Shanghai Travel Make Me Realize

Posted by mike on May 19 2010

I guess I am getting too confident on my chinese traveling skills, hit a bunch of speed bumps last night….I tried saving money to shanghai and booked a night flight leaving around 10:30pm. And of course, like normal, there was a flight delay – for “flow of flight control” per the repeating PA announcement in Chinese and English. There was a HILARIOUS older chinese man screaming on the top of his lungs. Wish I could understand more of what he was going on about, but basically that he was promised the flight would be on time, and now another delay. The security guards didn’t even try to stop him, they just watched him – and one of the male check in workers started yellin back. Felt kind of like a high school fight at the lunchroom cafeteria, with onlookers crowding around and standing on chairs.

Another annoying part was this new airline, China-sss.com (spring air) made me check my bag….normally take this as carry on! China Eastern, china Southern, and others never give me a problem with the size of this baggage. So I had to check it before I boarded the plane. I knew that was gonna waste an extra 30 minutes of my time when I arrived in shanghai.

Got to Shanghai, rainy and pretty cool (especially compared to hot and humid Shenzhen). But was rather refreshing as I like the night rain so long as I have a roof over my head.

And, as expected when I was forced to check my bag, the luggage line machine was broken….and delayed. We are talking landing in the airport around 1:30am, to be told the luggage line machine was malfuntioning and we had to wait.

But at least twitter was with me, it keeps my brain thinking instead of staring around blankly at people getting stressed waiting for the luggage. I really love using it to chat to all kinds of people, read motivational quotes, I wish everyone would adapt and start using it as well. It really can spark your imagination – sure its a bunch of text (LAMMY, I KNOW), but it forces you to write a short message, and to think about it.

So after finally getting my bag (and tweeting tons) took a rainy night taxi, was actually kinda cool and made me think back to the days i drove home after my job in high school in connecticut….just had a strange aura about it.

I was supposed to stay at my friend’s home, but again miscommunication with his Chinese-english and my lack of understanding culture (still, after 3 years) he said his home was full and he would arrange a hotel. But I didnt understand clearly that he was waiting there for me, and had already booked the hotel upstairs!

Arriving at the hotel, I gave the taxi his fee, including a 50rmb bill, but he called me back to the car yelling that it was a fake! Looked the same to me…damn i musta gotten ripped off at some point that day.

Arrive to hotel around 2:30am, and my level of chinese couldn’t exactly decipher what they were saying…but basically that i couldn’t get a room. I didn’t want to call my Chinese friend, as I felt he was fast asleep and I could work my way out of it. But I get so frustrated, there is some rule or prior arrangement I needed but I couldn’t get it much clearer then that

Walked down the road on a rainy night and stayed at “cash only” hostel….barely even checked my ID. It was great! no questions, money, key, room.

Morning, woke up exhausted and sick, think the rain and stress just got to me. Been taking medicine most of the day today and have had to slow down my schedule.

Meeting my chinese friend, I then went back to the more reputable hotel….which turns out because of this Shanghai expo, they are requiring all foreigners to register with the local police before checking into the hotel. So hopped a cab to the local police department and got my documents. You think if the Shanghai city was preparing for all these foreigners to come, they would make it a bit more clear at the hotel check-in process. Anyway, blame me, my fault.

Taking some medicine tonight….laying low, had to re-arrange some meetings for future dates and need to re-cooperate.

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http://shenzhentravel.org/?p=2430 Shanghai Travel Make Me Realize | Shenzhen Travel – 深圳市 Travel Guide

[...] more from the original source: Shanghai Travel Make Me Realize « Travel Itinerary – 7 Days 6 Nights Hong Kong & Macau (Part 1 … [...]
Lammy

M still tryin to adapt to tweeter haha giv me some time babe ;p

u know my office sticks thAt fake note on the wall as well haha so funny! I think it’s all over china ;p fake stuff everywhere!!!

N if u can stay at todds? He lives in a 3 floor villa alone..

