15 September
Guangzhou - The Longest Day
So here we
are on the road again. We drove up to Perth last night with Steph and Nathaniel
and spent the night at Martin’s house. Up at 5.30 for a COLD shower (Ok made
only fleeting contact with the stream). Nice short drive to the airport,
checked in for both flights, luggage to go straight through to LA and we will
just go through transit in Guangzhou.
We chose
China Southern because it was Cheap (for a change) although it entails a big
dogleg (check the map) and a total of 21 hours flying and 5 on the ground in
between. Despite all that, we still arrive in LA on the same day we left Perth,
thanks to the International Date Line, having enjoyed a 33 hour day.
China S has
very mixed reviews. International and recent flights seemed to offer better
service but some of the others were scathing. Our first flight was in an A320,
totally full of 280 passengers, nearly all Chinese. We had very generous
legroom - probably better than Emirates. We were served cooked brekky and lunch
with drinks and there was an ample collection of movies and tv shows to watch
via the seatback sets. We managed to figure out how to use the touchscreen and
the Chinese functions.
Certain
Chinese airlines are famous for their repeated landings but we only bounced
slightly and settled down. There is a large transit terminal, which also got
trashed in Trip Advisor. At the risk of offending our wonderful American
friends, some of their countrymen are very demanding and, so far, we are very
happy with the airline, not least the 25% saving. You need a local mobile phone
number to use the airport wifi but we are well settled in the next departure
lounge with Aussie water and Kingston biscuits and maple syrup muesli bars that
we collected last night.
We booked at
very short notice (3 weeks) so there was no long anticipation. We are very glad
to be here, having dealt with a complex financial problem and a sudden threat
to our combined holidays in February and March, when I will be going to Nepal
with Courtney and then straight to Japan and Vietnam with J. These were all
serious and lengthy problems and caused us great anxiety. We have just one
small issue with the cruise but we don’t plan to fret greatly over it.
We spent an
hour on the tarmac waiting for the queue. This time on an A380 – the Jumbo of
jumbos. It has 2 full length decks, 2 staircases, and takes 640 pax (800 if they
are all economy). We walked through the first class section, divided up like an
open plan office into multiple waist high cubicles that convert from a mini
office to a large flat bed. Yeah whatever. We had a flatbed once and it was
fabulous but it would have added about 89% to the cost of this whole holiday.
Economy was
noticeably smaller than the A320, but still roomier than the budget airlines.
The same meals and entertainment packages. Again, the flight was crammed and we
had an Indian lady from Canada on our aisle seat. We got off the ground about
10.30 pm and they fed us then turned the lights out. They stayed off until
about 2 hours short of LA, when we got fed again. It was an uncomfortable
flight although not as torturous as some of the Virgin flights we have crammed
into. Ironically, the greater girth of the body meant that there was a gap
between the seats and the fuselage (at least where we sat near the HUGE wings).
This meant that you could not enjoy the extra room leaning against the wall. We
both managed to get up and stretch – this plane had the usual smallish open
areas around the exit area, whereas the A 320 hardly had room to stand anywhere
without disrupting traffic.
We were well
ready to get off after 13 hours. We couldn’t see much of LA from the air and
LAX was very busy. We spent close to an hour queuing for 2 immigration
officers. Notices declared that the customs officers were the face of the
nation and promised that they would treat us with violence, respect and safety.
Sorry, that was vigilance. Tired eyes you understand. Sy was a very friendly
old chap – chatted about retirement and lottery tickets. He and his friends are
in a syndicate and their life goal is to win $400 million and retire. He was
not deterred at the thought of paying tax on it.
Our luggage
was still there and we found our way out to where the Super Shuttle minibuses
depart. We had to wait for one heading in our direction (Downtown) but not for
too long. We drove almost entirely on freeways in a Pool Lane reserved for cars
with 2 or more occupants (like Sydney). It was much like Miami with a multitude
of fast food outlets including all the usual ones, Hooters and Fatburgers. Yeah
USA!!
We are at
the Historic Mayfair, which was once a grand hotel that featured in a number of
movies and TV episodes. It was the original venue for the Oscar after parties.
A very nice lobby but the upstairs was just beginning to tire. The new owners
said they will shortly be renovating. We noticed a 711 almost next door and
headed down there after dumping in the room. For the benefit of our US readers,
that refers to our luggage!
It was 11.30
already but evidently 711 no longer reflects the opening hours. This one is
open 24/7. We renewed our acquaintance with the usual fare in US convenience
stores, including cases of Corona for $15!! That’s for 12 big bottles, compared
to our usual $45 for 24 small ones. We picked up some snacks and Janine resumed
her role as Carrier of the Super Gulp, which she has worn since I tipped a
litre of fizzy cordial across all the electronic instruments on the counter at
a convenience store in Vancouver 12 months ago.
We had no difficulty falling asleep in our twin
beds.
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