China Preparation 1

This time we booked quite early.

We read several travel guides and reports in preparation, and Elke watched a lot on YouTube.

About a month before departure, we encountered some problems that had nothing to do with the trip but greatly affected us.

First, after an update, my laptop refused any Wi-Fi access. I was already fearing it would need to be sent in for repairs again. After a long session with the 'charming AI assistant Alicia' from Lenovo - last year there was a patient gentleman handling it - I managed to install a new driver after 2 days.

Two weeks before departure, the display on my phone failed - after I had loaded all essential tickets and even WeChat onto it. Within a day, it was dead. The next morning I went to MediaMarkt to get a new one - and set it up! It took several days to get all 2-factor certificates back on.

One week before departure, it turned out that the workshop had mounted the wrong tires on my car - the clarification is still pending.

Preparation 2

The day before departure. The suitcases are practically packed.

The mailbox key has been given to the neighbor.

The car tires will actually be changed in June.

WeChat works for Elke, including the payment system, but not for me since it was already installed on my old phone and I couldn’t activate it until now.

Connecting headphones to the tablet and phone, as well as the keyboard to the tablet, was tedious but ultimately successful.

It's time to go!

The taxi we ordered to the train station arrives promptly late, only after two phone calls... But we got there just fine.

Nearly on-time arrival at Frankfurt Airport, then taking the shuttle to the hotel for the evening. Traveling on the day of departure seemed too risky considering the frequent train problems.

After a nice dinner, we had a relaxed night.