The intrepid survivors of the trip home. I greatly dislike Epic Travel Days! Yes, I really, really do. But I was all psyched up for the 16+ hr. trip home. After a couple weeks away, we were ready to be home. Our group of 30 arrive at the airport, say goodbye to our guide/interpreter and go through Chinese security (which is much more thorough than the US except you get to keep your shoes on). Chengdu to Beijing would be 3 hrs, a 3 hr layover and then 13 hrs to LAX. Everything had gone so well during the entire trip and it seemed we were going to get home without a glitch.
Then an announcement that the flight had been delayed 1 hr. No problem - we'd still get to Beijing in plenty of time. After an hour, an announcement that the flight was cancelled; see the counter for accommodations. Accommodations? What?
The locals took it all in stride (apparently this happens a lot). Going to the ticket counter wasn't a lot of help - communication issues. We eventually gather that the plane has been delayed due to weather and may be in at midnight -- or not. We will be given accommodations and dinner and breakfast if need be. Then the agent guides us to a waiting bus. Wait what about our luggage and what about our connecting flight? Do we need new tickets to Beijing for the next day and how were we getting to the US? Back to the counter. It took quite awhile to find out the following: Our luggage is hostage because it is tagged for Beijing and is on the tarmac. Yes, we'd get to Beijing - eventually. After that, it was up to the ticket counter in Beijing. At least that's what we gathered.
So we go to the hotel. And obviously this is common because the front desk had rooms ready and made copies of our boarding passes so they would get reimbursed by the airline. The airline (Air China) told us we would be given a 3 star hotel. Actually the name of the hotel was 3 Star. The hotel was dirty, the carpets filthy, the hallways dark (Mike said it looked like the Tower of Terror at Disneyland). The doors to the rooms were short & narrow - the men had to duck to go through. The rooms were old and smelly. What a HUGE contrast to the Crowne Plaza where we had been staying the night before. Now to clarify - I'm not above staying at a small, older hotel as long as it is clean and non-scary. This definitely was not clean and it was scary. (Some in our group called it the Bates Motel but as I recall Norman Bates kept the rooms clean.) We were immediately summoned down to dinner which was decent. The staff stared at us; even the kitchen staff came out to watch us. We got the feeling this isn't the kind of place foreigners ever stay.
As we are finishing dinner, the airline calls the hotel and says we need to get right back because the plane was ready to go. You never saw 30 people move so quickly.We are bused back to the airport, get through security again, and run to the gate - which of course was all the way at the end of the terminal. Why they ever sent us away we'll never know. But at least we are on our way to Beijing.
When we get to Beijing our flight to LAX had left two hours earlier. Now we are stuck. We have to go to customer service on the fourth floor and try to re-book for the next flight but there isn't another direct flight to LAX for 2 days. So where exactly is the fourth floor? They just point up. Communication issues again.
We finally get back upstairs. Several take charge at the ticket counter and after a couple hours (in which our group and our carry-ons are sprawled across the floor) we are booked on the next day's flight from Beijing to Houston. Houston? Yep. Once in Houston, we'd have just over one hour to get through customs, get our luggage in the international terminal, re-check our bags for our domestic flight from Houston to LAX.
OK, what about our luggage? It was tagged direct to LAX & is somewhere waiting for the next LA flight. Our luggage can't enter the US without us. Another friend takes charge and makes sure our luggage gets to baggage claim for us and gets staff there to let us get our bags.
In the meantime, others attempt to talk with the duty manager to arrange transportation and accommodations for the night. Hopefully these accommodations will be better than the hotel in Chengdu.
Around 1 a.m., we finally arrive at the Golden Phoenix. Mike gave the hotel 1.5 stars.The lobby looked decent but smoky. The elevator carpet was filthy. The room was very small. The carpet was so dirty I never took off my socks (I threw them away later). The "beds" were hard as a board covered with a sheet (I'm not joking). I didn't dare sleep under the covers or use the pillows. I covered the top with a bath towel which seemed clean. The bathroom was a toilet, sink and shower head over the toilet. You could literally sit on the toilet & take a shower while brushing your teeth and blow drying your hair. In the meantime, Mike and others had to use the wifi in the lobby to try to make alternate travel arrangements once we finally arrived at LAX. Not easy to do from the other side of the international date line.
Somehow we made it through the night & all got back to the airport early to be sure to get our bags checked, get through security - again - and get on that flight. What a relief when the plane took off!
The customs process in Houston was very efficient (the fastest we've ever been through) and the staff helpful. It took awhile for everyone to get their luggage since it was a large int'l flight but we were able to re-check them quickly, and get through security quickly. We all made it to the gate before boarding time with minutes to spare. Kuddos to Houston Int'l Airport!
We made it finally to LAX & transferred to the nearby Hilton. We grabbed a much needed shower & few hours sleep. (10 stars in comparison to where we had been the night before). The next morning back to the airport which was packed - there is a reason friends don't let friends fly LAX. (Thankfully we had to upgrade to Business Select on Southwest just to get a flight home but this helped us avoid the longest lines.) Landing in Reno was such a relief! A big Thank You to Mike's mom, Nancy, for picking us up at the airport!
So how do you survive a travel nightmare? Travel with 30 of your new best friends. We had never met each other before leaving the US. We had all stayed at different hotels in Korea but we had spent the week together in China, shared a lot of fun adventures and got to know each other pretty well. But nothing like that final adventure. During our tours, our guide told us to stick together like sticky rice. That was our motto during those two travel days: "Sticky Rice". It meant we were all in this together, we were sticking together and no one was getting left behind. Much needed Christian qualities of love, kindness and patience came to the fore. Some took charge of trying to communicate with airline personnel (not an easy job) and everyone looked out for each other. There were lots of hugs and handshakes when we all finally got our luggage at the baggage claim at LAX. Then we went our separate ways to get to our far flung homes.
