Author Topic: My First Trip  (Read 15874 times)

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Offline Bee964

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My First Trip
« on: February 01, 2011, 09:34:55 am »
Where to start...,  I the most logical place would be at the beginning. I started the trip by driving from my home to my friends place in Richmond Hill, (Toronto) so they could take me to the airport the following morning. The morning arrived quickly due to the fact that I was overly excited about the trip. I had to repack my suit cases to try to get them to meet the weight requirements for the airlines. One was a little too heavy but the other was a little lighter. It was just that they were a matching pair and one bag was smaller than the other. There will be more on this later. With this done I was able to spend a couple minutes in my friends hot tub to try to relax before trying to sleep.

The next morning came very fast. The last look at the alarm clock was around 2 am. I awoke just before the alarm went off at 5 am. I was wide awake. I put the coffee on and got into the shower. Before I knew it we were on the road to Pearson airport. I had no trouble getting through security and had both my bags checked in. All I had with me was my "satchel" with my netbook, camera, translator,... etc. I got to the gate and had some time to sit and use the computer.

The airline personel que up the microphone and say the flight is on hold due to the weather conditions at JFK airport. My flight route was from Toronto Pearson airport to New York JFK airport to Shanghai airport to GuangZhou airport. I look at my watch,...... it is about 9:30 am. I feel the first signs of anxiety. I stop what I am doing on the computer and go to weather.com and have a look see....... snow. The whole radar screen was snow. The forcast was for rain snow mix and a rising temperature all day so the snow was going to change to rain. Doesn't sound that bad... The P.A ques up again and says that they have closed JFK due to the weather and my flight is cancelled. I get called to the ticket counter....

I get put on a flight that will get to Newark airport and gives me about 90 minutes to get to my plane. I think to myself, an airport several miles away,... it is snowing,... I have to get my checked bags, get out of the airport and get the shuttle bus or a cab, get to JFK, check in my bags again, get my boarding pass, get through security again, and then find the gate. I see trouble with this plan. The average trip time between the two airports in average conditions is supposed to be about 50 minutes. (My friend checked this out for me on her computer at home while I was trying to find out if there was another option) I was thinking to myself, it is snowing so this cab ride between the airports is going to be taking longer than the average time. I feel a missed flight coming up. The anxiety starts to grow...

As I was sitting there thinking about this I said to myself I need to call the airline directly. I take out my cell phone and call. I tell the woman that answers that I see a problem with their plan to get me to my flight. I told her I need a flight directly to JFK and I need time between the two flights. She asks me to hold while she checks to see what can be done.

After about 7 or 8 minutes holding she comes back on and proceeds to tell me that there is one option and it is with another airline and that they can switch me to it if I want. I will get to JFK with about 1 hour and 55 minutes between flights. I get my flight switched and I have 30 minutes to get to the gate and board the plane. The gate was not too far so I was relieved to get there, get on the plane and sit and relax before a question arises in my mind, if JFK is closed how is this flight getting in? I start to expect to here the captain come on and say the flight is delayed.... After about 10 minutes the captain does come on and say hello and that we will be leaving about 5 minutes late but will make the time up on route. The weather at JFK,... heavy snow. That question is still there in my mind.

It was a rather uneventful flight, aside from a little bit of turbulance, and as we get closer to the airport I keep thinking to myself, if the airport is closed how are we going to land? I expect to P.A. to que up again and tell us we have been diverted to Newark and we will be landing there instead. The captain does come on and tell us that we will be landing at JFK in about 20 minutes, the weather at the airport,... snow. As I look out the window all I can see is the clouds. We have started our descent.

As we finally made our way out of the clouds I get my first look at the ground, it doesn't look that bad. We come in over the water and I see the runway, I expect to see it snow covered or at least snowy in some spots but there is nothing much on it. My first thoughts were, "What the hell are they talking about!"

I have made it and I have some time to spare. I grab a beer at the bar across from the gate of my next flight ans breathe a sigh of relief. The rest of the trip was not as exciting, until I walk to the baggage claim area.... there she was standing. Did I say standing?, she was bouncing up and down with a great big smile on her face! I took out my camera and snapped a quick photo. It is not the best picture I have taken but it was my first sight of her in the flesh. I go to get my bags....

