Away for the holidays - Shanghai to Brisbane

Every flight is different

I keep saying that but it's true.  The seating logistics can be terrible, especially when airlines take it upon themselves to break up families for whatever reason, and then leave it to the onboard staff to sort out the mess they created.

We have that now, and while it takes a bit of doing, it's all sorted out.

So...

We got into Shanghai airport at about 4:20 pm, and after a long, long, long taxi ride from the runway, we scored a gate, 16.  On one stop, while on our way, everyone thought we'd arrived.

We had not, leading to a whole lot of people having to sit back down again.

Once again we took the wrong way to international transfers, the sign being on the floor, through the checkpoint of the shooting immigration staff, to the self-service transfer point where two out of three failed and had to go to the assisted transfer, then up the escalator to the scanners where everything went through the machine, duty free and all.

From there it was onto the departure gates but our flight was not leaving until 9:00 pm, so at that time, about 5:30, we had no gate.

Time for a walk.  And look for some drinks, which we got at a family mart store where everything was a hell of a lot cheaper, especially water.

After that, it was a matter of finding a cafe or restaurant and try to stay there for as long as possible until we had to go to the departure gate, which by the time we had finished, about 7:30, was 209.

It was difficult to say just how clean the place was, where a few flicks of the wipe over the table to clean it, leaving the odd sticky wet spot.

I had chicken wings which to me were quite hot, and a draft tiger beer.  I think it was Heineken, but you know these inscrutable Chinese, a frog is more often a rattlesnake than a moose.

Suffice to say, snack food costs a fortune, as it does in any other airport in the world.

Yes, once again we have to take a bus to our plane.  I guess it's all part of the fun of flying into and out of Shanghai but it seems odd given the size of the terminal, there are not enough gates for one of its own airlines.  I think I mentioned that the last time.

Added to the privilege of traveling by bus is the mad scramble up the stairs to get on the plane, with the only advantage this time it was not raining.

We are down the back of the plane, so what else is new, but not all the way.  Row 67 is looking good.  When the lights go out there will be a modicum of darkness, and there will not be the continuous sound of flushing toilets.

Having got no sleep in the last flight from Vancouver to Shanghai, there might be s possibility. of getting some now.

This is the last leg of our holiday, and I'm beginning to feel the effects of a lot of traveling.  Climbing up those stairs to get on the plane was hard work, as was the stop-start movements to our seats.

I don't think I could ever be a constant traveler.