Well so far I’ve made it to Shanghai but I’m now waiting for the bus to take me to Pudong airport.  I got the train from Suzhou to Honqqiao Station and it only takes about 35 mins whereas if you drive it will take you over 2 and a half hours. The advantage of a high speed rail network.  The ticket was 40 rmb which is a bit of a bargain. Some clown was sitting in my seat when I got on, no doubt the pretty young lady next to him was the draw card but I told him to fuck off out of my seat ever so politely when he suggested I should sit elsewhere.And with out another word off he went. Not sure if the young lady was happy about that or not but I couldn’t care less 😆

When you arrive in the main arrival hall you have to contend with swarms of yellow clad tourist folk that are ready to get you a hotel or taxi at the slightest glance. A few were polite and  helpful when I asked for directions to the shuttle bus, but there was one that was full of shit. She had a car waiting and it would only cost 200 rmb to the airport. This just happens to be more than what you would pay if you just went to the taxi rank. The 5 min walk to the shuttle bus was going to take 20 mins but as I’m not a fat lazy git I told her that I would rather take the bus and pay my 30 rmb.There is a huge mark up on goods and services for the unsuspecting tourist in China.  If they say 100 then offer 30 and maybe buy for 50 at the most. We got to the airport just before midnight and so now I have at least 4 hours before I can check in. The price you pay for a cheap airline ticket.

Well it’s now nearly 5am and so I must have got a little sleep although I’m not sure how because with the racket of hammer drills and people walking passed and the fact that I was on a chair sitting upright, although I did lie over my large case which comes in handy in these situations.

Air Asia open their checkin counters at 4 am and I’m about 3rd in the queue, although it doesn’t take long for a couple of Chinese to arrive that don’t understand this concept. It’s one thing that does get on my tits quite a bit,  oh and the ones that won’t wear ear phones when listening to some pathetic soap opera . 

I think I need breakfast, sleep and a shower and preferably in that order and maybe a little distance from this Chinese world I find myself in.