After waiting almost 20 minutes it sinks in that my bags are not going to apear from the depths of the netheregions of the baggage department of China Eastern airlines. I head off to the baggage counter to see what is up. I fill in a complaint and let the airline deal with finding out where my bags are and head for the exit where this wonderful woman has been waiting patiently to get her arms around me! She does drive and she does have her own car, but she has taken a taxi because "she wanted to hold onto me and would not have her hands on the steering and that would not be so good." She would not let go of me the whole ride to the hotel! I did not care that my bags were lost. My only thought was of this woman. I had not felt this much happiness in a very long time.

To bee continued....

Dave C
« Last Edit: February 01, 2011, 09:44:07 am by Bee964 »
Life is like a jar of Jalapenos-- What you eat today will burn your ass tomorrow!.

Offline Bee964

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2011, 09:53:29 am »
I will add some other pictures later too, but these will have to do for now. The plane looks like it can accept additional wing tanks or maybe rockets? bombs? Hehehe...

Dave C
« Last Edit: February 01, 2011, 09:55:57 am by Bee964 »
Life is like a jar of Jalapenos-- What you eat today will burn your ass tomorrow!.

Offline kenny

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2011, 10:16:28 am »
A rocky start but I am sure it was worth it.

Have a great time and enjoy the New Year!

Offline Martin

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2011, 10:57:43 am »
HAHAHA...what a start to your journey!  So...was it Air Canada not wanting to fly into JFK?  Seems odd that they said the airport was closed, when clearly it was not.  Maybe JFK was thinking of closing.

Great update Dave.  I am very excited to hear more updates from you, on this spectacular journey of yours.  Have a blast!

Offline shaun

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2011, 01:35:15 pm »
Well Dave you've made it.  Now have a great time.  Write when you get the chance and send more pictures.

Arnold

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2011, 03:37:23 pm »
Yes .. a eventful start , but now the " BEE " is only getting Honey and a lot of Stares I'm sure .
Thanks for the Photo's and the ones still on the way with your updates . Especially the ones with Irish and Sunny .

Offline daghoi

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2011, 05:00:40 pm »

Good you made it, hope thing's goes smooth from here.


Offline Jason B

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2011, 05:19:22 pm »
Glad you made it there mate after a rocky start and an anxious uncertain time waiting to see if you would even leave home.  Enjoy every minute there.  Will PM you when I get to China to let you know when I will be in Guangzhou to catch up for a plate of dumplings.

Have you found your luggage yet?  That one shirt must be a bit on the nose by now.......... :P
I WILL have my revenge for having to be clean shaven......once I learn how to tame my Dragon.

Vince G

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2011, 06:29:14 pm »
Good to see you made it. Now the fun begins.

Fixed the first pic. You can steal them back.

Offline Kiwi303

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2011, 06:41:28 pm »
Sounds like a good start to the trip :D

Keep up the updates :D

Offline Bee964

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2011, 07:38:07 pm »
Thanks for the replies guys. I did eventually get my luggage. I got both bags at the end of the fourth day. I did kind of drag the story out a bit didn't I? I will try to keep it more to the point form now on.

To answer your question Jason, she demanded all my clothes almost as soon as we were settled in the room. I thought to myself, wow this is quick! I had my shirt, undershirt, pants and socks off and she disappeared into the bathroom with them. Several minutes later I hear the water running and when I look in she is washing everything by hand. She quickly had everything washed and hung up to dry and we went to bed.

The next day we went shopping for clothes for me for the next couple days. Off to the different shops we went and along the way I was taking in the sights. My first thought of GuangZhou was, wow this city never ends! Hi-rise buildings just go on and on. I felt like I was in the Star Wars I movie where they were aproching the Imperial senate and it looked like the entire planet was a city.

We get to a shop for underwear and buy a couple undershirts and underpants for me. As we left the shop we walked along the street and I notice several police cars and trucks. So I take a couple pictures of them. Then I hear a womans voice tell me, "No more pictures please." I turned to see a female officer standing in the doorway of the station shaking her finger at me. I quickly put the camera away.

We got the clothes I needed as well as changed the room in the hotel to one she likes. After we moved into the new room she takes all the new clothes(except for the new pants) and washes them. This time she goes out into the hallway and talks to the maid cleaning the room next to ours. She comes back into the room and takes all of the clothes and leaves the room. When she returns she tells me the clothes are all hanging out to dry it the sun.

