Touchdown- Shanghai

I got lucky. Really lucky.

My flight from San Jose to Los Angeles went quite swimmingly. Devoid of my 49.8 lb roller bag and 39.8 backpacker's pack, I found myself lugging around my inconveniently-sized GMAT book and several superfluous sweaters. My massive roller bag happened to weigh 6 pounds over when I   checked in. "Want to save fifty bucks? Take some stuff out." You got it lady. No problem.

While I mounted China Eastern's #586 flight to Shanghai, I munched down the remains of my proverbial "Last Supper" in the States: a $10 lunch combo consisting Chicago-styled hot dog with relish & onions, BBQ chips and lemonade. I looked down at my ticket: Seat 33C. Likely aisle seat. Thank the Lord. All I could think about was my China comrade's blog entry from a year ago...


"I, a 6 foot 3 inch lanky American, sat between two Chinese women roughly half my size, one mid-twenties the other mid-forties, in the middle of a four-seat row. Within one hour of take off, both women next to me had fallen asleep comfortably resting their pillows on my shoulders. The seat in front of me was the only seat fully reclined in the row."


This concept did not thrill me, especially with regards to a 15 hour flight. I hope the person next to me is at least wearing deodorant, I thought.

The worry was all in vain. Seating on China Eastern consists of 2, 3, 2 seating, with two aisles dividing the "3" from the "2's", like this: [X] [X] aisle [X] [X] [X] aisle [X] [X]. My seat was on the far right near the aisle, where 33A and 33C were next to each other. No one came to sit in my seat. I had a full aisle AND window privileges with enough space to stretch my legs and fit my GMAT book anywhere. So far, so good.

My luck eventually ran a bit short. After arriving in Shanghai, standing in a check-in line for about 45 minutes, and getting past security, I looked at my gate's flight time to quickly realize that I would be standing idle for awhile. Current time: 3:45p.m. Chongqing departure time: 9:10p.m.

It's okay, I thought. I'll get a cold beverage and experience the wonders of true Chinese food!
Airport Vender #1: Attempted purchase- Bottled Water. Status: Card failed.
Airport Vender #2: Attempted purchase- Chinese Gatorate. Status: Card Failed.
Airport Vender #3: Attempted purchase- Chuckwagon Sandwich. Status: Cards not accepted.

I scoured the gate area to quickly realize there were no ATMs in the area. Damn!

In my fervent search, I learned that water was publicly dispensed next to the bathrooms. At least I might be able to quench my thirst with some cold water.

Think again.

The water dispenser was intricate, with a screen displaying the temperature of the liquid dispensed. a capsule dispensing white cones labeled "Disposable Cups for Cool Water Only" was attached to the machine. On the machine, there were three button options: "WARM," "WARM," and "BOILING." You've got to be kidding me. For the next 5 hours, I blogged, slept, read, and kept myself hydrated with warm water. Welcome to China.

[Aside: Prior to my trip to the Orient, I took a few days to visit my old friend Aleck in California. The following are few photos from the trip]

My First Redwood Siting

Meir Park 

Recreation Grounds on Alcatraz

Aleck and I on Alcatraz Island