Would I ever re-do the last 72 hours? Not for all the tea in ... well, you know.
Then an announcement that the flight had been delayed 1 hr. No problem - we'd still get to Beijing in plenty of time. After an hour, an announcement that the flight was cancelled; see the counter for accommodations. Accommodations? What?
The locals took it all in stride (apparently this happens a lot). Going to the ticket counter wasn't a lot of help - communication issues. We eventually gather that the plane has been delayed due to weather and may be in at midnight -- or not. We will be given accommodations and dinner and breakfast if need be. Then the agent guides us to a waiting bus. Wait what about our luggage and what about our connecting flight? Do we need new tickets to Beijing for the next day and how were we getting to the US? Back to the counter. It took quite awhile to find out the following: Our luggage is hostage because it is tagged for Beijing and is on the tarmac. Yes, we'd get to Beijing - eventually. After that, it was up to the ticket counter in Beijing. At least that's what we gathered.
So we go to the hotel. And obviously this is common because the front desk had rooms ready and made copies of our boarding passes so they would get reimbursed by the airline. The airline (Air China) told us we would be given a 3 star hotel. Actually the name of the hotel was 3 Star. The hotel was dirty, the carpets filthy, the hallways dark (Mike said it looked like the Tower of Terror at Disneyland). The doors to the rooms were short & narrow - the men had to duck to go through. The rooms were old and smelly. What a HUGE contrast to the Crowne Plaza where we had been staying the night before. Now to clarify - I'm not above staying at a small, older hotel as long as it is clean and non-scary. This definitely was not clean and it was scary. (Some in our group called it the Bates Motel but as I recall Norman Bates kept the rooms clean.) We were immediately summoned down to dinner which was decent. The staff stared at us; even the kitchen staff came out to watch us. We got the feeling this isn't the kind of place foreigners ever stay.
As we are finishing dinner, the airline calls the hotel and says we need to get right back because the plane was ready to go. You never saw 30 people move so quickly.We are bused back to the airport, get through security again, and run to the gate - which of course was all the way at the end of the terminal. Why they ever sent us away we'll never know. But at least we are on our way to Beijing.
When we get to Beijing our flight to LAX had left two hours earlier. Now we are stuck. We have to go to customer service on the fourth floor and try to re-book for the next flight but there isn't another direct flight to LAX for 2 days. So where exactly is the fourth floor? They just point up. Communication issues again.
We finally get back upstairs. Several take charge at the ticket counter and after a couple hours (in which our group and our carry-ons are sprawled across the floor) we are booked on the next day's flight from Beijing to Houston. Houston? Yep. Once in Houston, we'd have just over one hour to get through customs, get our luggage in the international terminal, re-check our bags for our domestic flight from Houston to LAX.
OK, what about our luggage? It was tagged direct to LAX & is somewhere waiting for the next LA flight. Our luggage can't enter the US without us. Another friend takes charge and makes sure our luggage gets to baggage claim for us and gets staff there to let us get our bags.
In the meantime, others attempt to talk with the duty manager to arrange transportation and accommodations for the night. Hopefully these accommodations will be better than the hotel in Chengdu.
Around 1 a.m., we finally arrive at the Golden Phoenix. Mike gave the hotel 1.5 stars.The lobby looked decent but smoky. The elevator carpet was filthy. The room was very small. The carpet was so dirty I never took off my socks (I threw them away later). The "beds" were hard as a board covered with a sheet (I'm not joking). I didn't dare sleep under the covers or use the pillows. I covered the top with a bath towel which seemed clean. The bathroom was a toilet, sink and shower head over the toilet. You could literally sit on the toilet & take a shower while brushing your teeth and blow drying your hair. In the meantime, Mike and others had to use the wifi in the lobby to try to make alternate travel arrangements once we finally arrived at LAX. Not easy to do from the other side of the international date line.
Somehow we made it through the night & all got back to the airport early to be sure to get our bags checked, get through security - again - and get on that flight. What a relief when the plane took off!
The customs process in Houston was very efficient (the fastest we've ever been through) and the staff helpful. It took awhile for everyone to get their luggage since it was a large int'l flight but we were able to re-check them quickly, and get through security quickly. We all made it to the gate before boarding time with minutes to spare. Kuddos to Houston Int'l Airport!
We made it finally to LAX & transferred to the nearby Hilton. We grabbed a much needed shower & few hours sleep. (10 stars in comparison to where we had been the night before). The next morning back to the airport which was packed - there is a reason friends don't let friends fly LAX. (Thankfully we had to upgrade to Business Select on Southwest just to get a flight home but this helped us avoid the longest lines.) Landing in Reno was such a relief! A big Thank You to Mike's mom, Nancy, for picking us up at the airport!
So how do you survive a travel nightmare? Travel with 30 of your new best friends. We had never met each other before leaving the US. We had all stayed at different hotels in Korea but we had spent the week together in China, shared a lot of fun adventures and got to know each other pretty well. But nothing like that final adventure. During our tours, our guide told us to stick together like sticky rice. That was our motto during those two travel days: "Sticky Rice". It meant we were all in this together, we were sticking together and no one was getting left behind. Much needed Christian qualities of love, kindness and patience came to the fore. Some took charge of trying to communicate with airline personnel (not an easy job) and everyone looked out for each other. There were lots of hugs and handshakes when we all finally got our luggage at the baggage claim at LAX. Then we went our separate ways to get to our far flung homes.
Would I ever re-do the last 72 hours? Not for all the tea in ... well, you know.
