Apparently this is what it takes to travel from Guangzhou to Shanghai in bad weather…this and 24 very interesting eventful hours! About 10 minutes out from landing in Shanghai, the flight crew announced (in Chinese) that we were being diverted to Hefei (the capital of Anhui province and about 400 KM from Shanghai). According to the flight crew, the ground crew would help once we landed…unfortunately when we landed at 10pm there really was no ground crew available. My strategy for starters – stay with the pack, find someone bi-lingual. I have many choices – I consider the Monks, decide no. For a while I stick with the Russians – until they say if enough of us band together we can force them to take a plane to Shanghai that night. I see them actually talking to the local TV crew (I guess a diverted plane is a big deal in Hefei!) and complaining – I consider an international incident, drop the Russians and find two Aussies traveling with an interpreter – perfect – thank you Jesus! Everyone beings boarding buses to hotels – sounds better than sleeping in the sketchy airport so off I go on the bus. To get a hotel room key, you shove your way into the group, wave your boarding pass and grab a key from the desk attendant’s hand – I can do that! Our hotel was the Metropolis “Entertainment” Hotel…I just didn’t ask questions, and went off to my room which was a toasty 53 degrees F. I get a phone call about Midnight – it is all in Chinese and I am assuming it is the airline telling us plans for the morning. No interpreters around at this point. Next strategy – show up in the lobby early, before anyone in China would think to arrive so I don’t miss the pack! When I arrive at 6am – the desk attendant writes down 6:20 on a piece of paper so I have made it with time to spare. The next person comes down and heads out the door but then returns and tells me to follow him. Being the safety cautious person I am, I ask if he was on the SH flight and then head out of the hotel with him (yes somewhat lower standards than normal considering the circumstances!). Apparently we have to walk to another hotel for the buses. Thank you again Jesus!
So now we’re all checked back in for an 8am flight…which has been delayed! I position myself in the waiting area where I can watch (some might say stalk) my ‘groups’ – the Russians, the Aussies and a few Chinese. Soon there is yelling and a fist fight breaks out – a throw the person on the seats, punch his face and break his glasses kind of fight. I wonder…where is security? Then the angry person turns to the airport staff, throwing things at them, yelling and has now attracted quite a large crowd watching him. I wonder again…where is security and pray I am not seated by this crazy person on the plane. Eventually the screaming man is escorted out of the area. Soon I notice some of my target people, getting up, talking to the airport staff and leaving with a piece of paper. So off I go and find out that the airline is recommending people take the train. Okay if it will get me home today I’m game. While I’m getting my paper, a Russian woman who speaks English and Chinese, asks if she can go with me…why yes! Thank you again Jesus!
Off for the taxi and to the train station about 30 minutes away. Long lines at the train station but we find two others from our flight near the front of the line, hand them (perfect strangers) money and our passports and ask them to buy our tickets. Business class seats are available but the seatless tickets (aka standing for 3 hours) are sold out – okay if you insist, business class it is. We wait another hour and board our train headed finally for home!
