It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, but the best far outweighed the worst.
I was not able to keep a running blog of my trip since my laptop died and my laopo’s computer was also out of commission. But here is a recap of my trip.
May 5th I left from Sunny Daytona Beach headed for Zhanjiang and it was quite an adventure. The flight was long and grueling but that’s what I get for booking the cheapest flight I could find. From LA to Guangzhou was 15 ½ hours. Man that was a long haul and I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. Finally land in Gaungzhou and clear immigration and customs which was a breeze. Since this was my first trip I was not sure about clearing customs so I got in the line and asked what I had to declare. I was told if I didn’t have a large amount of cash or electronics to get out of line and go on my way. I gladly left the line and found the desk to transfer to my domestic flight.
While in the Guangzhou airport I tried to get a sim card for my iPhone but the office I needed was closed. So I went looking for my domestic flight and cleared security. That was my first mistake, I had enough time that I should have waited for a sim card. I finally found the gate for my flight to Zhanjiang and waited for 2 hours. I was feeling a little lonely since I was the only westerner in this part of the airport. It is now 30 minutes until I board the plane and the PA screeches and a recorded voice says my flight is going to be an hour late. Oh hell, my laopo is expecting me at the airport and I don’t have any way to get tell her that I will be late. Not being able to read Chinese is a real disadvantage. I am just about to dig out my cell and take the hit on an international roaming call when the PA screetches again and tells me my flight will be anther hour late. Damn it, so I bit the bullet and called my lady and told her that I would be two hours late and not to worry I was coming.
Finally, two hours late, I lay eyes on her for the first time. She may not be a super model but damn she looked beautiful to me. I have never seen anyone that was so happy to see me and I know I felt the same way. I was met by wo mei li de laopo and the translator which was totally cool, but then the boss of the agency pops up and tagged along for the rest of the evening. We headed to the hotel, all four of us, and I got settled in. We met my new sister in-law for dinner and had a great time. I have no idea why the agency boss had to be there because my wife speaks fair English and my sister in-law speaks good English. The rest of the night we spent alone and really got to know each other.
The next morning the translator and the agency boss met us for breakfast. From there we headed off to get the Red Books taken care of. So far things were great, I knew that this woman was all I hoped she would be and she had been 100% honest in all our letters and conversations. What a relief after the horrors of western women. By noon we were done and legally married. That was kind of a blur and went much quicker than I thought. One small hangup was that I didn’t have some paperwork translated from English to Chinese. So the agency boss was useful, he took the papers and had then translated and we finished before lunch. Since I was a married man my wife thought it only right that I move into our home and I did.
We spend several days doing little things and she was on the phone constantly taking care of all the arrangements for our wedding. She never stopped smiling and never once complained about having to handle the arrangements.
Then the worst part came on the 11th of May, the dreaded Wedding Pictures. Not my idea of the best way to kill a whole day but it made her happy so what the hell. I have never changed clothes so many times and smiled on command so many times in my entire life. But at the end of the day I have to say I’ve never seen a woman that was as happy as my wife was so it was worth every minute.
The next day was my Birthday and our wedding day. I was not sure what to expect so I braced myself for the worst. What a surprise, the actual wedding was so quick that I almost missed it when I blinked. Then the fun began, we had wine and many toast gan bei after gan bei but everyone was very happy for us. Then it was off to Karaoke where my wife sang a beautiful song to me. Little did I know that I was supposed to sing to her in front of all the family and friends. The gods smiled upon me and saved my new family from a horrific fate, there were no songs in English. I was let off the hook with the understanding that I MUST sing a beautiful song to my wife when we got home and I had English music.
The following day was when the worst of times appeared. It seems I may have swallowed a bone and it lacerated my colon so I had a GI bleed the next morning. Needless to say I felt like hell and my laopo was very worried. I was sweating, in pain, and dizzy as hell. The next thing I know I am surrounded by Chinese women who are taking me to a hospital. One took me to the elevator while my wife and her friend pushed everyone out of their way to get to the head of the line and get me taken care of before anyone else. I will never get in the way of a determined Chinese woman after I saw how my wife took charge of this situation. Long story short I got some medication and headed home. Later that night we boarded a train and headed off on our honeymoon. I was not going to sit around and miss my honeymoon in China. Over the next couple days I started to feel better and after three days all was as good as could be expected.
We had a great time, went climbing some waterfalls which was not the best idea with a GI bleed but I would not deny her anything at that point. We took a river boat cruise and saw many of the sights along with Chinese Tourists. I was the only western person we was for most of the time.
Things were going well and we were so comfortable and happy together. But then it was time to leave and we both were sad about that. We got to the airport about an hour before my flight was supposed to leave which should be no problem at a small airport. Well this is where the worst of times really showed up. We waited and the terminal was empty, not a sole in sight. It turns out the airline had changed the flight schedule and my travel agent did not know / tell me. My flight had left an hour before I got there. After much animated discussion between the airline and my wife and sister in-law I was told that I could take the next flight in two hours. Ok but that only left me 20 minutes to transfer to an international flight in an airport I had not been through before. I decided that would not work under the best of circumstances. So we asked if I could get the next flight to LA from Guangzhoou. No problem it leaves in three days you will have plenty of time to make the flight. That is when things started to get ugly. I asked about re-scheduling my connecting flights in LA and Atlanta. China Southern said that Delta would have to do that. We want home and I called Delta and explained the situation. I was told that it was not their problem and that China Southern would have to change the flights and good luck they are all sold out. Another call to China Southern and no joy they say Delta has to change the connecting flights. One more call to Delta and then I lost it when I was told that I could book a flight on another airline when I got to LA and they would not refund my ticket. Long story short I called the travel agency, Flychina.com, and they took care of everything and got me home on time.
The food was great, the people were fantastic and my wife is the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. Anybody that says I am a lucky man to have her as my wife is right and I admit it to her and them. I don’t know how why I am so lucky, she was looking for three years and didn’t find anyone that she thought was good enough. Somehow the gods smiled on us and we are together and both understand just how lucky and wonderful it is that we found each other.
Sorry I couldn’t keep everyone up to speed real-time like Ronan did but it was just one of those things. Now the hardest part of the whole deal, the waiting for her to get the VISA and come here to be with me. If it gets too bad I have told her that I will move to China, I don’t care where I am as long as we are together.
Peace,
Tom
