it has already been some time when i flew to the Middle Kingdom and back. the Middle Kingdom; just a more fancy name for zhong guo, china.
here are the details of my visit:
well, what can i say, i was so happy when i could read the japanese equivalent of "bon voyage" at changi airport; 楽しいご旅行をどうぞ [ありがとう!]
we boarded the plane, one of the Boeing 737 species. it was not as big as the name suggests though; it was only 6 abreast with an aisle down the middle. the stewardesses all go "早上好" as you enter. i wanted to say "好、好" in reply but nothing escaped my lips so i just smiled
breakfast or lunch or brunch was beef, cauliflower, broccoli, mushroom, paprika and the other stuffs they usually give during flights: bread, salad, fruits. if you really want to know, the flight attendants have red and dark blue pinafores, with a white blouse beneath. it's... quite neat. my chinese is becoming a little too rusty. i needed 5 seconds to process their question ("yao he shen me yin liao?") Oh crap.
[you chang you chou][the chapter about how i was dissatisfied with the airport staff]
this must be the first time ever i yelled at someone i don't know in chinese. okaaaaaaaaaay. not yell exactly. more like "cried indignantly". i cleared the health authorities, the immigration officers (aka passport stampers){she didn't say a word to me, didn't smile at me, just scrutinized my face like as if i had "Princess Adeline Irisis Fercossa Audythien" for my name in my passport or i had 3 eyes and the photo of me in the passport didn't> and went ahead to pick our luggage from the belt. i waited what seemed like eternity, stealing a few glances at the immigration counters. my eyes couldn't register my parents but i thought that was probably due to my failing eyesight. at last i saw them seated on a bench outside the toilets atwixt the health authorities & immigration counters. i walked down the lane of one of the unmanned counters and called out to them. one of the airport staff tried to shoo me off but i pointed to my relatives and tried to explain what i was doing there. she told me to stand over at the baggage are. "我父母在等我！" I said. luckily i caught their attention.
Xiamen International Airport isn't far from Changi International Airport in terms of cleanliness and design of the interior. we're only short of carpets and aircon. don't forget the (free usage of the) telephone & internet.
the toilet was most memorable. you press a green button at the back, the plastic enveloping the seat frame slides clockwise and becomes stationary after one oscillation. hence, each patron's posterior comes into contact with only his/her particular region of plastic. totally cool. wonder what sort of toilets kikawa is using over at iwate.
our guide received us at the airport. a chinese guy who looks to be in his late twenties; "小張", he calls himself. our luggage went into the trunk of minDB1330.
>> haven't even gotten to the actual tour yet, long winded standalone prologue =P
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