Happy Returns

Returning to China recently for the forth time in as many years was one of the warmest welcomes I have received anywhere. The first time I came to China was at the end of winter 2003 and while I was met at the airport and warmly welcomed by staff from my school, they were strangers, the weather was freezing for March and my apartment was a little on the tired side, as well as being cold and damp. It looked much worse in the light of day the following morning and it was another two days before I was shown how to use the heating and by then I had caught a cold.

The second year I returned to Chongqing and was met at the airport by staff from my new school, assured that all was ready for my arrival – which was far from the truth – and hosted to a lavish meal nearby before retiring to my agreed-upon ‘converted dormitory’ style accommodation on campus, which was once again freezing. This time I arrived early in February and I had only been provided a standard electric oscillating heater for my ‘bed sit’ and the cold wind blew through concrete louvres in my bathroom and straight out the door at the other end. For two days I had no hot water for bathing and by the time the school had installed an electric hot water system and reverse cycle heating I once again fallen foul of a cold. All the while my empathy for Chinese students increased as many of them endure these hardships year in, year out.

On my return for a third year I was met by good friends and spent a couple of nights in their home before moving in with one of my Chinese co-teachers for a week while my new apartment was finished. Again it was cold - they had no conventional toilet and worse still no heating. It was difficult to stay warm and comfortable and I couldn't wait to get into my freshly decorated apartment and transform my ‘oasis’ into a home with the bits and pieces I had collected during the previous two years. What luxury - I now had three heaters, one in each of the main rooms.

This year I flew into Guangzhou after an overnight flight from Brisbane to Kuala Lumpur. This was the second time through KL on a similar flight but it was still dark as we landed at 6.00am. At home it would have been light for over an hour. After a short browse around the shops, cafes, and restaurants situated in the central hub of this massive air terminal, I made my way to my boarding area to watch the day dawn. It was quiet there apart from the occasional announcements over the loudspeakers calling flight departures. My flight to Guangzhou left at 9.30am. Most other passengers seemed to be businessmen on their way to or returning home to China. On this almost empty plane one group of eight men sat close together chatting and laughing good naturedly all the way, occasionally glancing my way with a shy smile. The one sitting closest was trying to read an English language novel in between the interruptions.

As we flew up over the South China Sea our pilot informed us that we would pass over Hainan Island. While it was clear and we followed the coastline for much of the way it was hard to tell if it was in fact Hainan that we could see. As we descended into Guangzhou the arrival announcement informed us that the temperature was in the high 20’s – warm indeed – and it soon became apparent that it was also raining on the ground. It was not until days later that I became aware of the torrential rains and flooding that had occurred all over southern China during the previous few weeks. At home we had had little rain all summer and it was now desperately dry. What a contrast.

With my passport and entry forms in hand I made my way off the plane to the first check point to hand in my signed white health slip, then is was onto immigration. This was the first time I would enter China on a tourist visa which had arrived just days before my departure. With no questions asked I went down the escalator to collect my luggage and clear customs.

As at most airports there was the usual large contingent of friends, family and name card holding colleagues of strangers waiting to meet incoming passengers. Since I was not being met here I was not expecting the welcome I got. Perhaps it was the foreign face in a sea of oriental faces but I immediately sparked the interest of everyone behind the reception desk just beyond the throng of waiting people.

Here you could by SIM cards, arrange hotel bookings, flights, tours, rentals and much more. There were beckoning gestures accompanied by cacophony of unintelligible noise from almost all of them looking for business as I made my way forward stopping at a section that offered ticket sales. I still needed a domestic ticket to Chongqing and would use RMB I had left behind in my bank account several months earlier in anticipation of this return.

I made my initial inquiry speaking Putong hua (Mandarin) and was told the next available flight was at 5.45pm. There were no seats on the earlier flight that I had hoped to be on. Mei wenti (no problem) I would just have to call my friend and let her know what time I would arrive. At least it would not be too late. This about exhausted by Chinese and I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. The young man explained in English “If you go to our special room you can get a 60% discount on your ticket.” That sounded like a good deal so I waited for him to take me somewhere to buy the ticket. I explained that I needed to use the ATM but he gave me the price of the ticket and took my card making an EFTPOS transaction right there at the desk. I was suitably impressed as I’ve not had this experience before and it is good to know that it is available.

His next instruction was to follow him as he came around to the front of the counter and headed swiftly towards the elevator. We got off on Level 3, the departures area and headed into the central area where the International check-ins is located. Part way along he flagged down an electric shuttle and we both got on with my luggage and were shortly delivered to a counter, which boldly stated “Easy Boarding” which speaks for itself. As we arrived a very loud and heated discussion was going on between the staff and an obviously dissatisfied traveller who was also standing behind the counter with them sounding off like he owned the place. I was careful not to express my amusement along with some of the staff standing by.

Next I watched as my passport, ticket and two check-in pieces of luggage disappeared across the concourse and wondered if I would ever see any of them again. I continued to watch the heated discussion with amusement as a few minutes later the airport police arrived and were shown in the direction of the gentleman making all the fuss. I was distracted by the return of the young lady minus my luggage but now offering me a boarding pass, my passport and a couple of other pieces of paper

My young escort delivered me to the First Class lounge where I handed in one of my vouchers to the reception and he left me in the very capable hands of the lounge staff. I found a comfortable chair by the window looking out at a row the planes on the tarmac down this finger of the terminal. It was still raining and water ran down the high curved glass roof overhead. Before making myself comfortable I asked about charging my mobile, which I had noticed, was quite low and my charger of course was in my luggage. After a cursory glance at my phone the girl was back with a charger in no time. I poured myself a cup of coffee and had a quick look at the other facilities and what seemed to be snack food for sale.

When I returned to my chair, I got out some nuts to nibble with my coffee and watched the rain outside. As it got heavier, the pattern of the water cascading down the terminal roof changed continually and it was sometimes impossible to see outside. When the rain eased I was surprised to see a small dragon fly hovering against the glass in a desperate bid to fly through it. I marvelled at how it managed to stay dry and still fly in this heavy down poor.

We landed in Chongqing on time and even before I collected my luggage from the carousel I had spotted my friend in the crowd and waved. She was waiting just beyond the exit and a few minutes later we embraced in a warm hug. We had not seen each other in almost a year, as she had still been overseas when I left for home on New Years day. Outside it was fine and warm in the evening air – the first after several days of rain. We walked and talked together on the way to the car where her husband was waiting to take us home.

I discovered later that I had two credit vouchers to spend on snacks in the first class lounge. I may not travel 'first class' but I am constantly treated with First Class service while in China.

While this year has been a very happy return to China I look forward to many more of them. I leave behind me many people, places and things I miss but I have also missed China and my Chinese friends while I have been home.

One of the things I will miss is the ‘whale watching’ season in the deep blue Pacific this winter at home but ironically I can still ‘whale watch’ from a balcony in Chongqing.