N u! Get well soon! No coffee mixing wit pills pls!!!! X
http://shanghai51.com/shanghai-travel-make-me-realize/39619.html Shanghai Travel Make Me Realize | Shanghai EXPO 2010

[...] Here is the original post: Shanghai Travel Make Me Realize [...]
http://photomeimei.wordpress.com/ jane

hey,will you go to the Shanghai expo?
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

hey Jane,
dont think i will go to the expo, i walked by the expo center today – SOOO MANY PEOPLE. And i don’t understand the purpose still……
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

haha, Lammy you know for some reason my blog didn’t work on the internet in the hotel today, so I went to a starbucks

i am takin pills now, and washing them down with this starbucks coffee- AND THEN I READ THIS COMMENT!! hilarious…..oppps

yea i will get in touch with Todd, good idea
lammy

……u gotta listen to mama! no pills with coffee!!! hope u dun need both soon

hav fun with todd u two r crazy guys haha
lammy

o yes n chris’ there too u can find him.
http://www.mailini.com nigel

hi, mike! haven’t seen you for a long time. i haven been too busy studying and amy is undertaking the translation , so…

sorry about the fake money thing… but it still seems funny to me. just imagine how the driver communicate that message and i can’t help smiling. such thing is awkward to anybody, but i guess it is both awkward and funny if it happens to a foreginer like you. just hope the driver didn’t make it too hard for you…

and i didn’t understand the misunderstanding. how did it relate to culture?

take care and good luck!
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

Hi Lammy, who is this Chris, you and Cindy keep talking to me about him…..

Yes, Mama Lammy! learning from you…might be dangerous though, as you are the party queen of hong kong!
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

Hi Nigel,

great to hear from you! Yes, study hard, that is most important, but also learn more then just BOOKS, but mindset….and learn to work effeciently and effectively….

Amy is not able to translate my blog anymore, so I do not think mailini.com has been translated in a while.

Yes, LAUGH!!! fake money……damnnnit, i hear that is why the biggest bill/note in China is 100rmb, because the government is afraid of givin people a bigger reason to make fake money – if the amount is higher!!

And the connection about culture – I just mean maybe how its more normal here to get in a fight about fake money…in USA, i dont know how the conversation would go.
http://www.mailini.com nigel

yeah, i quite agree with you about learning beyond books. having been reading magazines like economist and times, and i kinda understand what mindset means… sometimes i took something just for granted and deny alternatives.

and the comment about fake money is really witty. do you face fake money problems with dollars? it would be wired if nobody make fake dollars considering its revenue…

and i was actually asking what made think your friend isn’t waiting for you. i can’t understand because such misunderstanding never happened to me.

and i will spare time to keep the blog. but hope you understand, my courses is killing me and translating takes more time than you realize because they are written in english that is different from books or dictionaries…
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

hey Nigel,

Yes, there is book smart and street smart…as you can see from this blog I am learning street smarts the hard way…but then again, i don’t see any other way to learn street smarts except by making mistakes and learning “on the street”

Fake us dollars…..really, I don’t see it that much, you know why? because if you are caught, you go to jail, right away. You don’t want to be caught using it, or else the police will come to you and try to find out where you got it, and go up and up and up.

There was some case in my high school, a student thought it would be funny to print fake money on a high quality printer….but the police later tracked him down and went to his home. He was younger, so not much could happen, but it scared the heck out of him and the word got out to the other students, so everyone is afraid. Really, the police in USA are SCARY……its part of their strategy…..

And the friend waiting for me….hmm, I think in USA people expect you to get there on your own…..at least that is what I remember….and I didn’t want to disturb him…..it was so late and he has a son and wife.

and the translation, don’t worry too much…..only if you can spare some time. I should find a way to get it back on a regular basis.
lammy

this is chris:
http://www.facebook.com/lammy.yeung#!/photo.php?pid=6020981&id=613775691

cindy actually sent me the party pix of u guys in tst all nite long but i cant find the link again. u prob just met him once so i dun think u can remember him ;P

learning fm me is dangerous? haha well, dangerous’ charming ~

n if u r coming to hk? i heard that fm cindy~
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

is Chris in Shanghai now?

maybe be in HK next week before I go to philippines
lammy

yes chris’ in shanghai now u can call hm.

let me know if u r free to meet up in hk x

if u wanna stay over? i can ask my mum
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com mike

call him what is his number? aiya, i leave tomorrow from shanghai….so
Lammy

Cindy gav u his no! Ask her!
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http://www.airticket.co.uk/ Sam Walker

Nice information.

About

American ecommerce guy, I've been living in South China - Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Dongguan (+ a touch of Philippines) since end of 2007.

Successfully selling online since 2004, took it fulltime early 2007. Love international business & connecting, and working on ways to give hard working people global opportunities. (Read More...)