So am back from yet another trip from China. Quite "adventurous" in my mind...but as Nandhitha says... what's the adventure...it's just China. :-) Guess one needs someone like that to be grounded.
It was a late morning day flight this time from Sydney. Didn't have to get up too early thankfully. However thanks to the peak hours had to take multiple deviations to avoid peak hour traffic to the airport. Now I know at least 3 different ways to get to the airport from home in case I get stuck somewhere. The flight to Guangzhou was quite fine. Had the entire row of 3 seats to myself so was able to stretch a bit after a couple of movies. Thanks to flight journeys get to watch some movies which I would'nt have bothered to watch otherwise or watch Casino Royale for the nth time.
Reached Guangzhou at around 5 PM hoping that at this time I would not be approached by the Taxi Touts (TTs). But no...they were hanging around this time as well apart from the legal taxi queue. Only this time they asked for USD 100 for a trip which costs slightly less than USD 20. I had a hearty laugh (they joined along as well) and joined the queue. Guangzhou was quite busy this time with packed activities to be achieved as we were getting close to some timelines. Just as I was exiting my office to catch the flight to Shanghai I was stopped by a police officer who did a "random check" to see if I was working there illegally. After about 10-15 minutes of interrogation (thankfully with a translator around) he let me go.
Reached Shanghai on Wednesday night - same Taxi story there as well. Only that this time the touts were more "professional looking" (with suit, tie and a badge) and even had a booth inside the airport. They were marketing a RMB 400 limousine for a RMB 60 trip. Stayed in a Howard Johnson - not the best of the location or amenities, but the room was huge. Essentially like a single bedroom apartment suite except that the kitchen had no utensils.
Finished my formal meeting with a prospect at about 5 PM and we were supposed to meet again for dinner at around 8.30. In between this time the client recommended that I visit a "fake market" shopping complex nearby where I could get branded items at a much discounted price. I first hesitated not to go there but he assured me on the quality but that I had to look out for good ones. He also gave me a fair idea on a negotiation tactic - basically to look at the quality and decide upon a budget I am willing to spend on it (considering how much it would've costed in Australia). After about 30 minutes of roaming around I landed in one shop where I could get some stuff that I liked. The lady in the shop was kind enough to take me around to other shops where I could get women's and kids items.
After dinner with the client went to the Bund with my camera and tripod and had a feast shooting the Shanghai skyline. I've been there last time with a mobile camera with no battery. Felt so miserable that time that I could not capture the view. Spent a good time experimenting with the lights. Watching me shoot a tourist gang (2 couples) approached me to take a photo of themselves and if I could email it to them. The ladies in the group offered the roses (which I presume their partners gave) which I had to refuse politely. ;-)
The next day I had some time in the morning for a bit of sight seeing. Not many options within the limited time I had as I also had a lunch appointment with my client before I could catch the flight back in the evening. Went to the Yu (or Yu Yuan) Garden. It is apparently a 400 year old garden which has gone through many changes. Met with my client for lunch in a Chinese restaurant (is that a rhetoric?). Obviously he was such a regular there (and a big shot as well). We got a private dining room (normally given for larger groups) and he just said I need a salad, fish and chicken. The knew what he wanted and brought some awesome dishes.
Headed back to the hotel to collect my bags and proceeded to the airport. This is where the "adventure" begins. I used my mobile for the last time in the hotel to look at the itinerary. When I looked for it again after checking in - I did not have it on me. :-( I contacted the hotel and the taxi driver somehow but both of them declined seeing it. Am pretty sure it must've been in the taxi but did not have enough time to follow it through as I had a flight to catch. Ironically the flight from Shanghai got delayed by 2 hours which was exactly the time I had between the connecting flight in Guangzhou to Sydney. The flight was still in the air when I was supposed to be boarding my next flight. By the time I landed and got out of the aircraft an agent declared that we have missed that flight and had to take the next available one. The next flight was in the morning - it took a few hours for them to get our (there were a few others to Australia as well) hotel sorted out. It was quite an uncomfortable situation where I lost my mobile, my pre-paid mobile credits on my Chinese SIM got over (and I could not find a place to re-charge) and missed my connecting flight. However I suppose all is well that ends well. Reached Sydney on Saturday night with the rest of my luggage intact.
Photos available here here for your viewing.
So long folks...
Until next time...
C
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