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China Trip II
7/23
The Denver Airport.
My dad gave me a ride to the airport. When we arrived, I got a bit worried,
because I knew they were going to check my laptop at gate security (it’s been months
since I turned it on). So I decided to check whether it works (all it had to do is
turn on for the guards to see it's really a computer and not... something else). I
pushed the "on" button - nothing: the battery's dead-dead. At least I
hoped that's what it was. I got the power adapter out and found an outlet (on the
wall, by the phones). The power outlet looked right for the plug, but I just
couldn't plug it in. It was like, really, really tight. My dad shoved it right
in. "Brawn, not brain." he muttered (by way of a father-son lesson).
Thanks, dad. (Turns out this excercise was completely unnecessary, the
security scans do no damage to either computer's electronics or photographic film.)
The Denver to SF flight.
Uneventful, the way I like them.
The SF to Narita flight.
This flight started out on a somewhat exciting note as I barely made the flight.
Changing $s to Ys(Yuans) took longer than I’d expected; the plastic packets
that the Ys came in had the quality of a Chinese puzzle. At least it seemed so to
the mind of the Currency Exchange clerk. She finally solved the puzzle with scisors.
I ran to the gate. It was empty (but not closed!). "Everyone
boarded?" I inquired, "Yes, are you passanger Lu?" I fought
down a sudden urge to say "yes, I am", and said that I'm not. The flight
itself was long but not uncomfortable - only minor turbulance and the seat in the middle
was not taken. The Japanese gentleman in seat C said not a word and cast not a
glance in my direction. We both chose fish for lunch and I copied his eating style.
What did I learn? You take the sauce container and empty it completely over
the fish, making sure every square millimeter is thoroughly covered. The movie
selection was pretty good, something about a European love semi-triangle. The 'semi'
is due to the fact that one of the three (the girl) was there twice, once as her own self,
and again as a cosmic clone (a duplicate, which started out as a ghost, but quickly became
fully material). The sound was horrible, all I could distinguish were some dramatic
exclamations and half-sentences. Which, I think, made the plot even more
interesting. Here's what else I learned (besides the fish-eating lesson): do not
drink pop (it has _gas_), drink red wine with your meals (it really does help with the old
gastro(intestinal) process).
The Narita airport, Tokyo, Japan.
The Japanese landscape from the air had the same quality of reality as a gigantic,
elaborate toy train setup - without the trains. Narita was clean and organized
(surprise?). We had to switch planes. We were herded by ways of glass-enclosed
walkways and easy-to-read color-coded glowing signs in Japanese and English. I
passed the camera around the X-ray machine. The guard on the other side politely
asked permission to open it. And waited for it. "Please, go ahead,"
I said politely. He bowed back, "Thank you, very much." He quickly
looked through the contents, zipped it up and handed it back to me. "Thank you,
sir" and another bow. Wow, I was so impressed, I immediately gave him the
"the-most-polite-security-guard-I-have-ever-met" award.
- 7/24
- (Crossed the International Date Line!)
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The Narita to Shanghai flight.
Was completely filled. I had the pleasure of seating next to two Chinese
ladies, both Shanghainese. The one next to me spoke very little English, but the law
student in the isle seat, Tian Li, was from Canada and we talked. Where are you
from? Where are you going? To China to study Tai Chi? She told all our
neighbors, "The American is going to Jinan to study TaiChi." We talked a
bit, then exchanged email addresses.
Shanghai International Airport, International Arrivals.
I ended up next to Tian Li at one of the customs lines. Her luggage tipped
over, and when I caught it, I noticed it was heavy. She noticed that I noticed and
explained: "Cheese. I love cheese and it's very expensive in China." I
estimated an extra 15lbs, but did not ask to verify. "Last year I brought 5
live lobsters." Then we got to the customs booths and said good bye.
"I email you", she warned me.
I followed the thin crowd towards the exit. We were chanelled between two
booths, "Declare Goods" in red on the right and "Nothing to Declare"
in green on the left. Observing the international convention regarding the use of
red/green colors nobody declared nothing.
Then I was out in the lobby. First, you run smack into the line of
freinds/relatives waiting for same. Where's Annie? I didn't see her. I
made it through the crowd and stopped to get my bearings. There were basically three
types of people here: fresh arrivals, those meeting them, and the "private taxi"
guys. One quickly identified me as a foreigner without a clue and "lached
on". "What hotel? Taxi?" "No, thanks". At first
I was polite, but that turned out not to work.
He was good, he managed to be persistent without being obnoxious. After a
fifth "No taxi!" from me, he unlached. This exchange took place while I
wandered about aimlessly, obviously looking for something or somebody. I wandered
back to the line of freinds/relatives and as soon as the taxi guy was gone, I saw Annie.
She saw me. She was not exactly what I expected (even though I'd seen a
photo). It seemed I was not what she expected (she said later she didn't recognize
me with the beard).
Shanghai
We said "hi" and made our way outside. It was dark, hot and humid, like
a Houston suburb. There was a long line of official taxis out here and soon we were
on the way to Seagull Hotel. We sat in the back seat. Immediately noticeable
was the plexiglass shield which wrapped around the driver from floor to ceiling (except
for a little space at the top, through which fare and change could be passed).
The shield covered the driver's back and right side. "Protection
from thieves", Annie explained. (I’d never seen one of those before, but
was later told that other cities have that – like New York.) The freeway from
the airport took us into the middle of the city, where we merged with "normal"
traffic. The horn blowing and the jostling for position began in earnest.
Still, not as entertaining as Jinan's traffic. The very next day I changed that
opinion, so far Shanghai's traffic gets the highest rating for excitement, compared with
Jinan and Beijing.
Seagull Hotel
Seagull Hotel is right on the Hueng Pu river (pronounced "Weng Pu").
The ride, with the freeway toll, cost Y80. The privateer at the airport
wanted Y150, not including the toll. My reservations at the hotel were good! I
was a bit worried because I'd made them over the phone from US, and the clerk’s
English was, well... about 40%. But Annie and the clerk talked in Chinese for a
while and it seems all the right papers were found. Y365 per day. OK. (A
bit up from the quoted Y350, but I didn't squabble, Y15 is about $2.) The room was
on the 11th floor and faced the river, as promised. Hueng Pu road, the main drag
along the Hueng Pu river in this part of town, looks very nice at night with lit-up
facades of a long row of large colonial-style buildings (now banks and offices). We
opened the windows and sampled the view. "Is it fog or smog?" I asked.
Annie said it was fog, but I suspect it was both.
It was agreed that I should rest now, and Annie took a taxi home, refusing either
to be escorted downstairs or my offer to pay for the taxi. I tried to insist, but
she refused, giving me the silly-american-look. "I have money and I can take
care of myself. So don't worry, take it easy." OK, I guess I will. I
called my parents in Colorado, then went to bed feeling tired but not sleepy. I was
out like a light in five minutes. (Which is close to a personal record, as usually
it takes me at least 1/2 hour.)
next - 7/25
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