As we relax the rest of the day we discuss the next couple days plans, meet her friends and maybe some of her family. She makes some more phone calls and we will be having "morning tea" with some of her friends. Her brother and her mother are busy for the next few days so meeting them will be on hold for now.

We arrived at the restaurant and search them out. They have a table in the corner with a nice view looking out into the street below, We get our introductions done and sit down. The waitress brings some dishes that look like dumplings but for the life of me I cannot remember what they are called. They were good! Then I get asked if I would like to try the wine her friend has made. I look at my watch, 9:42 am. Well..... like the song says, "its 5 o'clock somewhere". Then the horror stories of the home made stuff that I have heard all about come to mind amd I think that maybe saying yes was not so good an idea, so I say, "Just a little bit please." I just came from France last month, I had some pretty good wines while I was there. This wine was not bad at all. I don't think there was any grape used to make it either.  I was invited to join everybody shopping at the market after morning tea.

The drive there was not too eventful until we were almost there. LingLing and her friends were chatting away in cantonese and she puts the turn signal on. I quickly try to get her attention because she is turning to go the wrong way down a one way street! "It doesn't matter. I will just follow him." she points to someone else doing the same thing. Noticing the airbag in front of me I put my seat back a little farther, just in case. Then I see it, a police car coming right at us! Lights on,.. I just point and stammer out loud,"BUT, BUT, we're gonna get a ticket!!!" The cop just moves over and drives right by.... I decided to not pay attention to anymore driving.

After shopping at the market we are driving back to her friends place and I get a phone call that says I can pick up my luggage at the airport after 4 pm that day. I had to write down all the flight information of the plane they would be on, told the guy thank you very much and hung up the phone. I am now very happy.

We spend the rest of the afternoon at her friends house and have a late lunch with some more wine and "Apple Vineger". I guess that apple cider does not translate. As it is getting late in the day we decide to leave and say our goodbys to our hosts. She stops by her apartment and picks up a few things and she shows me around. It is starting to get dark now and she asks if we should head to the airport to get my bags. I agree and we leave and head for the airport.


When we get there we are not sure where to park so of course we park on the opposite end of the airport and have to walk forever to get to the right place. When we get there, there is no bags there. I had also forgotten where I wrote the flight number down too. After a long time when it sounded like LingLing was giving the woman a good talking to it hits me where I wrote the flight number down and give it to the woman. After a long time we get told the bage are in Shanghai and will be shipped out tomorrow. I started to lose it, but stopped myself. I did not care about excuses I just wanted my bags.

We left the counter and said we would return the next day, when they call. (The next evening we got the call from the woman and my bags were there so enough of this story.)

The next day we spent sight seeing around GuangZhou and took in the art museum. This woman has a better apriciation for art than I do. She could quickly see what the artist was trying to convey to the viewer. I was a little upset about my luggage the night before and turned her invitation down to a bike rental to ride along the river. I kicked myself in the ass and apologized to her as we were leaving the parking lot. I told her I would like to do something romantic with her though. She suggested the river cruise up and down the Pearl River at night. It was wonderful! The way the city is lit up and the way the boats are all decorated was very nice. We had tea and looked at the sights at night. (this is when we got the call that my bags were at the airport and she wanted to go get them as soon as we docked.) We also got the phone call from Irishman and Sunny seeing if we were interested in meeting and going to going to the mountain the next day.

To be continued....
Life is like a jar of Jalapenos-- What you eat today will burn your ass tomorrow!.

Offline Bee964

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2011, 07:49:23 pm »
I hope that the pictures have uploaded ok. If not you may have to wait for a while to see them. I am having trouble viewing them here.

Vince,
Thanks for the fix.

Dave C
Life is like a jar of Jalapenos-- What you eat today will burn your ass tomorrow!.

Offline Martin

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2011, 07:57:05 pm »
I didn't take the river cruise on the Pearl, but certainly saw the boats going up and down the river.  They are quite beautiful, as are the surrounding buildings, that are all lit up.  Great update Dave.  I can feel your frustration over the phantom luggage.  Glad to hear you got it back.

Arnold

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2011, 07:58:04 pm »
Bee , love the Story so far ( especially the ONE WAY Street one ) .. but what's up with the Cap ? Please take it off at the Dinner/Lunch Table or don't tell me you are a Martin look-alike ? haha

Paul Todd

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Re: My First Trip
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2011, 08:02:05 pm »
Fantastic story so far, I'm very happy for the two of you!!!!!