08./09.04.19 - Arrival, not ideal

When dreams turn into plans ...

At the beginning there are crazy ideas, then they become serious thoughts, then you write down your thoughts and suddenly you have a concrete travel plan in black and white.

When I booked my flight to Shanghai and the return flight from Bangkok to Germany on October 7th, 2018, my travel plans were still far away. Since the beginning of the year, when I started planning my travel route in detail, time passed quickly until the day of departure on April 8th, 2019. The day I set off ALONE into the wide world. On my travel route are the places Shanghai, Hong Kong, Koh Samui, and Bangkok. Destinations where at least every second person will think 'Why would you travel there?' and definitely think 'Oh God, and definitely not alone!'. After my sister and I visited Shanghai and Beijing last year, I got the bug and the aforementioned destinations have been tempting me for a long time, so I wanted to travel to these regions. Since my husband quickly decided not to join me on this trip - which I fully understand - and the last few years have been very intense in various ways, I have decided to take an adventure and travel alone. I really enjoy traveling with others and especially with my husband, but I am looking forward to doing only what I want, not having to consider anyone else's needs, and taking care of nothing but myself. Just go with the flow...

With a suitcase full of luggage for 3.5 weeks - I will be back on May 1, 2019 - my travel adventure started on April 8, 2019, with the ICE train from Hanover to Düsseldorf Airport. Even though the trip is wanted by me and I am looking forward to the next few weeks, I had to hold back a tear when saying goodbye to my husband. Because we have never been apart for so long before.

Actually, people always say 'A sea voyage is fun, a sea voyage is nice', but what would Deutsche Bahn be without reasons to entertain yourself during a train journey in favor of DB. Nowadays, the poorly pronounced 'Thank you for traveling with Deutsche Bahn' just makes you smile. But when some doors did not open during the train stop in Dortmund and many passengers had to involuntarily continue to Bochum, you had to refrain from smiling. Schadenfreude is known to be the greatest joy, but it also backfires. At that time, no one could have guessed that the revenge would come faster than expected. Fortunately, the problem was solved by the time I got off at Düsseldorf Airport. From now on, everything went smoothly. I took the Skytrain to the terminal, the check-in counters were already open, and my check-in went smoothly. About 1.5 hours before departure, I was at the gate for my flight to Dubai. Because from there I would transfer to Shanghai. According to the boarding pass, boarding was supposed to start at 2:40 pm. So, as I always do, I went to the toilet shortly before. Unfortunately, there was an unpleasant announcement that did not improve until 8:30 pm. There were technical problems with the aircraft and the departure would be postponed until further notice. The technical problem was that the fuel valves could not be opened and therefore refueling the aircraft was not possible. No fuel, no flight ... The unpleasant announcement was repeated every half hour. After two hours of delay, the airline distributed meal vouchers. With €15, which had to be spent in one go, because it is quite expensive at the airport, I could treat myself to dinner. Since the restaurant was not prepared for such a rush of hungry guests, schnitzel and burgers were quickly sold out. With my €15, I treated myself to a sandwich, a yogurt, and an apple spritzer. The 'Chinese Whispers' among the waiting passengers worked perfectly and you got some information. Since the technical problem was still not resolved after 4 hours, the airline started reserving hotel rooms at Düsseldorf Airport in case the flight was canceled. After almost 8 hours at the gate, suddenly there was euphoric hustle and bustle, because the passengers sitting closest to the counter heard without a loud announcement that we would still fly that evening. From that moment on, everything happened very quickly. Two additional boarding rows were invented in addition to the three originally planned ones, and there was no distinction between first, business, or economy, but the only goal was to fill the plane quickly and take off. With a mixture of thoughts from 'Yay, we're finally leaving', to 'What will happen to me in Dubai?' I made myself comfortable in my seat. I don't remember much about the flight from Düsseldorf to Dubai, because I only woke up briefly to eat and then slept the rest of the time.

In Dubai, we landed at shortly after 6 am on April 9, 2019, at 26 degrees Celsius. The Emirates ground staff was immediately on hand to assist us delayed passengers from Düsseldorf. It took less than 15 minutes for me to find out that I could continue my journey on the same day, I had been rebooked on the next and last flight to Shanghai. Contrary to the original plan, my arrival time would now be around 10 pm instead of the planned 3:30 pm (local time). With another meal voucher handed out by the airline and a bit of strolling through the extensive duty-free areas, I spent the three-hour waiting time. If I hadn't already traveled to China last year, I would have experienced my first culture shock on the flight from Dubai to Shanghai. But based on my experiences, the horde of Chinese passengers on board did not shock me with their behavior. Traveling with Chinese people is something very special. To make the time as pleasant as possible, you have to do one thing for sure, take as little consideration for your fellow human beings as the Chinese do ;-). I spent this 8-hour flight primarily sleeping, but I also managed to watch 2 1/2 movies and there were 2 meal services. Shortly before 10 pm, I landed in Shanghai with almost 7 hours of delay. Now I was getting excited about whether everything would go smoothly with the immigration. Unlike last year, I didn't have a visa this time. Because for Shanghai it now applies that if you stay a maximum of 144 hours in Shanghai, a transit visa is sufficient. Since I am exactly within this period, I started my journey without a visa. After flipping through the passport three times, giving my fingerprints, and receiving five critical looks from the customs officer, I had the necessary sticker in my passport and was admitted. I didn't have to wait long for my suitcase. My friend Biggi, with whom I will be staying during my time in Shanghai, had organized a transfer for me. So, I entrusted myself to a Chinese man with a sign that said 'AILEEN'. Shortly before midnight, I knocked on Biggi's door. Her husband and children were already asleep. After a cold drink and a little chat, I finally lay down in bed after almost 30 hours of travel time.

When I was stuck on Fuerteventura because of the volcanic ash cloud, I said that there is always a first time... And now it's also the case in this situation! After my return, I will definitely contact the airline regarding compensation. But I want to emphasize that the staff was very helpful and the rebooking and everything else went smoothly.