Hello guys
Ok lets start at the beginning. I arrived at Manchester airport in plenty of time for my flight at 09.25, on the 30th. The flight ityself was relatively uneventful to Amsterdam, there I had a 3 hour wait for the connection. So I looked about Schipol airport for a bit then found where I was to board for the next leg of the journey. This part was really horrible, in the lounge I kept getting banged into by these obnoxious kids, no hint of an apology or nothing ggrrr. So I gets on the plane and guess what they are sitting directly behind me, and there is a couple with a screaming child in from of me. Beside me are a man and women, who constantly shout at each other in Chinese, God what a nightmare of a flight. The saving grace was knowing that I was being picked up at Qingdao when I finally got there. However, I was looking out the plane window and noticed the wing seemed not to sit properly, so this put a little bit of a strain onto me..I watch all these disaster movies haha. When we landed in Amsterdam, the plane, because of the wind, did not land perfect. In hangzhou, after a 5 hour wait, we left an hour after we should have, because of the rain and weather. Anyway, we finally take off and I get to Qingdao...
Your right Mike, it is and was so much eaisier the second time. I go into collect my baggage, and as I stand there waiting I hear my name being shouted, so I look about and see Sophie, she waves to me and has a grin as wide as the grand canyon (or for the english, the mersey tunnel hehe), so I am elated, I wave back, and you would probably have to take me to surgery to get the Grin thats on my face now...haha.
I collect my case and walk out, Sophie and I shake hands and give a little kiss to each others cheek. I found out that she had come there herself, (she does not travel much), she has brought me some food and OJ incase I needed it., we sit for a while and talk, then we go for a taxi to the bus station. Sophies Cousin was going to drive her to get me, but at the last minute he had to go to work... We sit in the stataion and while waitng for the bus, and start having loads of fun with our translation machines. Here English is not the best, but not too bad.. then we have to get on board, haha the looks from the people on board was hilerious. all I could do was walk by smiling and saying "Ni Hao". We sat at the back and we both feel asleep after a little bit (journey). She put her head on my shoulder and dozed off. It was a 2 hour drive on the bus. Once we got there. I realised I had passed through here on my way to Rizhao last year. I recognised a couple of places.
We get to her house and I am shown around it, later her son Peter comes So I say hello, and we talk a little. Sophie had to go to her mom's and she brought back dumplings, fish and chicken.
Today, while she went to work I walked about the place and went to the market for fruit and vegetables. Later on I come home and prepare some food for tonights dinner, rice, carrots, leek, with dumplings, and also a salad. After I do this, I remember that I have to register with the police. I get a taxi to the police station, I am there for about 2 hours, they had not got a clue what I was doing there, or what I was telling them. They called Sophie and told me to wait. They thought I was lost!!!
Sophie arrives to pick me up and we head home, quite a walk, but this is good because I am spending more time with her, and it is helping me and her talking on the translator, her work gave her a bit of time off to collect me, so we walk home, have a little lunch, and now she has went back to work...
Hehe she was telling me NOT to go far incase I get lost, she was thrilled to bits, when it was ME who showed her the way back to the house. Scotsmans intution haha (Nah, not drunk haha). So while I wait patiently for her to finish work I decided that I would write this up for you to read. Oh God those bloody toilets are a nightmare, haha nearly fell over once or twice hehe
And yesterday, the taxi, the bus and food she has paid everything herself, she would not allow me to pay...
