After approximately one billion hours of flying and one bedazzled van, we made it to our first destination: Shenzen, China. Our first flight was Dallas to Minneapolis (circa de 3 hours). Two hour layover... Minneapolis to Tokyo (circa de 14 hours... crying babies, people enjoying the free drinks, and a quarter of the book I started). Three hour layover... Tokyo to Hong Kong (circa de 4.5 hours... very tired and very grumpy at this point). When we arrived in HK a driver was waiting for us to take us across the border onto mainland China into Shenzen. He pulled up the unsuspecting van and we piled in. It was very clean and spacious, a very welcome change from the planes we had been on for the last 24 hours. Shenzen is only about 20 miles away from HK but because we had to go through passport control to get onto the mainland it took about an hour.
While we were enjoying the terra firma, I first noticed that the window control on my side was bedazzled with silver stones. I laughed. Then I looked forward passed the driver side seat (which is the right in HK since it was a british colony for forever) and noticed that the entire airvent was bedazzled. More laughter. I was trying to get my Aunt to see it but she was busy being in a zombie like- half-asleep-half-awake situation. The real kicker came when He turned on the over head light, and shocker, it was completely bedazzled... like as in over the light. Completely covered in rows of jewels. It was then that I knew China and I would get along just fine.
When it was finally our turn at the border, the driver handed the dude our passport and the he opened the passenger door so homeboy Chinese gov't agent could get a nice look at us. Little Creepy.
Not long after, we pulled up to The Best Western, Felicity Hotel. No where has ever looked so beautiful. Mostly just because I knew there was a bed waiting for me ! It was now about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 23 China time- 12:30 p.m. Oct. 21 Houston time - We had been traveling since about 9 a.m. Friday Oct. 21 Houston time. It helps to draw a picture.
We bumbled into our room, I think I managed to shower before falling into the ROCK HARD (welcome to china) bed and falling fast asleep. Our first meeting was the next morning at 11 in the hotel lobby so we had plenty of time to sleep off the travels.
zz.
zzz...
zzzzz....
zzz.
zz....
Then we were up. We headed down to breakfast around 10 maybe ( i'm totally making that up- I just know it was AFTER the breakfast buffet was closed). We ordered off of the menu, the "Western Breakfast"... so naturally it had eggs, sausage, slice tomato and the ever classic- breakfast french fries. I would complain about how the rest of the world looks at us- thinking that we eat french fries for breakfast... but they were really delicious, so I won't.
-- business meeting.
--me listening.
--trying to learn.
--getting confused
--realizing my aunt knows a lot about stuff I didn't really know existed.
--cricket...cricket...
Around 2:30 we had a second meeting that was about a million times more entertaining than the first... but maybe not on purpose. A company was coming to talk to my aunt about a product which she nearly severed her finger off with trying to prove a point (point taken). Their faces, as Bettie's finger was trying to jump ship, were priceless. I thought they were going to have heart attacks. I didn't really know what to do...other than laugh. So I did.
The meeting went well, it was mostly just funny. I think it was more of a "you had to be there" kind of funny, so I won't try to explain it... I don't think it would appear funny at all that way. Maybe some day you'll catch me after a drink and I'll give it a go!
Anyway... We dinner'd and then it was amazingly bed time again! My favorite part of the day! Of course this was preceded by some chinese television watching. Let me tell you... the chinese have got the talent tv shows down! Every channel ( like 5 ) each night had its own version. And you would think that in a country of 2 billion people...there would be more talent.
Ok. There's day 1 for you!
To conclude this post, I would like it include a "lost in translation" photo... as I will in each China post there is. ENJOY!
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| just because you said so ! |
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