Cathay Pacific Airlines recently reported that they have had to alter their flight schedule after they were told that Beijing's airport would be closed during the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. According to the Associated Press, the airport will be closed from about 7 p.m. until just before midnight on August 8th. This is one of the many precautions that China seems to be taking to increase security during the Olympics.

Certainly, the usual security fears associated with a major international event are part of the equation. Add to that the fact the Olympics would be a perfect stage for people from the provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang to voice their discontent to the world.

Plenty of things could go wrong for China during the month of August. The airport closure is just one example of the actions authorities are taking to make sure nothing that would cause a loss of face for China actually comes to pass.

Another face-saving measure: vetting all opening ceremonies performers for Tibetan sympathizers. You can be certain that Bjork or Richard Gere will not be gracing the stage on August 8th. Those who will perform have been issued a warning by Beijing: "The content of the performance should not violate the country's law, including situations that harm the sovereignty of the country... incite racial hatred and ruin ethnic unity."

Attendees have already been given their set of rules. Makes one wonder if it wouldn't be more of a blast to wait until after the Olympics are over to pay China a visit.

Photo from Flickr user Melinda

One of the best things a person can do before traveling to a new country is to find out cultural norms in order to know how to be polite. It's a great way to make friends, get the best prices when bargaining, and to not create a situation where someone is mad at you because you've made a faux pas without realizing it.

Jim Wells at behospitable traveler.com of the Hilton Hotels hooked us into travel tips to help Americans (or anyone else for that matter) know how to behave when heading to China for the Olympic games.

This is part of the Hilton Hotels' campaign to help people be the stellar travelers we love to love. Hilton Hotels is one of the sponsors of the games and have been getting involved big time. (No, I'm not being paid to say that, it's just an observation.)

Whether you're one of the athletes or a couch potato, follow these tips and you'll leave China happy and the Chinese will be happy to have had you as a visitor.

The tips are presented by athletes in videos and print form. These are a good read whether you are going to China or not since they offer a glimpse into the Chinese value system. From this link, click on the hospitableTraveler: A call to Act box. This will lead you the tips. Click on the learn more tabs to "Thoughtfulness," "Character" and "Awareness." If you have problems accessing that link, try this one. Under the heading "Dining," you'll even find rules for using chopstick rules.

There is also a link to helpful Mandarin phrases like "Where is the bathroom?" When I was in Beijing, I used the bathroom at McDonald's several times. I bet that by the time the Olympics start, Beijing will be flush in Western style toilets.

When we pulled into the driveway of our friends' house in St. Cloud, Minnesota, as part of our Great American Road trip to Montana, we didn't have any plans except to visit. The last time we saw them was at our house in Columbus, and since then they had moved from State College, Pennsylvania to St. Cloud.

As with any visit, there's always something new to find out. about the town where friends land. People who live there know the insider info that may not show up in a guidebook. Such was the case when I found out were were having yak meat for dinner.

I've been to Nepal where yaks seem as common as cows. While there, I never had yak meat. As it turns out Hoopers' Christmas Tree Farm in Cold Spring, Minnesota has a herd of 60 or so yak making this the largest yak herd in the eastern part of the U.S. Who knew?

Our friends over at National Geographic's Intelligent Travel just told me about an interesting series of dispatches that Keith Bellows, the Traveler Editor in Chief is in the midst of. He and this year's winner of The Next Great Travel Writer contest recently touched down in Beijing and will be making their way across China into Mongolia.

Along the way they'll be sending dispatches about the experience including the Olympic games, central China and into the north, starting yesterday with their arrival into Beijing.

Bellows brings back vivid memories of my own time in China, navigating the busy streets and haggling with vendors, lost in a world of wonderful foreign people. I can still smell the streets of Shanghai and barely see through the smog of The Bund.

Apparently in light of the Olympic Games the Chinese have cleaned up Beijing quite a bit -- Bellows speaks of clear blue skies, flower pots and merriment all over the city as citizens get geared up for the games. I wonder how long this will last after this summer.

Make sure you check out Intelligent Travel to follow along with Keith and his understudy as they traverse the far east -- I'm already jealous after reading the first article.

Is this a meaningful sign of China's impending reformation or merely cosmetic?

China's new Olympic-inspired 10 yuan notes show no sign of former Communist leader and all-around bad guy Mao Zedong. Mao is replaced on the currency by, among other things, the new Beijing National Stadium (aka the "Bird's Nest"), a scantily-clad (if at all clad) discus thrower, and the Beijing 2008 Olympics logo.

