Back in the PRC

Back in the PRC

I’m sitting on a shuttle bus en route to a hotel in Shanghai - too lightly laden. My two checked bags didn’t make it.

It all started Tuesda morning, or should I say about 52 hours ago when I was scheduled to leave XNA using the usual Chicago route. The morning flights on all airlines to Chicago were either cancelled or delayed so much that there was no way I would make my connection. I called Darby so he could call Toni (her phone is long distance from the airport – I disconnected my cell phone the afternoon before), but he instead offered to pick me up himself. So I was lucky enough to spend another drowsy day in Fayetteville. The next morning, this morning 28 hours ago, I found to my dismay that during his attempt to re reroute me, the previous morning’s ticketing agent had created quite a quagmire for this morning’s agent to sort through. It took her 40 minutes to fix it. So I rushed to the gate and took my place in front of a short line in front of the United gate and waited patiently for loading to start anytime. A few minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave I broke line and asked the gate agent if the flights were again delayed. He said that while the sign at the gate didn’t announce it, he had announced that the flight was boarding several times and the flight had closed – I didn’t make the flight. Turns out the plane sat on the tarmac for almost an hour afterwards because of delays in Chicago, but it was just a few feet too far away. I went back out of security and the ticketing agent said I could either re-list for the next day, or take a grueling connection through London. I had time to think about it before that connection told the agent I would return with an answer in a few minutes. I decided that unburdening Toni and getting out of town was my priority, but when I told my decision to the agent she somehow came up with a connection on Northwest via Minneapolis>Tokyo. The only tricky part was my bags (illegally) already left on the United flight. I was assured by the Northwest rep that my bags would make a quick connection to Minneapolis and arrive in Shanghai either before me, or with me. I was nervous.

I managed emergency row seats, which had a huge impact on the perceived duration/comfort of my flight, and sat next to another expat on his way back to Manila where he worked managing a call center. He was only 21, working there since he got out of high school, and living like a king – impressive. We had interesting discussions about each of our expat lives as we flew over Canada and enjoyed amazingly clear views of Rockies in Canada and Alaska. Usually these amazing mountains are obscured by a heavy cloud cover.

So here I am in Shanghai with a carry-on full mostly books that were too heavy to check and the only other clothes to speak of are a pair of shoes. If I had made the United flight I would have gotten in much earlier and would likely be back in Fenghua now.

The bright side is I got to spend over an hour talking with a most interesting friend of mine, Barbra Bellows, getting her story of the last 30 years including her two undergrads thru her Phd in agronomy, her several long stays in the Philippines including with the Peace Corps and the rebels harassing her village, her cross country bike rides etc. As with many brilliant individuals she is eccentric but most interesting and always up for very interesting discussions. I just happened to meet her and her husband in the Fayetteville Wal-mart (where all the cool people hang out) and then at the airport. Two quite unlikely intersections in one weekend.

Lessons learned and relearned:

Persistence and patience pays when dealing with people in power, especially gate agents. I probably could have been on this flight yesterday.

Ask for exit row seats as soon as possible and as many times as possible.

Don’t assume any persons critical to your timely travel will look out for you even if it is in their job description, risk being rude if necessary to be informed of flight schedules, departures etc.

Always keep and extra set of clothes in your carry on. I would’ve been pretty miserable in my temperate-climate clothing if I had had to lay over in Minneapolis or Chicago.

Lesser points, keep the phone numbers to all hotels you enjoy staying at along with prices in your pda etc. Cell phones die when not used, keep a charger for that product in your carryon luggage. Call ahead to hotels, negotiating prices at the desk is not a negotiation, which is a necessary part of any transaction here. (signing off from my hotel room now).