I arrived at Haneda airport as late as one could without having to run breathlessly to one's gate. Upon checking in, the Eastern China Air attendant asked me if I had my itinerary. I looked at her blankly and replied, "On my iphone." while thinking, "Who prints their itinerary anymore?" "Hmmm." she replied. There was a lot of meaning in that hmmm. She walked over to a group of her Eastern China Airlines colleagues and in rapid Chinese, had a brief conversation. Returning, she explained, "You're going to need an itinerary when you arrive in Shanghai." Without explaining further, she continued, "We're going to print one out for you and have it waiting at the gate when you arrive." OK. I made my way through security and immigration, arriving at the gate just minutes before boarding. There was the same ECA attendant smiling broadly and waving at me, my itinerary in hand. I thanked her and rushed to get in line to board. Once in Shanghai I began to see why she was so insistent I needed the itinerary. Expecting not to have to clear immigration since I was only in China on a layover, I looked for the signs that would direct me around immigration. One was not to be found. All passengers, layover or not, were funneled to immigration. I was directed to complete the arrival card. I tried to explain that I wasn't really "arriving" but merely laying over. Although he spoke no English it was clear to me that I was to FILL OUT AN ARRIVAL CARD! OK. Arrival card completed, I went to stand in line to go through immigration. Once I reached the immigration official, I handed her my passport and my arrival card. Looking through my passport, she frowned. "Um, I'm just here on a layover?" I said in a half-question/half-statement quality to my voice. "Here's my itinerary." She looked it over, stamped my passport and then said, "Follow me." She led me into a little room off the immigration clearance lines. She directed me to sit on a sofa. I told her I was fine standing. She insisted I sit. I sat. The sofa was literally just a few centimeters off the ground, and I had to crane my neck to meet her gaze.. She said, "You'll have to wait here until an agent from Eastern China Airlines arrives." OK. About five minutes later, the ECA agent arrived, and along with her, about 5 more immigration officials. Once again there was the rapid Chinese. They all looked down at me. I tried to look back at them as innocently as possible. Lots more Chinese and staring down at me and finally they waved me on. Whew. Laying over in China is no joke. Thankfully, the rest of the journey to Nepal was fairly uneventful. The 12-hour over-night layover in Kunming was a bit much. I can't decide which is weightier: questionably being too old to sleep in airports or definitely being too cheap to get a hotel. I managed to survive, even though the airport was bitter cold and I slept for no more than an hour. During those early morning sleepless hours, I re-read what the Dalai Lama had to say about suffering in
The Art of Happiness. This book is on my iphone and I refer to it often. I find great solace in the teachings of the Dalai Lama, even with no sleep and while freezing my arse off. Finally, at 5:30AM I headed to the check-in area of the airport, knowing I still had six hours to kill before I could even check in. I was hoping it would be a bit warmer. It wasn't. There ensued many hours of people watching and smiling at babies. Finally, 11:30 arrived. I got checked in, and made my way to the warmer part of the airport. All was good once more!
Lessons learned:
Chinese immigration is intense. Note to self: Never plan to be an illegal immigrant in China.
Always print your itinerary (on previously printed upon paper, of course).
No matter the country or the culture, everyone loves to have their babies and toddlers looked upon with adoring eyes. Doing so creates instant friends.
I absolutely HATE being cold. Pack one more sweater next time. Or perhaps a down comforter.
