One of the privileges of being an oral English teacher is no written exams!!! So my school let me out on weather holiday a week early while the students had final exams! I took advantage of this by traveling to Chengdu with 4 or my American friends. Why Chengdu you might ask, PANDAS! Big, beautiful pandas! My friends had studied Asian history and were excited about the city’s history in explaining all their plans I took away a few key words and I was sold. You can hold a baby panda!
The trip started off in a rush, we all live in different parts of Shenzhen so we were on our own getting to the airport. The flight was leaving at 10am so I was told I needed to be on a bus by 730am. I had never been to the airport before but like most places in Shenzhen I figure I am an hour away by bus. I sit up front looking at the signs and studying my watch starting to get nervous after the first hour. I relaxed a bit when we got on the highway and I saw signs for the airport, not 2 minutes later we were on the off ramp for a sting of stops along the side streets. This cruel joke continued several times until my friend text me and said get out and get a cab now we are boarding in 30 mins! I prayed that the flight would be late or something so I wouldn’t miss my flight! I ask the bus attendant how long until we reach the airport and she says 10 minutes. I convince myself that I will take 10mins to find a taxi if I get off on one of the side streets and I might as well tough it out. When I finally see the airport in the distance I stand up to get off the bus and the attendant pushes me back down saying we will get closer. Turns out this saved me about a 10 min walk!!! I rush through the airport, and I am told I will be on standby when I get my boarding pass whatever that means! Security was a nightmare since this was my first domestic flight in China and I didn’t know what the rules were. Future reference: umbrella, liquids, electronics and keys in a separate bin to be scanned. I literally had to unpack my stuff bag to find were the heck I had shoved my umbrella that set me off for the full search! I run up to my gate as the last few people are lined up to board the plane!
I walk in scanning the seats for my friends who all cheer in relief as I walk on! Then I look at the ticket and see that I am seat 3D, that can’t be right. Rows 1-3 are first class and there is no seat D it is just AB on one side and EF on the other! I ask the flight attendant and she tells me to sit in 3B. I stick my tongue out at my friends stuffed in economy class and strut up to first class! However, I sit on the edge of my seat knowing that any moment I am going to be brought to my real seat. I was fairly certain 3D would literally mean sitting on the floor in the aisle. Laugh all you want, I have seen it happen on buses and sleeper trains, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they sold floor seat on the plane too! Especially with Chinese New Year coming up and so many people traveling. I declined a drink assuming it would cost a million dollars in first class!
Somehow I fooled them, and they let me stay! Turns out the air traffic control delayed our departure about another 30 minutes, prayers really do get answered. Next time I will have to be more specific. The announcement was in Chinese and English over the intercom but in first class the lady comes and holds your hand and repeats the message very calmly to each person. The seats where the softest thing I have ever come across in China so I snuggled up and dosed off almost immediately after takeoff. As soon as my eyes closed the flight attendant ran over and covered me up with a blanket! Not just the crap paper-thin ones you get in the plastic bag, this was a nice thick down feather type thing. I chickened out at meal time too thinking it was extra and just got a coke with ice. The “with ice” part is a big deal in china where most everything is served at room temperature. She brought me a can and glass of ice and insisted that she pour it for me, then continued to reach over and fill the glass every time she came by. Also before we landed they came around with hot wash clothes for us to freshen up. My friends were tired of hearing me brag about first class by the time we left the airport. That’s what you get for being late I told them, I hope you all have learned your lesson!
The trip started off in a rush, we all live in different parts of Shenzhen so we were on our own getting to the airport. The flight was leaving at 10am so I was told I needed to be on a bus by 730am. I had never been to the airport before but like most places in Shenzhen I figure I am an hour away by bus. I sit up front looking at the signs and studying my watch starting to get nervous after the first hour. I relaxed a bit when we got on the highway and I saw signs for the airport, not 2 minutes later we were on the off ramp for a sting of stops along the side streets. This cruel joke continued several times until my friend text me and said get out and get a cab now we are boarding in 30 mins! I prayed that the flight would be late or something so I wouldn’t miss my flight! I ask the bus attendant how long until we reach the airport and she says 10 minutes. I convince myself that I will take 10mins to find a taxi if I get off on one of the side streets and I might as well tough it out. When I finally see the airport in the distance I stand up to get off the bus and the attendant pushes me back down saying we will get closer. Turns out this saved me about a 10 min walk!!! I rush through the airport, and I am told I will be on standby when I get my boarding pass whatever that means! Security was a nightmare since this was my first domestic flight in China and I didn’t know what the rules were. Future reference: umbrella, liquids, electronics and keys in a separate bin to be scanned. I literally had to unpack my stuff bag to find were the heck I had shoved my umbrella that set me off for the full search! I run up to my gate as the last few people are lined up to board the plane!
I walk in scanning the seats for my friends who all cheer in relief as I walk on! Then I look at the ticket and see that I am seat 3D, that can’t be right. Rows 1-3 are first class and there is no seat D it is just AB on one side and EF on the other! I ask the flight attendant and she tells me to sit in 3B. I stick my tongue out at my friends stuffed in economy class and strut up to first class! However, I sit on the edge of my seat knowing that any moment I am going to be brought to my real seat. I was fairly certain 3D would literally mean sitting on the floor in the aisle. Laugh all you want, I have seen it happen on buses and sleeper trains, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they sold floor seat on the plane too! Especially with Chinese New Year coming up and so many people traveling. I declined a drink assuming it would cost a million dollars in first class!
Somehow I fooled them, and they let me stay! Turns out the air traffic control delayed our departure about another 30 minutes, prayers really do get answered. Next time I will have to be more specific. The announcement was in Chinese and English over the intercom but in first class the lady comes and holds your hand and repeats the message very calmly to each person. The seats where the softest thing I have ever come across in China so I snuggled up and dosed off almost immediately after takeoff. As soon as my eyes closed the flight attendant ran over and covered me up with a blanket! Not just the crap paper-thin ones you get in the plastic bag, this was a nice thick down feather type thing. I chickened out at meal time too thinking it was extra and just got a coke with ice. The “with ice” part is a big deal in china where most everything is served at room temperature. She brought me a can and glass of ice and insisted that she pour it for me, then continued to reach over and fill the glass every time she came by. Also before we landed they came around with hot wash clothes for us to freshen up. My friends were tired of hearing me brag about first class by the time we left the airport. That’s what you get for being late I told them, I hope you all have learned your lesson!
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