::: Golden Weekend, Part Deux...(2) :::

I just boarded my plane in probably the fastest time I have ever boarded a plane.

Not to mention that I am flying on the newest airliner I have ever flown on...it even has that new car smell! Other than buying out Wal-Mart of those little Ozium scented aerosols...how they got that car smell into an airplane I have no idea! ;0) (of course I know how...they just parked a bunch of new cars in it at the factory...duh!)



It’s an Airbus A330 and seriously...it has to be week’s old if that old. The Rolls-Royce Engines are massive and put out an amazing amount of thrust as we took off into the Hong Kong Sky headed northeast along the evening lit coast of China. I feel like I am in a finely appointed Ferrari. Or... imagine that I’m in a Ferrari...basically because I have never been in a Ferrari so I would have no idea.

Anywho, even the bathrooms are nice...I even lingered in there for awhile if you know what I mean...hahaha...lingered. Ok, just kidding...saw the opportunity for a fart joke and took it. (Slapping my wrist now and telling myself to grow up...My reaction?...I am stomping my feet in protest. If only I had those light up shoes, it would be a freaking strobe party up in this hizzy).

Where was I...oh yeah. So this jet is sweet. Made me think about those entertainers that we pay crazy amounts of money to, being able to lease one of these bad boys all comforted with swanky leather and...well, strobe lights. There they are again. Strobe lights.

OK...I just re-read this post and I sound like those two friends of mine back at the pub took over for a few minutes. They didn’t...no coup here in my part of Asia. I guess I am just really excited.

The flight lasts about 55 minutes and after all of the flights I have taken on this airline, probably 10 by now, the food on this one is definitely the least favorable. Fish-Burger. No thanks.

Passing on the fish-burger I wait for the greatness that is ‘the rooftop’! This has to be the best hole in the wall I have ever eaten at! I was told that we would head there immediately after my arrival.

I land, and make my way toward Immigration. It is then when I am walking there alone, without 25 college students or even a handful of them...that this is weird. I wound up at the same Immigration post as when the college students all landed there with me. I looked up and I swear I saw J. Sand getting stamped in, T Dizzle, Jess, Mya, McElligot, Anna and Shelby...the whole crew was there in my mind. I realized how much I miss all of those students, and more importantly their friendships.

I walk through customs with no problems or hassles. My passport pages are now completely filled with China visas and I’ll have to get more pages sown in this next week at the consulate. I head through the gate and there is that red-headed rascal looking all skinny and smiling, ready to pick me up. John is one of those guys that shouldn’t be one of your most trusted buds, but is. He is 20 years older than me...on paper. This guy would wear anyone out energy wise and just happens to be one of the coolest people I have ever met. Talk about young at heart...the man defines it.



We get a cab and head to meet up with his family. The man driving the cab was a guy with a regular car trying to pick up a few dollars...normally they look like the one in the picture. His was just painted silver with no light on top. We negotiate down from 60RMB to 50RMB and get on our way. Our cabbie is a shifty little man. I mean that literally...he kept shifting in his seat and rocking. He is making up some time and getting us there in fine speed...then.

Then he pulls over, throws up the emergency brake, says something in Chinese and jumps out on a three lane road. I am thinking...he is going to take my luggage hostage from the trunk and demand more money. Then it hits me...this isn’t America...this is China...he probably needs to...yep, there he goes...he just needs to tinkle. The dude pulls over and heads into the woods to take a leak. How great is that?

While Captain Leaks-a-lot is relieving himself I am relishing in the hilarity that it is. Little did I know how much better it would get. A few minutes down the road we wind up in a traffic jam. For those of you who have been to China...you know traffic jams don’t last long because of the creative driving they employ. This one had to last a good minute. Turns out we were trapped behind slow moving Dirt Movers that were working on a construction project. Sir Leaks-a-lot yells out the window at the drivers and basically road rages on them as we inch by. Finally free of the jam, he bears right and pulls over. I am sitting here going...what...is he going to fight the guy? No, he grabs his bottle and tries to go in to get hot water for tea. John flips out, threatens to get out and get another cab, and I am just thinking to myself...This doesn’t happen everyday!

We get back to the house with no problems and head out for dinner!