Finally arrived in Guilin after a 4-hr flight from Singapore to Guangzhou, 4-hr transit at Guangzhou's Baiyan Airport and 1-hr domestic flight.
Nick sent me to the airport and we had breakfast at Toast Box.
Before the SQ flight departed, a Chinese national man in the seat next to me asked if I minded switching seats with his wife, they had been separated. However, I had specifically chosen a window-seat and there was no way I was going to move to the middle seat in the middle aisle so I declined. He didn't smell very nice and had the reddest eyes, was half afraid I would contract his sore eyes!
Watched 'Coco Avant Chanel 'and the bulk of 'All About Steve', saving 'Julia and Julie' for the return flight. Filled out a health declaration form on the plane, confessing to a sorethroat that I had woken up with. I should have just declared I was fit as a fiddle like all the Chinese hacking, coughing and sneezing away for when it came to my turn to submit the form, I got stopped and directed to a medical treatment room. The immigration officer tending to me couldn't speak English but we managed to get by.
I think I was quarantined for a good ten mins, the first five of which I had to stick a mercury thermometer under my arm. The damn thing didn't even work and the officer barely looked at it. I was later joined by an ang-moh lady and young Singaporean boy...we foreigners were just too honest! In the end, I was asked the reason for my sorethroat. I claimed I ate too many chocolates and they made me sign a declaration that that was indeed the reason and let me off!
Spotted this sign while clearing immigration. Am sure there are many more funny signs to spot.
Whilst trying to check through my bag for the next sector at a transfer counter, I kept getting cut by other passengers. That's the thing about China, they don't really respect queues. I saw a woman shouting at a customs official, another Korean passenger shouting at his girlfriend...very chor lor!
To kill time, I parked myself in a corner and read a book but got interrupted by deaf touts. Ordered a bowl of wantons for lunch, but they were stinky...just meat and chives. I had to force them down, felt like an X-Factor contestant eating something against my will!
Finally it was time to board my China Southern Airlines flight to Guilin, again encountered pushy passengers with no respect for personal space, they don't even bother to wait for you to stand to allow them access to their inner seats, just squeeze past.
Once in Guilin, had to use the icky airport loo...quite rural-looking. The hotel transfer was there to meet me on arrival, but before that, not once did anyone offer to help this preggy woman with her 20-kg bag. At least in Singapore, airport staff actually look out for people with difficulties and assist with the bags. Sigh...
Anyway, it took nearly an hour to get to the Sheraton Guilin, what struck me was that the streets were very dark, no streetlamps, felt a bit like Malaysia. When I got into my room, I was intending to update the blog etc only to discover Blogger and Facebook banned. So everything will be typed onto Word instead for uploading when I return.
The room is alright, I ordered in a bolognaise and watched 'You've Got Mail' on HBO. Cleared some emails and now am off to bed! End of Day 1!
Nick sent me to the airport and we had breakfast at Toast Box.
Before the SQ flight departed, a Chinese national man in the seat next to me asked if I minded switching seats with his wife, they had been separated. However, I had specifically chosen a window-seat and there was no way I was going to move to the middle seat in the middle aisle so I declined. He didn't smell very nice and had the reddest eyes, was half afraid I would contract his sore eyes!
Watched 'Coco Avant Chanel 'and the bulk of 'All About Steve', saving 'Julia and Julie' for the return flight. Filled out a health declaration form on the plane, confessing to a sorethroat that I had woken up with. I should have just declared I was fit as a fiddle like all the Chinese hacking, coughing and sneezing away for when it came to my turn to submit the form, I got stopped and directed to a medical treatment room. The immigration officer tending to me couldn't speak English but we managed to get by.
I think I was quarantined for a good ten mins, the first five of which I had to stick a mercury thermometer under my arm. The damn thing didn't even work and the officer barely looked at it. I was later joined by an ang-moh lady and young Singaporean boy...we foreigners were just too honest! In the end, I was asked the reason for my sorethroat. I claimed I ate too many chocolates and they made me sign a declaration that that was indeed the reason and let me off!
Spotted this sign while clearing immigration. Am sure there are many more funny signs to spot.
Whilst trying to check through my bag for the next sector at a transfer counter, I kept getting cut by other passengers. That's the thing about China, they don't really respect queues. I saw a woman shouting at a customs official, another Korean passenger shouting at his girlfriend...very chor lor!
To kill time, I parked myself in a corner and read a book but got interrupted by deaf touts. Ordered a bowl of wantons for lunch, but they were stinky...just meat and chives. I had to force them down, felt like an X-Factor contestant eating something against my will!
Finally it was time to board my China Southern Airlines flight to Guilin, again encountered pushy passengers with no respect for personal space, they don't even bother to wait for you to stand to allow them access to their inner seats, just squeeze past.
Once in Guilin, had to use the icky airport loo...quite rural-looking. The hotel transfer was there to meet me on arrival, but before that, not once did anyone offer to help this preggy woman with her 20-kg bag. At least in Singapore, airport staff actually look out for people with difficulties and assist with the bags. Sigh...
Anyway, it took nearly an hour to get to the Sheraton Guilin, what struck me was that the streets were very dark, no streetlamps, felt a bit like Malaysia. When I got into my room, I was intending to update the blog etc only to discover Blogger and Facebook banned. So everything will be typed onto Word instead for uploading when I return.
The room is alright, I ordered in a bolognaise and watched 'You've Got Mail' on HBO. Cleared some emails and now am off to bed! End of Day 1!
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