Back in Pingguo yet yet again

I've been blessed with relatively smooth flights over the last 20 months or so going to and from China, but bloody hell those last 40 minutes or so going through the clouds o'er the mountains west of Beijing were pretty hairy and droppy, even causing some screams from a couple of people. I held tightly to the left armrest, knowing the protocol that the middle seat has priority over both their armrests, and did my best to sink into my seat. It was very uncomfortable but probably only lasted 30 seconds. But it then started again but I dealt with it better than the time I was arriving in Bangkok in a storm when I grabbed the knee of the woman who was sitting to my left.

The last few minutes were ok

But the last 15 minutes were ok and we arrived more-or-less on time, meaning I had 2 hours to make my connection. I wasn't too worried as I figured they'd put me on the later flight to Nanning as I took a month ago, but wanted to be in Pingguo around 11pm so as to catch up with Li Kun, who is one of the few people I've told I was coming back so soon.

At least I knew what to expect...the luggage (baggage) should go straight through, and I'd made the excellent decision of taking a spare entry document with me back home on the last visit, and I'd filled it in during the flight, so didn't have to waste 10 minutes after landing. They used to give you these in the flights themselves and I remember spending the best part of an hour filling them in for me and the kids, mainly because I insisted on writing our address in Chinese. But it meant that once I'd scanned my passport I instantly got a receipt as I'd already done my fingerprints, and I waltzed pass the foreigners filling in their entry forms, only to be stopped by security before immigration. The bloke said in broken English that I needed to fill in an entry form. I pulled out my passport and showed him it was already done and felt very smug.

It was only a 5 minute or so queue for immigration and the lady who did me commented on my Chinese name, and I confirmed how to say it, and then for the first time ever in such a place she said I spoke very good Mandarin! Of course I said "nali" which is a way of playing down compliments, but after doing fingerprints to confirm they were the same as they had on record, and a facial scan for the same thing, I was officially in China again!

But of course that meant doing security again. I keep forgetting when they do proper security. I think last time it must have been between the domestic and international flight that they didn't do it. So it meant dumping the three cans of tonic I'd appropriated from the Heathrow T4 lounge and was hoping to appreciate in Pingguo with friends, and then annoyingly my laptop bag didn't pass security. Why? Apparently because it had the laptop charger inside, which they never tell you to take out. I didn't need this with so little time to get my flight, but I took it out and they re-scanned it and it failed again. Jeez...I waited my turn and said this was the second time but this time after a quick glance at the screen they seemed happy to let it go.

By now it was 4.25pm and the flight was due to leave at 5.25pm and knowing China they'd be boarding pretty soon. So I made a beeline for the China Southern lounge with was annoyingly at the other side of the terminal from my flight. But I was determined to get something out of it. The poor woman took an age with the Amex platinum card but Priority Pass wasn't an option it seemed. Eventually she managed to input my name and it accepted, and I saw a selection of drinks, only one of which was beer, and warm to boot. So I asked the attendant if they had cold drinks and she led me to a fridge where she pointed out the beer. May I have two? Of course, so I found a seat and chugged on while putting the other in my bag. The flight still said "go to gate" rather than "boarding", so I braved another two, chugging and saving respectively, before the inevitable "boarding" came up.

Quick beer while transferring

By the time I got to the gate under 10 minutes later it was of course "final call" but at least there was still a queue. But I reckoned it would be too risky going for a wee now. Once on the plane I found despite being in row 34, it was actually the fourth row after the two business class rows, and there were no toilets in the front. So I had to walk all the way to the back which took a couple of minutes with all the people still putting up their hand luggage. What a relief though! I was grateful they served beer with the meal, and I only made one more toilet trip in the whole of the 3h10m flight, even though I enjoyed one of the beers I took from the lounge.

Flying still amazes me

Despite some turbulence it could have been a lot worse, and we arrived within 2 minutes of schedule. I called the driver and he said he was on his way. Luckily this time my hold luggage was one of the first out so by 9.30 I was back on my way to Pingguo. Not before picking up some other bloke though. I had my second lounge-takeaway on the journey as I knew Li Kun and friends would be drinking already, and before 11.30pm I was at his office and it was like I'd never been away.

Back at Li Kun's studio!

And to be fair it had been all of 17 days, as Ma Yong had calculated. Possibly the shortest gap between trips to the motherland. We drank and chatted till gone 2am when I was really flagging, and as last time, Li Kun got me a didi che back home where it was all I could do to dump my suitcases, open a beer, and promptly fall asleep, happy I was back home.