Success only runs one direction....
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Beijing
Things in the ankle department aren’t looking good.
The previous “blowfish” reference attributed to my left ankle has since grown into Moby Dick. Both the foot and ankle are now expansive (sounds more lady like than “friggin’ humongous”).
This, of course, makes my now-blowfish-ish right ankle seem diminutive by comparison.
Good thing I brought the slip on Merrells. No way I’m getting into the Timberlands now.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Beijing
Okay. I’m just gonna do it. I’m going to gloat.
Part of what made the Beijing leg of this trip possible was the mountain of Starwood points amassed the past several years—about a quarter of which were traded in for a room at the Westin including an upgrade to a Renewal Room (think: spa suite).
This may have been one of the smartest decisions in my entire life.
Above is a photo of my bedroom, taken from the office area (yes, you read that right). The bathroom is through the open door to the left of the flat panel television; further left of that (beyond the edge of the photo) is the door to my dressing room.
I could have landed aircraft in this room, then used the bath suite for a jet hanger. The views were wide open, since in that part of the city, we were one of the tallest buildings around.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Beijing
Managed to find my way through immigration, to a taxi, and flashed my little Mandarin map of the Westin location to the driver. Next stop: Heaven on earth.
No hotel ever looked so good.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Beijing
Trust me. Nothing causes one’s heart to stop more abruptly than coming out of the public restroom in a Chinese airport (after the place has essentially closed) to find yourself virtually alone in the terminal, the plane load of passengers you came in with having disappeared from view, and not a letter of English in sight.
One does begin to question the wisdom of traveling alone at this juncture.
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Hong Kong
Flight 309
Scheduled departure 11:15 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
Clear security; go to gate.
9: 35 a.m.
Realize that (a) I’m parched, and (b) I have no Hong Kong dollars left. Cave in, go to currency exchange counter, get minimal HK$ plus Chinese yuan to cover taxi ride in Beijing. Go buy water. Hang out in gate area. Nice airport, I must admit. Pretty sure it’s the only one where I’ve seen a caviar bar.
10:50 a.m.
Board plane.
11:05 a.m.
Watch both of my bags load onto the plane. Whew.
11:15 a.m.
Scheduled departure time, but door remains open. Hmm.
11: 50 a.m.
Pilot announces it’s raining in Beijing, and that air traffic control is refusing to clear incoming aircraft. We‘ll stay at the gate until granted clearance.
12:15 p.m.
In spite of being on the ground, at the gate, attendants begin lunch service. Not a good sign.
1:25 p.m.
Pilot announces that we’re still waiting for Beijing air traffic to clear us. The Dragon Air flight just before ours made it all the way there, then was denied landing privileges and spun back to Hong Kong. Passengers told to gather all belongings and get off the plane.
12:30 p.m.
Just as we get into the terminal, airline staff starts hollering “Back on! Back on!” as they rush us into the plane again. Appears we‘ve been given clearance.
1:45 p.m.
Still sitting on the plane, at the gate. Apparently, a couple of passengers didn’t come right back, so we lost our window of opportunity while waiting for them. Occurs to me that I’m looking out the window at the first sunny day I’ve seen all week and that our luggage is cooking in the cargo hold, where it’s got to be over 100 degrees. Beginning to wonder how international law addresses exploding cans of hairspray.
1:55 p.m.
Off the plane again, this time told to completely exit the secure area, just so we can backtrack through security a second time. While in line, a 20-something American guy starts wise-cracking about Chinese efficiency. Those of us who understand English (that would be the vast majority, since English is widely spoken in Hong Kong) are visibly irritated by the inappropriate behavior. After 20 minutes of this, I finally turn around, give him the evil eye, and silently shake my head “No.”
This, of course, has no effect whatsoever, other than to endear me to nearby passengers. He keeps right on going. The rest of us go right on trying to ignore him. I’m sure his mother would be proud (not).
2:30 p.m.
Sit in gate area. Staff begins handing out bottles of water.
3:00 p.m.
Board plane for the third time.
4:00 p.m.
Watch baggage cart return to cargo hold. Cargo hold opens. I hold my breath. Watch other bags come out, cargo hold door closes, and baggage carriers take off. Huh.
4:05 p.m.
Suddenly, without explanation, the attendants kick into hyperdrive, the door slams shut on plane…
4:08 p.m.
… we hurriedly shove off from the jetway…..
4:10 p.m.
…taxi fast enough to practically lift off the ground…
4:25 p.m.
…then whooooosh, we launch off the tarmac like a roman candle on the Fourth of July.
Breathe in……..breathe out……..in………out……..in……..
Only five hours late. Oh well. It’s not like there’s anything I wanted to do in Beijing (not).
(Photo credit: The Daily Mail)
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Hong Kong
Let’s face it. When it comes to travel in China, every moment is a learning experience.
Made it to the airport just fine on the complementary shuttle arranged for by the TDC (did I tell you they’re beyond gracious?). Found my way to the China Southern ticketing desk easily. Here’s where things begin to get interesting.
There are two hard and fast rules on domestic flights in China: (a) Only one, small carry on, period, and (b) zero liquids carried on, period. The former has been around for a while, but the latter came into play this March after a wannabe terrorist tried to smuggle a bottle of gasoline onto a China Southern flight (which, if you follow the logic in “The World According to Garp,” pre-disasters them from anything else scary happening in the future).
Fully prepared to pay for the second checked in bag (which is the third rule I forgot to mention), the ticket agent told me that as an international traveler, I was actually allowed two bags, no extra charge. Cool.
Hoping the same exclusions might extend to the carry on, I asked about liquids. Turns out that even though they tell you “zero liquids,” it actually means “up to ten liquids, each under the US equivalent of 3 ounces, in the equivalent of a 1 quart zip lock bag.”
Yeah. Okay. I’m good with that. Pull the lip gloss, contact drops, and mouthwash out of the checked luggage, put it in a new ziplock bag, and go through security.
From here, it’s gonna be clear sailing.
(Photo credit: Lowyat.net)
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
The only thing that could crash my otherwise perfect mood was one look at my left ankle, which, for no apparent reason, has swollen like a giant blowfish.
No, it doesn’t hurt (yet). But something tells me I’m headed into the deep end of the pool if this is a return of the same crud I dealt with after being stung by a bee last summer. Could make the Beijing portion of this trip interesting. Hmm.
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Friday, May 2, 2008
Hong Kong
This was my most touching moment in Hong Kong. With tears in my eyes, I swore to return, soon, to a city that’s stolen my heart forever.
And I will.
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