Roaming around the town

Hundreds of thousands of overseas visitors are in the Olympic capital to explore the city and revel in the Games. American jet-setter Clarence "Dave" Davis is one of them. Two years ago, after the landscape architect returned from a trip to India, he was asked why he wasn't enjoying a quiet retirement in Florida.

"I'm not old enough; I'm in good health, and I don't play shuffleboard," the 83-year-old said. The New Yorker caught a severe case of traveler's itch after reading National Geographic. He spent 1946 on a US Navy supply ship, shuttling from the Philippines to Japan. He fell in love with "the Orient" and has since visited half a dozen countries in Southeast Asia.

His travel over the past decade has focused on China and his latest arrival in Beijing was on Aug 8. Though he had a rough time getting through the airport, Davis showed off black and blue bracelets that two volunteers gave him after helping him to the subway station.