Lest you think this marks a definitive change in China's attitude, note that "only" 6 million of these are being printed. In a country of over a billion people, these notes may be more like collectors' items than widely-traded currency.

More here.

In the traveler's world it's been a bit of drama this week. Plus, there have been lessons in traveling with a wider perspective and an open heart.

On the drama end:

• Iva reported on passengers in China refusing to get off a plane because the flight was canceled.
• In his Letter from Albania series, Jeff presented an intimate look at blood feuds through the experiences of people he has talked with in his travels there.
• From Anna we heard about the drunken Swede who tried to row back home from Denmark
• Grant told us about British Airways passengers who thought the smell of curry meant there were terrorists

On the wider perspective and open heart end:

• Read Part 3 of Jerry's "Talking Travel with Patricia Schultz," the author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. As she says at the end of the interview, "Life is short--get off the couch."
• And, after you're off the couch, pick up a copy of Sacred Places of Goddess,108 Destinations by Karen Tate who specializes in openness.

"Diet Coke," says the passenger after I ask him what he'd like to drink. While I'm filling a plastic glass full of ice, he asks the question I hoped he wouldn't ask, "Can I get a sandwich?"

"Oh...ummm...I'm sorry." I make a face, the I'm-sorry face, because I am sorry. Really, I am. I'm sorry I have to say I'm sorry all day long. "We ran out," I continue, and before I can tell him that we actually ran out of anything and everything edible on the airplane, he asks "What else do you have?"

I take a deep breath, because I really don't want to tell this guy we have nothing, not one thing, so I make the face again, the I'm-sorry face, and decide to make light of the situation. "Diet Coke. Sprite. Diet Sprite. Pepsi. Diet Pepsi. Orange juice. Apple Juice." He's looking at me like I'm crazy, so I make the face again, oh you know the one, and say, "I'm sorry, but we ran out of everything. There's no more food."

"What do you mean there's no more food!"

"We ran out of food," I say again, as I oh so gently place a can of Diet Coke and a glass of ice on his tray table. What I don't say is that we ran out of food hours ago, due to the fact the passengers were starving because of the hour and a half weather delay we took on the ground. What this passenger and I do not know, and will not know for another hour, is we're going to have another hour and a half delay in flight because the airport in New York is closed due to more bad weather . "Sorry," I say again, and I am, sorry I'm forced to say sorry all day long.

"This is ridiculous!"

Are air passengers sick of how they're being treated? Heck, yeah. But in China, they actually stage protests, of a sort.

Ok, it wasn't exactly Tienanmen Square, but on a flight out of Beijing, fifty-two passengers (out of about 200) refused to leave the plane when the flight was canceled due to weather. They slept on the plane for over twelve hours, then finally walked off when the flight crew announced they could take another flight.

The biggest irony, and something I can't see happening on America's cash-strapped airlines? The flight attendants kept serving food and drinks to the "protesters."

If you are planning a trip to China, cancel it.

You can do it all on-line now. Yes, that's right, the birthplace of kung fu, the famous Shaolin Temple, is going on-line.

And, karate (oops, kung fu) fans, they'll have it all: performances, video, and a reality-TV-style search for the next "Grasshopper."

Named "Shaolin, The Stage of Joy," a Web page has been set up by a unit of the temple on the popular Chinese e-commerce site www.taobao.com, and the gift shop is open, including shoes, tea, T-shirts, and slippers.

Ancient secrets revealed...in the kung fu instruction manual for 9,999 yuan ($1,456). Or just buy your "environmentally friendly" chopsticks for 29 yuan.

The temple came under fire in 2006 after a monk got a luxury car for helping out the local tourism industry, which forms a bulk of the city's revenues...Oops.

(For those of you who are easily offended, I am just kidding. You should still go and see China. Especially since you know how savvy those monks are nowadays!)

Food was once again on our minds here at Gadling. Actually, a lot was on our minds, but almost everyone had something to say about food.

• Grant wanted to know if you could eat what Andrew Zimmern eats on Bizarre Foods. Grant couldn't. I'm not particularly fond of intestines either.
• Matthew told us what foods to avoid in Japan.
• Erik told us how to not lose food because of motion-sickness.
• Iva told us how the Chinese are renaming their food so we don't get sick from the names.
• And, Kelsey reminded us to ask for the bill in a restaurant in Mexico so after you've eaten, you can pay.

Oh, and one more. If you're around Heather in the galley of an airplane, keep your hands out of those lemons!