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Read the first journal entry of Shannon’s trip below! (P.S. All photos are by Shannon, of course!)
Ahh, Hong Kong! I have traveled to Asia a few times but I feel the most relaxed and comfortable here in spite of a reported typhoon near Hong Kong. The long flight on Cathay Pacific was the easiest plane trip I have traveled on for three reasons: First of all, I had three seats to myself so I could get stretched out, the food was actually good (I had an Indian vegetarian dish), and they let me take my heavy suitcase filled with all my camera gear and computer on board with some gentle Olympic coaxing.
The immigration process was even easier as two girls were waiting with my name on a sign as I stepped into the airport. They led me through accreditation, immigration, took me to pick up my luggage, and then on the bus to take me to the Regal Riverside Hotel – all of this in no more than 15 minutes!
The Regal Hotel overlooks the river and I have learned this is good Feng Shui. Yes, to all of this! And that is what I find the most appealing about being here and why I am most excited to walk the cross-country course on Thursday. I love how every building, plant, and thing has its place and this all creates spaces of beauty. Even the mountainous landscape seems to have been planned.
As the media step off the bus at Beas River where the cross-country will be held, we are greeted by the heavy heat everyone warned us about. Even I, a New Orleanian, feel its steamy blast. This heat only overtakes me for a few seconds as I spot all the American grooms waiting for the American riders to walk the cross-country course. It’s great to give everyone a hug and a hello before we make our way to the cross-country and I feel this is the moment where it all gets real. All the years of riding, preparing, showing, having the right horse, time, spirit and will have led the chosen riders and horses to this incredible place; the Hong Kong Olympics!
One of the exquisitely designed cross-country jumps looks ready to snack on course designer, Mike Etherington-Smith!
I had a feeling that this cross-country would be special and the course exceeds my expectations. The course designer Mike Etherington-Smith chose the course path over a year ago so the ground would be well prepared a year in advance before he actually decided what jump would be in which spot. He knew this would be the wettest time of year so there is great drainage for all the rain that has fallen and the rain to come. We are expecting wet days every day for the next week!
Our first jumps of discussion are the fifth and sixth fences – a fairly good drop into water leading to two diagonal houses. This will be the first big question on course that is definitely tougher than the last Olympics in Greece. There is an option, but it’s quite time consuming. The word already coming around is that it will be hard to make time. The course is windy and hilly with fences coming up quickly without a lot of long gallops in between. Riders will have to be on their toes!
The difficulty of the course is temporarily abated when my eyes feast on all the carved animals (some fences, some decorative), small temples and bright flowers all strategically placed amongst paper bark trees and horse jumps. We go on to the next difficult fence combination. A large brush drop at the top of a hill with narrow options downhill…
(Editor’s note… and at this point poor, travel-weary Shannon fell asleep at her computer! You’ll have to tune into the live-streaming of cross-country on Monday night from 6-8PM on the Oxygen channel to catch the rest of the cross-country action. So grab your eventing buddies and a bowl of popcorn and settle in for a night of the world-class competition!)
