January 14 2015, Wednesday
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So close and yet so far!
This New Year
break, my friends and I went to Shanghai for 3 days to visit an old friend. The
flight to Shanghai takes less than two hours but I cannot say it is convenient.
We departed for
Shanghai on December 30. It was the 0830 flight meaning we had to check in not
later than 6:30. I had to get up at 5. If I took the airport bus, I would be
late. Arriving late has never been my habit. I left home at 5:45 and took a
taxi.
It was my bad
luck that I got on a taxi with a sulky driver. I greeted him nicely. Not only did
he not reciprocate my courteous greeting, but he also did not help me put the
suitcase in the boot!
So I arrived
early at the airport, met up with my friends, checked in, took our breakfast
and boarded the plane. All these were uneventful!
We landed
punctually at 10:30, took our luggage, went through customs and immigration and
were warmly greeted by our friend. We got on the coach at 11.
Guess when we
could sit down for lunch? At 2 in the afternoon! The 30-minute drive to city
centre had become 3 hours! Absolutely ridiculous! That was my first-person
experience of the terrible traffic jams so notorious of mainland cities. And
because we were late, we had to eat dishes left cold if not icy. The waitresses
were also very blatant in their expression of impatience!
