Monkey see. . . .

We head to Olympic Park.  From a distance, we see the Water Cube (same building that Michael Phelps won all his medals.)  Go to the gate, no wait you can't go in there.  There is security and you have to have a ticket first.  Go over there to get the ticket.  (BTW they are doing a lot of talking, we nod like we are getting it. None of which we can understand.)  The pointing was really helpful. But wait, the ticket booths have fences around them and there are only a few people in line in front of each row.  (The fact that M can only count to 10 in Mandarin isn't proving too helpful right now, is it?)  Where's the row, how do we get in?  As someone pays they let them out and let someone else in.  You eventually wedge your way to the booth.  4 tickets please (nice try M, like the "please" helps, seriously, no one speaks English.)  No wait, wrong booth, water park tickets are booth #8.  (Are you kidding me? I have gotten new gray hair since this process began.)

This is the pool that the Olympic swimmers used! 

Oasis at last.  We are in.  Into the land of swim caps (lots of them, on men, on women, on children), life jackets (lots of them) and men in swim boxer briefs pulled high to the sky. I've officially entered the land of wedgies! (quite a site, shut your eyes and imagine now. Or really, maybe you shouldn't.)  The wave pool had a jumbo screen and stage with singers and dancers.  Think Six Flags type show with a Don Ho type host and dancing pink and blue dolphins.  During the time the waves are coming, they play this music that makes me think of Munchkins dancing.  At some point in the music the singers say something and everyone starts splashing.  Madly splashing!  We are wall to wall people and everyone is laughing (hopefully not at us) and splashing.  So what do we do?  Of course, start dancing like Munchkins, singing along (ok, well making up words that sound like what they are singing.) and splashing too.  Monkey see, monkey do. It was a blast!