So, it still...
smells like feces and trash, is unbearably hot and humid to the point that I have a constant valley of sweat between my breasts (ick), is under construction EVERYWHERE, has the worst drivers (and people in general?) in the world, is dusty and dirty and has super awkward and rude peeps, and contains some of the most unfashionable people ever.
Ah, the wonders of the Orient.
And I'm typing on a keyboard that has a stubborn 'n', so if there's a missing 'n' that I failed to catch, you'll know why. I'm at an internet cafe that charge one US quarter per hour, which is probably the only good thing I've experienced on this trip so far.
So me and my mom take the airporter to SFO and get there around 12:30 to catch our 2:20 flight. The lady in front of us asks us if we know anything about our flight being delayed, because that's what she's heard. We go WHAT and my mom goes to find out. I'm just standing around still grooving to Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun as a continuation of my peaceful airporter ride, when I see my mother return with a haha-oy-vey smile on her face, shaking her head. Oh. No.
I ask how long it'll be delayed for, and she tells me we won't be getting on the plane until 7:40. That's right. A boarding time of 7:40 pm. meaning the flight won't leave until well after 8. A six hour flight delay.
So we hang out at the airport for six freaking hours. We each got $15 meal vouchers, so we stuffed ourselves with a veggie burger, fries and a big order of garlic fries immediately, using all of the first coupon because they don't give change. Then we played around with some stuff at the Brookstone store they had; my mom had an entirely way too long chair and leg and foot heated massage, and I tried out an ab exerciser that basically was a stool with a handle in front of it with pictures of people riding a horse at different speeds that propels you forward and backward in rather awkward motions. Then I called all of the people I love most and bothered them at regular intervals throughout the day while my mom tried to sleep. After a really really really long time, we got on the plane.
And me and my mom weren't sitting together, and I was stuck between two guys considerably bigger than myself, so even though neither was actually using the armrest, the sides of my arms would still touch the sides of their arms if I rested my arms comfortably (which I didn't for the most part). And we got shitty middle seats.
So that for thirteen hours. We arrive at the Bejing airport around 11:30pm China time, and since we were delayed for so long, we'd missed our transferring flight to Shenyang where my grandma lives by a lot. So we're stuck with a planeful of angry Chinese people in the same situation as us, and because the airport closes that late at night (I know, no such thing as a red-eye? gimme a break), we all had to be shuttled to the airport hotel. Everyone's pissed off and has way too much luggage, especially the people going to Shanghai, because they weren't even supposed to get off the plane, they were supposed to fly directly after the one stop in Bejing, and it takes forever to get to the hotel, all the while angry old Chinese people raising hell for the poor bus driver who had absolutely no idea what was going on. It took forever because there was TRAFFIC. At TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. UGH.
We get to the hotel a little after two, and they tell us we have to be back to the airport around five (yes, A.M.) in order to catch the arranged make up flight to wherever we were going. So we get to the humid, skanky ass room, get into the practically wet beds for barely even two hours, when we get our wake up call.
Back on the bus we go, and we get to the airport about an hour and a half before the airport people even get to work without any sort of instruction or direction. We get in line with all of the angry people again, and after even more waiting, we get on the plane.
It's been at least 36 hours since I left my lovely home in Marin. I haven't had more than an hour of sleep at a time, and it's probably barely added up to six hours total. I'm exhausted. It's around 3:00pm, August 3rd here, so I don't want to go to bed until it's actually bed time to prevent as much jetlag as possible. Ugh. Everything's so gross.
And everyone knows I'm a foreigner. Without even having to speak to me.
*pout* I'm miserable.
And too tired to put all of this in an ljcut. So suck it.
I wanna go home.
Ah, the wonders of the Orient.
And I'm typing on a keyboard that has a stubborn 'n', so if there's a missing 'n' that I failed to catch, you'll know why. I'm at an internet cafe that charge one US quarter per hour, which is probably the only good thing I've experienced on this trip so far.
So me and my mom take the airporter to SFO and get there around 12:30 to catch our 2:20 flight. The lady in front of us asks us if we know anything about our flight being delayed, because that's what she's heard. We go WHAT and my mom goes to find out. I'm just standing around still grooving to Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun as a continuation of my peaceful airporter ride, when I see my mother return with a haha-oy-vey smile on her face, shaking her head. Oh. No.
I ask how long it'll be delayed for, and she tells me we won't be getting on the plane until 7:40. That's right. A boarding time of 7:40 pm. meaning the flight won't leave until well after 8. A six hour flight delay.
So we hang out at the airport for six freaking hours. We each got $15 meal vouchers, so we stuffed ourselves with a veggie burger, fries and a big order of garlic fries immediately, using all of the first coupon because they don't give change. Then we played around with some stuff at the Brookstone store they had; my mom had an entirely way too long chair and leg and foot heated massage, and I tried out an ab exerciser that basically was a stool with a handle in front of it with pictures of people riding a horse at different speeds that propels you forward and backward in rather awkward motions. Then I called all of the people I love most and bothered them at regular intervals throughout the day while my mom tried to sleep. After a really really really long time, we got on the plane.
And me and my mom weren't sitting together, and I was stuck between two guys considerably bigger than myself, so even though neither was actually using the armrest, the sides of my arms would still touch the sides of their arms if I rested my arms comfortably (which I didn't for the most part). And we got shitty middle seats.
So that for thirteen hours. We arrive at the Bejing airport around 11:30pm China time, and since we were delayed for so long, we'd missed our transferring flight to Shenyang where my grandma lives by a lot. So we're stuck with a planeful of angry Chinese people in the same situation as us, and because the airport closes that late at night (I know, no such thing as a red-eye? gimme a break), we all had to be shuttled to the airport hotel. Everyone's pissed off and has way too much luggage, especially the people going to Shanghai, because they weren't even supposed to get off the plane, they were supposed to fly directly after the one stop in Bejing, and it takes forever to get to the hotel, all the while angry old Chinese people raising hell for the poor bus driver who had absolutely no idea what was going on. It took forever because there was TRAFFIC. At TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. UGH.
We get to the hotel a little after two, and they tell us we have to be back to the airport around five (yes, A.M.) in order to catch the arranged make up flight to wherever we were going. So we get to the humid, skanky ass room, get into the practically wet beds for barely even two hours, when we get our wake up call.
Back on the bus we go, and we get to the airport about an hour and a half before the airport people even get to work without any sort of instruction or direction. We get in line with all of the angry people again, and after even more waiting, we get on the plane.
It's been at least 36 hours since I left my lovely home in Marin. I haven't had more than an hour of sleep at a time, and it's probably barely added up to six hours total. I'm exhausted. It's around 3:00pm, August 3rd here, so I don't want to go to bed until it's actually bed time to prevent as much jetlag as possible. Ugh. Everything's so gross.
And everyone knows I'm a foreigner. Without even having to speak to me.
*pout* I'm miserable.
And too tired to put all of this in an ljcut. So suck it.
I wanna go home.