Shanghai

My independent overland tour departed the ship in Shanghai. As we docked, I snapped this picture. The buildings in Shanghai were stunning. There were two shaped like the earth and a very unusual tower.

I then scurried off to stand in line for immigration. There had been a delay and the assigned times had come and gone. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to the airport or how long we had to be there in advance so I wanted to be off the ship as quickly as possible.

First I had to get ashore. The immigration process lasted a bit longer than everyone thought it would. An interesting new feature was a camera set up to scan everyone's temperature so that they could see if anyone had a fever.

I was very excited to be leaving the ship. This was going to be my first overnight on land in 56 days. I was really looking forward to the luxury of time. When seeing the world by cruise ship you always feel short of time since there is so much to see but you have to be back on ship before it sails so you have one eye on the clock.

Once on shore, the guide and driver whisked us to the airport. The guide was delightful. She gave us an overview of the city on the way, along with a good sense of what development and on-going work was happening. They have a big Expo in 2010 so are working on projects for the expo.

I had no Chinese currency as the ship did not bring any aboard. I figured I could get some at the airport. However, I was flying out of the domestic Chinese airport and not the international one. As a result, my ATM card did not work at the ATM machines. Blissfully ignorant I figured I would just exchange some after check in and went through security. Besides I had a credit card and this was an airport, surely they would take them. Everything went like clockwork. Nothing was super crowded or had long lines. The Chinese know how to operate the logistics of an airport. Once in the terminal I started to browse through the shops, thinking I would pick up a snack for the plane. But no one took credit cards and I had no currency so I resigned myself to be hungry until I got to Beijing.

The gate was changed and I just barely caught the announcement. Luckily a woman who spoke English was on the same flight and was also baffled as to what the new gate was so she asked the gate attendant and shared the info.

Once boarded, I noticed how nice our plane was. Brand new looking, with roomy seats. Plenty of leg room. No broken overhead compartments (unlike many US airlines). Throughout the whole process the airline personnel were friendly and helpful. I was impressed! What must the Chinese think when they fly on US airlines?

I hadn't brought any reading material so started reading the airline's magazine. It was fun to read the chairman's statement and all the articles. Many strong and patriotic statements. Also a strong calling to the airline's personnel to do a good job and offer the best. They certainly did for my experience.

And then came the kicker. It was a 2 hour flight. What did I see coming down the isle but a hot meal! No one asked for currency, we were just served our choice of a very healthy delicious meal. I chose the fish and rice. I couldn't recall the last time I got a hot meal on an airline in the US that was as good. They certainly must wonder when they board a US flight and are asked to pay for a snack box that contains Fritos and Oreo cookies along with other junk food.