find the metro station and don’t complain one bit!

Ladies and Gentlemen: My feet!

Got Shanghaied

So last night I met a bunch of people in the lobby and we started playing some drinking games. First with Australian rules and then with american ones. It was a great group! We decided to go out and the two Australians knew a canadian bar so I ran up to my room to grab some stuff. While in there I met another guy from the States so I was just like “Hey, whats your name? .. Cool you wanna go out with us?” And he came along too so just had so much fun. Beers are like 10 yangs for one and they’re huge! (Like 750 ml) We got in two cabs and went to the canadian bar where we kept on drinking and partying. We were pretty much alone in there except for maybe 10 other people but it was good fun anyways!

After that we grabbed another cab and went to a nightclub. Even though it was a tuesday there was a bunch of people there and I met a dude from Norway so we started speaking Swedish/Norwegian to each other. Then I went to the bathroom and when I came back, there was no sign of the others. I went outside to look for them but couldn’t find them anywhere. Later I heard that they were looking for me too. Anyways I tried to get a cab but no-one understood english so that was a crazy moment for me before I finally found a cab driver who got me back to the hostel in one piece.

I just woke up and are about to go downstairs to eat breakfast and I guess I’ll be chilling here for a while before leaving to the airport. I love how easy it is to make new friends when you’re traveling!

Drinking games in the lobby!the gang at the canadian barand at the night club

Shanghai

Slept on Bombs shoulder the whole trip so feel alright (even though it was just 5 hours). Got to the airport and jumped on a bus to get into the city where i changed to a taxi after talking to several people to try and make myself understood. Got a super nice cab driver who killed the traffic and dropped me off at the address I’d said I wanted to go to. It was just that the Hostel wasn’t there. So I stood in the middle of the street for a couple of minutes looking blond and lost before a man came up to me and pointed down a tiny road. I went down it and found this awesome hostel where I just had breakfast for 20 yangs (19 swedish). Now about to go and grab a shower before keep being a tourist! No Sleep! (:


Kuala Lumpur

Had a great day as a tourist in Kuala Lumpur. Saw the Petrona Towers, the KLCC Park and the Aquarium before I went shopping for 5 straight hours. Got my friend Elin a couple of  cases for the IPhone and had starbucks two times in one day! (:

Now, me and Bomb are just kickin it at the Air Port waiting for our plane to Shanghai. So funny when you call his nickname out in an airport (Bomb, Bomb!!)… So sleepy now though..

Last night in Kuchin

Spending my last night in the 5 star hotel here in Kuching. Everyone else went out to party but my flight leaves early tomorrow and I have a whole day Kuala Lumpur to shop and be a tourist. I grabbed a massage before dinner and after kicking it with the others for a couple of hours I went back to the room to start packing.

I’ve had so many crazy experiences here that I haven’t even had time to blog about. Here’s a bunch of pictures from what we’ve been doing outside of the competition. (:

Exploring caves

If you’re a wakeboarder in Malaysia…

… You are awesome! Don’t know how many people I’ve taken pictures with and signed stuff today. It is pretty cool actually and everywhere you go people say hello  and smile at you. It so nice here!

2 of all the shots I’ve taken with supportive locals

And a lot of autograph signing (:

4th!

Hade ett helt okej åk idag, vattnet var väldigt skumpigt som igår å mitt åk blev ganska så sketchy men jag stod upp nästan hela vägen ändå. Ramlade på min ts 5a igen och åkte ut ur mina bindningar. jag känner mig en decimeter längre nu.

Vinnaren blev USA’s Rami Merrit som körde grymt med bla S-Bend och tootsie roll.

Resultatet blev:

1st Rami Merrit (USA)
2nd Amber Wing (AUS)
3rd Miku Asai (JAP)
4th Caroline Djupsjö (SWE)
5th Sascha Christien (SIN)
6th Elke Venken (BEL)

Lots of people in the crowd even though it was raining