CHINA!

Time to come home

July 4

TRAVELING TO CHINA ADVICE PAGE!
 

View picture, photo, and story highlights from

Beijing

Suzhou

Shanghai

For those who have read all about the difficulty we had getting to China, you might think that our travel difficulties would be over.  We mistakenly thought so as well.  Here's our travel back to Colorado...  I'll re-issue my warning here as well:

WAIT!!!  BEFORE YOU READ THIS PAGE...

...after reading this page you may think that I did not enjoy China.  This is in no way true.  I loved China!  Getting there, however, and getting back, were more than a little difficult.  I tell you the whole story of our travel so that you can be prepared for the worst in your traveling... we experienced about as much as you can in our travels there and back.

(All pictures are thumbnails.  Click to enlarge.)

The view from our hotel room window on the morning that we left (July 4)

   
On that day, a typhoon hit in China.  But we went to the airport anyway. 
We left the Kunlun Hotel at 11:30 AM, Shanghai time.

More problems with translation... this time at the airport!  Definitely a funny picture though.

Our flight was scheduled to leave from Shanghai's new airport at 3:00 PM. 
We were informed at 2:45 PM that the flight was delayed.

At 3:15 PM, we were informed that our flight had been cancelled.  We were going to have to transfer airports.  At 5:30 PM, we left the boarding area, which meant that we had to officially re-enter China.  With 300 people on group visas, this proved to be quite a process.

At 6:00 PM, we were still waiting in the airport (the new one) for a transfer via shuttle to the old airport.  We left the airport finally at 7:00 PM.  (I had a scare with my camera because I thought I had lost it --which would have meant this web site wouldn't exist-- but Becky was nice enough to pick it up for me!)

We arrived at the older airport at 7:55, where they welcomed us back into China.  That was nice of them!
At 9:00 PM, we boarded the plane, and at 10:00 PM (7 hours after our flight was scheduled to leave), we left Shanghai.

Most of the group slept on the 12 hour flight home, and because of the time change across the date line, we actually arrived in Los Angeles at 5:45 on July 4th.  There had been a shooting at LAX that morning, and had our flight come in on time, we probably would have been delayed anyway due to the terminal we were in closing for a couple of hours in response to the shooting.  So in some ways, it was good that we came in late.  It meant, however, that we missed our flight from LAX to Denver and the airlines had lost our paperwork somewhere between Shanghai and LAX and were not able to get us on a plane to Denver until the next morning.

At 7:00 PM, Deanna, Mom, Dad, and I left LAX for a hotel (paid for by the airline).

(At this point, our travel had taken 20 hours.)

We spent the evening at the hotel, watching Los Angeles fireworks, eating dinner, and sleeping a bit.

We got up at 5:45 AM and left the hotel for LAX at 6:20 AM.  United was our airline from LAX to Denver.  I wouldn't name names of airlines if our experience hadn't been what it was.  Read on to find out more.

We arrived at the airport at 6:25 AM, over 1 1/2 hours before our flight was supposed to depart.  Because United was unprepared at their ticket counters, we waited in line for nearly an hour before getting tickets to get on the plane.  However, when we got to pick up our tickets, our family was lucky enough to be selected for random security screening.  So they made us take all of our check luggage to an extra scanner.  It took our luggage about 10 minutes to be run through the scanner because of all of the backed up baggage (again, United being unprepared for holiday traffic--and extra traffic the day after a major shooting) which needed to be run through the machine. All of the luggage went through fine except one red bag which was mine.  They had me open it up and take out a shoe, in which I had put a statue for safekeeping.  I understood this due to the shoe bombing attempt on a plane.  I closed up my suitcase and ran it through the scanner again, after waiting for a few more bags to be run through before mine.  Still it didn't pass.  So they had me open it up again, and take out some pictures which were in frames (also purchased in China).  After waiting for a few more bags to be run through before mine, again, it still didn't pass.  So they brought it back and had me open it up and take out a SILK BLANKET which was inside a bag with some sort of metal wire.  At this point, my suitcase was, for all intents and purposes, empty, except for clothes.  I asked the attendant at the machine if we were going to be done any time soon, because I knew we were going to have a hard time making it to our flight on time because of their security screening delays.  (She said that she was sure we would be fine to make it to our flight on time.)  Now mind you they ignored the 10 inch sword I had in there which I had purchased while in China.  The sword had been noticed, but that went through the scanner just fine they said.  So I ran the bag through the scanner again (after waiting for other bags to go through), and it checked out fine.  BIG SURPRISE after 4 TIMES IN THE MACHINE.  So I re-packed my bag as best as I could (carried a pair of shoes with me which I later put in my carry-on), and we left the baggage screening (finally) after my same bag had been run through a machine 4 TIMES only to discover nothing.

