Flight to Shanghai

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Well, first I will have to apologize to my bloggies and myself (future self) for not taking pictures while on the flight, even though my camera was in my carry-on, I thought it'd be too much of a hassle. I also apologize, but this first entry may be wordy and boring - I have to adjust to a new writing style which will just take me a few entries.

I packed two suitcases, both barely under 50 lbs. and stuffed quite ingeniously with things I probably could buy cheaper in Shanghai. My flight was KE 36, a connecting flight from Atlanta to Seoul to Shanghai. I was unsure what to expect accommodation-wise on the flight since I have only flown 2-3 times before and none even lasting a quarter of the time that the 14-hour flight was. Also, considering the H1N1 virus scare, I had to take extra precautions to make sure I didn't seem sick or have a high temperature. Mom and Steph dropped me off at the airport. I checked in (for the first time ever for a flight by myself!) and took a shuttle to my departure gate. It wasn't hard to find, considering I just followed the pretty, covered-in-makeup, and very-well-but-promiscously-dressed group of flight attendants who appeared Korean (eyelids have a bump...), ha. Spotting two guys my age that appeared to be Tech students, I inquired if they were with the Shanghai Summer Program (SSP) group. They were Ethan and Scott and both were with SSP and from Tech. We were supposed to meet a faculty member boarding the plane with us to check-in, however she was not obvious at the gate, so we called her, eyes peering to see who picked up a phone and found her. We boarded the plane around 12:30pm, economy class.

I had an aisle seat, 40G I believe, and sat next to a man named Lee (however, I did not actually know his name until the very end of the flight, kinda awkward). EVERY seat had a TV Monitor and although the seats were slightly tight, there was enough leg room to almost stretch fully prone in certain positions. I tried just listening to my music, but ended up plugging in some earphones and testing the monitor and to my surprise found some very recent movies. I stayed up the whole night before the flight and drifted in and out of sleep precariously. The only way I know how long I was awake, was by the number of movies I watched - four!! So I spent about 9-10 hours watching movies (or eating) and four asleep. I watched "Mall Cop", "Bedtime Stories", "Yes Man", the beggining of "Quantum Solace" (fell asleep), and 3/4 of "Slum Dog Millionaire" (flight ended). The food was the best and most diverse flight/travel food I've ever had, although Lee said he'd had much better on Singapore Airlines. For dinner, I chose some beef and rice dish with stuff and they offered Red or White Wine. I chose red and regretted it, ha, it was a bit heavy on my stomach.

Lee started a conversation with me a few times. I found out he was Cambodian, was 46 years old (I swear he looked mid-thirties), was not married but wanted to be soon, had a niece who looked up to him for advice after her mother's stopped or became invalid, wanted to take a trip to visit the very rural and scenic areas of Vietnam, and was returning home. His niece needed to move out and learn how to be independent but her mother kept sheltering her and it was Lee who helped her take the step. He gave me some life advice such as too stay constant with certain habits to stay healthy, mainly to try to maintain the same weight - such as between 170-180 pounds. Your body can't handle quick or constant change. And considering how he looked (not overly fit, but youthful) he may be right. He thought that my decision to study abroad in China was very wise and would give me a leg up in my career.

Upon our arrival to Seoul, we went through a very confusing process of forming two lines - one to find a form and another to turn it in and check our body temperature. If even one person on the flight had a high temperature, they could quarantine the entire flight. Here are some pictures from another student's flight where they had an attendant come fully-suited on the plane to check! Of course, I passed through and met up with most of the other SSP students on the KE flight. We ventured to our next departure gate and then I grabbed a Korean dish with Ted and Ethan...I think. It was convenient to have somebody who spoke Korean, or else I probably wouldn't have known they accepted $USD, ha. While boarding the plane, some old white guy told me about how it was 103 degrees in Shanghai yesterday and told me a great restaurant for spicy food and the best nightclub for college-age people, but I forgot the name to both seconds later.

We still got dinner on this flight and surprisingly it only lasted one hour. After a long journey, we finally arrived in Shanghai at 8pm!! However, the fun was just to begin. We had to make it though check-in and customs, two very long lines and forms and health checks and then finally made it to the lobby in the airport. A group of volunteers from Shanghai Jiatong University (SJTU - The University that would be hosting us) was supposed to meet us. However, due to a breakdown in their first bus choice, they were a little late, but not by much, I just played my crappy MP3 out loud on its tiny speakers to hopefully lighten everyone's anxiety...plus my ears hurt from the poorly constructed earphones I had chosen to wear on the flight. We found them after 30 minutes or so, got on the bus, checked in at the hotel, giving away our passports temporarily (although I still have 4 copies placed in various luggage), and reached our rooms tired, but still curious enough to decide to go for a walk and check-out the city and maybe get some yuan (RMB) out!

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Photos

Airport Security
Another student's flight is held until ALL passengers have been verified as healthy and not sick with any form flu or H1N1

Ever Wanted to Know Your Body Temperature while on a Flight, of course you did!
Brendon is having a bit too much fun here...

Lobby 1
After the customs registration desk, escalator leads to lobby

Comments

[damom24]

Scary........Trip !
It reminds me of that movie The Andromeda Strain seeing those guys in their safety gear. I just don't know how many glasses of wine or saki it would take me to feel comfortable under such conditions.

[damom24]

Old White Guy?
Why is it that when you are talking about Cambodians, Asians,etc., basically not of American descent they're all looking yooounger than they really are or they are thinner than most Americans you met on the flight or at the airport. Keep in mind I am a middle-aged woman and mother not in the best of shape but not that bad either and I better not here you calling me that in any country. Heh-heh,,,,,,I'm joshing with you:)