Travel

Preview of coming events

Dear Reader, the clock is ticking again.  My family and I will be on a plane again in less than 48 hours.  This may be my last blog entry until we arrive in the states.  On Thursday evening we will leave for the U.S.  After spending the night on Thursday at my folks’ house in Idaho, my mom, wife, son, and I will pack into a car and head to Montana for a long weekend.  My grandma and some uncles and aunts live there.  If you recall, earlier this year my grandma’s leg lost circulation, became infected, and was amputated.  She pulled through, but the situation reminded me of her frail physical condition.  She was born in 1912, the year the Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic.  I could be so lucky to live so long and be as healthy as she has been her whole life.  She even drove a car until about nine years ago (her skill deteriorated with age).  I can’t wait to see her again for the first time since February 2004.  I will savor the moment because the next one could be our last one.   This will help me get through any difficulties we may have communicating–her mental faculties have faded, and she is often forgetful nowadays.
 
My father and sister will also meet us while we’re in Montana.  Both live elsewhere and are making the trip to see us.  On Saturday morning we will host an early birthday party for our son at McDonald’s, his new favorite restaurant.  In the evening, my family will gather for its perenniel get together at the 3D International, a local restaurant with a really good Mongolian grill.  We plan to spend Sunday with my grandma.  Next Monday we will head back to my parents’ house in Idaho and will stay there for almost two weeks.  I’ve volunteered to help dad with some home improvement projects, but otherwise we’re looking forward to relaxing and spending some quality time together with my folks. 
 
We will return to Seoul on May 21st.  Just before we return home, my wife will fly to Washington, D.C. for a job interview.  She is pursuing a financial specialist job with the Foreign Service.  We hope that she’ll do well during her interview, although a job offer will bring even more uncertainty in this sometimes tenuous lifestyle.  If she is offered a job and accepts the position, she will be assigned somewhere in the world, and there’s a more-than-slim chance that her first assignment will differ from my second assignment, Paraguay.  We’ve talked about the situation and decided to tackle that challenge if and when this happens.  For now, we consider it a good dilemma.

A Rant Against China Eastern Airlines

…and a Rave for Shanghai Airlines

On Friday, April 21 my family and I left Shanghai for Xi’an.  We went by bus from central Shanghai to Pudong International Airport and arrived at 6:30 p.m. in time for our 8 p.m. China Eastern Airlines flight.  At 7:30 p.m. we arrived at the gate and waited for the boarding call.  The flight was delayed due to a freakish thunder storm.  We waited almost one hour to board, standing in line with hundreds of other passengers.  The flight was full.  At about 9 p.m. we were ushered into the plane.  The weak announcement overhead periodically announced that we had to wait for other airplanes to depart.  At midnight, our flight finally departed.

Waiting three hours for a flight is bearable, but China Eastern Airlines mismanaged the flight.  As China’s second largest airline, I expected better service.  The boarding was chaotic, and once we were seated, we were subjected to poor circulation and high temperatures induced by warm bodies cramped in a parked airplane.  The air hostesses brought drinks and peanuts but were at a loss to provide any other comfort.  The flight was miserable.  Our Airbus A300 did not handle the turbulence of the thunder storm and China’s central plateau well.  Airbus builds its jets so that flight stress is borne by the fuselage, not the wings.  You could feel every dip and crack during the flight.  It did not help that we flew on an older Airbus.  My son slept during the entire flight, but my poor wife paled and gripped my hand with each turbulent shock.  I’ve flown on China Eastern a few times and was satisfied with the flights.  This one failed miserably.  Because the flight was a domestic route serving Shanghai and Xi’an, it’s likely that the level of customer service was a notch below that of international routes.  While a regional carrier, China Eastern still serves several international locations, including London and Los Angeles.

I might let my experience with China Eastern slide, but I was surprised by the difference between their service to Xi’an and Shanghai Airlines’ return service to Shanghai.  When we flew back to Shanghai on April 23, we flew on a brand new Boeing 737-800.  The air hostesses reminded me of international hostesses.  They served real food, and the flight was smooth as glass and on time.  Our experience on China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines could not have been more different.  I was more concerned about flying Shanghai Airlines than China Eastern Airlines, but it seems that my concern was misplaced.  If you have plans to fly in China, give Shanghai Airlines a try.

On Thursday we will fly Delta Airlines back to the states.  I hope that our next experience with Delta will be better than our previous one.  One thing is for sure–we will not wait to be the last passengers on the plane.

Disco ayis

Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to write today because of other commitments, so I have post another short, whimsical blog entry.  As I walked to work today in Shanghai, I passed by a gaggle of upscale fine goods stores, including Gucci, Burberry, and Cartier, on my right.  On my left, across the street near a small park, I saw a gaggle of ayis (an Anglicized version of "ayi," which means "aunt," an endearing reference to an older lady) dancing disco.  Yes, disco.  On previous days I saw elderly Chinese–men and women–doing taijiquan, an ancient Chinese exercise akin to martial arts.  Disco has apparently become a hipper and more popular alternative to the ancient art of taijiquan, better known as taichi.  Whereas taijiquan is slow, methodical, and fluid, disco is fast, upbeat, and heart pumping, even grinding.  Indeed, the elderly are changing in Chinese society, just as the youths are changing.