At this point, it was about 7:30 AM, and we were pretty concerned about getting to our 8:05 flight on time.  After all, we had not even gone through security yet.

(At this point, our travel had taken 32 hours.)

Dad was carrying a large picture with him which we had brought back with us all the way from China without any security problems.  Three things happened at the security gate...One was that the line was backed up, presumably because they were doing extra checks based on the shooting from the day before.  This was understandable.  However, I mentioned to the line controller at the security checkpoint that we were going to be late for our flight if the lines weren't a little faster.  He said we would be fine getting to our flight.  At any rate, the second thing that happened there was that they asked Mom if they could go through one of her bags. 

At the same time, the picture that Dad had would not fit through the security screening machine at the security checkpoint, and they would not allow the picture to be carried through the security gate.  The security people on either side of the security gate then said that it was the other person's call as to whether or not the picture would be allowed to be carried on the plane or not.  Neither one would allow it to go without the other's permission, and neither was willing to give permission either for or against taking it on the plane.  So Dad took the picture with him back to the ticket counter.

While Mom's bag was being searched, they called our names over the speaker and said they wanted us in the boarding area.  At this point it was around 7:45 AM.  So Deanna and I went to the boarding gate to let them know we were there and to wait for us, while Mom's bag was being looked through and Dad was held up at security.

Bcause our family was LUCKY ENOUGH to be SELECTED for a random security screening, they did a wanding of both Deanna and I at the gate, and then asked us to take off our shoes.  We complied.  They then asked if they could go through our carry-on luggage.  I'm not one to get angry, but at this point, I was so infuriated that it must have been visible, because one of the gate agents with some sort of rank came over to the security screeners and told them that we were okay and to just let our bags be.

Needless to say, after so much security (incompetence), the 8:05 AM flight to Denver left without us on board.

Dad got to the boarding area about 8:15 AM, and let us know that we had been re-booked on the 9:05 AM flight to Denver.  At this point, Deanna was in tears and I was as angry as I remember having been in a long time.

At 8:50 AM, we got in line to board the plane, and before we got on the plane, we are pulled aside.  ALL OF OUR CARRY-ON LUGGAGE WAS SEARCHED AGAIN (Three of five bags had already been searched in whole or in part), and we were again wanded, except there were only two people there to search the 30 or more people who were randomly selected, so we stood in line, again, to be wanded, again.  The search included removal of our shoes, again.  This was after United personnel at the previous gate had told us that we wouldn't have to be searched again, one of whom was at our new gate.  He simply responded by saying that it was a different flight, so it required a different check, which was completely ridiculous, since we were inside the security checks within an airport, which is supposed to make it a secure place.  At 9:05 AM, we got on the plane to go back to Denver, which didn't leave until 9:25 because of all of the random security checks they were doing on passengers without enough personnel to do that many checks, which was, again, poor planning on United's part.

To United's credit, they did upgrade our tickets to business class for our flight from LAX to Denver, which, on that flight, basically meant that we were in the same seats, but it was a nice gesture anyway.

Also to United's credit, all of our luggage did arrive in Denver and was waiting for us when we arrived.

However, I was AMAZED at the incompetence and not helpful nature of many of our security screeners that morning.

We arrived at DIA at 12:30 Denver time, and arrived home at 1:30. 

This was 19 hours after we were originally supposed to be home. 

It meant that our travel time from the hotel in Shanghai to getting home in Colorado was 36 hours.  This was not as long as our travel to China, but was definitely more trying than getting to China!

At some point, I will write my thoughts on China, but that might not happen until this year's end-of-year letter, so if it doesn't, this is the end of my travel to China experience.

Contrary to how it might sound on this page, I had a wonderful trip and would love to go back to China some day soon!  Thanks for visiting the China section of my web site.

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