China
A trip to the "country-side"
March 2011
Managing the audiovisual supplies and services for this event was quite a strain. But that’s another story...
First I had to get here, which is usually no big deal, go online choose your travel day and schedule and off you go. So I booked KLM from Nice to Shanghai via Amsterdam and back. In the meantime one my colleagues had an accident and I had to replace him for an event in Zurich, then go directly to Amsterdam by other means than the original booking.
As I try to check-in at Schiphol Airport, the ground hostess can not find my flight…and kindly asks me to proeed to the sales counter where I am then explained that with the cheaper non-flexible tickets, you need to complete the entire trip otherwise the rest of it is void. And as I had skipped the Nice-Amsterdam leg, my entire trip to China and back got cancelled, non-refundable! So I immediately buy a new round trip from Amsterdam, luckily they had seats left, as well as texting my boss to let him know there will be a little ditch in the budget! And I finally catch my initial flight…
On this business trip I allowed myself a few days to explore outside of Shanghai as I had already seen most of the city centre previously. Nevertheless I did stroll through the streets of this gigantic city as soon as I was done with work.
At the end of the afternoon, I went to one of the numerous long-distance trains station and bought a ticket to Jiaxing, a city 170 km away, from the vending machine. Not that I really knew where I was going as I hadn't really planned anything. That’s the exact definition of adventure to me, and as Wikipedia states it: “defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome”.
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After 35 minutes at 350 km/h on the German-built high-speed train. I stepped off in the brand new high-speed line dedicated station, and as I promptly found out, situated pretty much outside of the city as the train line runs through the country side.
So there I am in the middle-of-nowhere-Chinese-countryside at 9pm. Nobody speaking a word of English, all taxi’s being taken on by the locals heading home… I pull out my phone to search for a hotel online and see if a can take it from there… No luck. So I walked up to a car and using gestures, tried to explain that I needed to sleep somewhere. |
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Deal done I offered him the equivalent of 5 euros to bring me to a hotel in town. On route, I actually notice I didn’t even have cash so I asked him to stop at an ATM, wondering at some point if he would just drive off and leave me there…
Back in the car he then drove me to the busy city centre and dropped me at what seemed to be a decent hotel, to local standards… Still no one speaking English I still managed to negotiate the room rate, while at the other side of the counter my driver was arguing as he wanted a commission for dropping me off at their place.
The next morning I stepped out early for a frisky morning walk in the mist. Grabbing pictures here and there of the local life as the city awakes…
Back in the car he then drove me to the busy city centre and dropped me at what seemed to be a decent hotel, to local standards… Still no one speaking English I still managed to negotiate the room rate, while at the other side of the counter my driver was arguing as he wanted a commission for dropping me off at their place.
The next morning I stepped out early for a frisky morning walk in the mist. Grabbing pictures here and there of the local life as the city awakes…
I then set off for a walk around the local lake and find some kind of hotel on the shores where I stop for some breakfast, before strolling on to complete the 2-hour walk around the water-fronts traditional architecture scenic park, then back into to town indulging all the activity bustle starting the day.
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By midday I head to the “traditional” station to catch a regular train back to Shanghai. The issue is that everything is written in Chinese, no clue what time and platform the train leaves from…
Google Maps then came handy: On the mobile version all labels are in the local language so I pulled up the Shanghai region and looked at what Chinese symbols describe it and compared them to the timetable board. Once I had the time and Platform, I went to the ticket booth and just yelled “Shanghai”, as everyone in front of me had done.
In the waiting area of the station I look at the various snacks available and decide I’d rather have the pumpkin seeds instead of the chicken feet!
The ride back is definitely a different experience to the brand new high-speed train. People all over the place, smoking at their will, spitting on the ground, throwing their trash on the floor or out of the windows and dropping their pumpkin seed shells or other food rests on the ground. To complete the scene a mother having her kid just piss right on the floor next to her seat! I was wondering when I stepped in the carriage why the floor was wet, then I knew…!
Google Maps then came handy: On the mobile version all labels are in the local language so I pulled up the Shanghai region and looked at what Chinese symbols describe it and compared them to the timetable board. Once I had the time and Platform, I went to the ticket booth and just yelled “Shanghai”, as everyone in front of me had done.
In the waiting area of the station I look at the various snacks available and decide I’d rather have the pumpkin seeds instead of the chicken feet!
The ride back is definitely a different experience to the brand new high-speed train. People all over the place, smoking at their will, spitting on the ground, throwing their trash on the floor or out of the windows and dropping their pumpkin seed shells or other food rests on the ground. To complete the scene a mother having her kid just piss right on the floor next to her seat! I was wondering when I stepped in the carriage why the floor was wet, then I knew…!
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Back in Shanghai, I strolled along the less busy streets, to notice that most people like being outside and install their home or business activities right on the side-walks.
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Back to the airport with the only MagLev train in activity in the world, cruising at 480 km/h covering 35 kms in 8 minutes.
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And to complete this trip as it had started…
When I try to do my check-in at the airport they first don’t find me… Then they do, but for the next day!
The KLM sales person in Amsterdam had put the wrong date when rebooking my trip, unfortunately I didn’t check… Because who would doubt of the legendary Dutch efficiency…!?
So I’m put on waiting list and one minute before they close the flight someone doesn’t turn up and I get his seat. Luckily, I had full priority on the waiting list due to my frequent traveller status…
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