So, I am
back in China Land!
A few
things about my journey from Leiria to Wenchang:
-
Travelling to the other side of the world with no sleep from the night before
is just a bit tiring. Also, Lisbon's
airport is quite packed at 4 am.
Ah, my second home.
- Every
time I go to Shcipol Airport in Amsterdam I always get some subtly snarky Dutch
staff at the counters that can turn a simple “you want a drink too?” into a
sarcastic remark. I guess that’s either Dutch nature or they take my sleep deprived
self for another one of those tourists who had one too many “space cookies”
down town because they don’t listen when they're told those things are only supposed to hit you half an hour later.
“Sir, you’ve
just been standing there for a while now. We need you to show us your ticket.”
“For… the concert?”
- Listening
to Artic Monkeys on a 12 hour flight is surprisingly relaxing. Especially when
you play "Brianstorm" during turbulence.
"Some want to kiss, some want to kick you..."
- Some old
English dude spent the whole flight kicking my chair whenever I pushed it down,
trying to push it back up so he could have the business class space he so
rightly deserved (while keeping his own chair pushed down to the max). Silly Brit,
I control the leaver, your puny kicks are futile!
Though a bit more space would mean less tea spilled over my trousers.
- Just when
we were finally reaching Guangzhou, the staff then informed us that due to bad
weather conditions we would have to land in Guilin instead, and then take
another plane back to Guangzhou. Then when we reached Guilin the weather
conditions weren't that great either, so instead we had to land in the even
further away Changsha Airport.
Always!
- Why after
4 years of getting in and out of China I can never remember to carry a pen with
me to sign the goddam customs inquiry?
I can also sign them when the are given during the flight to China, in which case pretend they're crosswords because my mp3 is out of battery and I am desperately bored.
- Because
of the detour to Changsha, I lost my morning flight to Haikou and had to wait
for the afternoon one. One a side note, Guangzhou's airport the world needs more dim sum
restaurants.
Really. These things are DELICIOUS!
- The
taxi driver told me that the highway between Haikou's airport and Wenchang will
be closed for the year, which means he gets to charge me more for a longer trip.
But on the bright side, he tells me, “those roads are getting really pretty!”
"And those signs are pretty, too, even if we just use them for decoration."
Anyway, I’m
back in my apartment, which contrary to my worst fears is not overrun by big
cockroaches walking around everywhere like they’re having a house party and my
bed is their favourite spot to hang out. There were spiders, though, but those
adorably little squashable creatures not only are easy to deal with but it’s
also stress reliving to do so.
Hmm, I starting to sound a little too sadistic on
those poor arachnids, so maybe it’s time for me to take a nap. Like, till
tomorrow. After all, I can’t look sleepy to the Chinese policemen I have to inform my
presence to in the morning. Because of my (manly) beard, they might already
suspect me to be a) a terrorrist b) a rapist or c) someone who’s too much of a slob to ever shave (the latter being the most insulting for its sheer accuracy).
再见!
