August,
2013
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The smoggy view of Beijing I'm used to, taken from my hotel
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Before going to bed I checked the computer. I was number 2 for a 4
day trip and there was 1 on the board- to Beijing. I think I rolled my eyes.
I’ve been trying to get to Beijing for over 5 years. It’s been at least 9 since
the last time I was there. It’s a neat city to visit, I wanted to return to the
Great Wall and do some shopping. But it’s the most senior trip in the system and
continually eludes me. I was so close. So yes, I rolled my eyes; so typical, the
rotten luck! I hoped that something would happen; maybe another 4 day trip would
pop up overnight and the flight attendant in front of me would get that, leaving
me in line for Beijing.
My phone rang
at 0600hrs. I knew who it was by the ring-tone. The crew desk advised me they
had a trip for me. As soon as she read the trip ID number, I recognized
it…Beijing! I remained calm as I wrote down the information, thanked the
scheduler, hung up and closed my eyes with my head dropping and a smile upon my
face, full of joy. Finally, I would return for my 3rd
visit.
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| A child's ride outside the local grocery store. |
Unable to
sleep, I simply got up. I grabbed my Chinese money, packed, had breakfast and
left for SFO. There would be no tardiness for me today. I felt on top of the
world as I drove to work. Traffic was light and I caught all the lights green;
fortune shown upon me. Did I hear singing? Some angelic choir, perhaps?
Trips to
China can be difficult to work. I love how some of the passengers say hello
during boarding, but then later in flight, when told to be seated because the
seat belt sign has come on, suddenly, don’t speak English! It seems like most
passengers don’t like staying in their seat. They roam around the plane, visit
friends and congregate. They go to the jump seat windows, raise the blind and
look out, often taking photos. We’re over the Pacific Ocean. What are you taking
photos of? When the chime sounds and the pilot comes on the PA to ask everyone
to be seated is when many decide to get up. They ring the call bell to ask us
for another customs form when they make a minor mistake, not understanding that
at least when coming to the US, it’s all right to cross it out and make the
correction on the form. And perhaps most irritating is how so many don’t put
their tray down for us. It’s like a shock to them that we are asking what they
want to drink or eat. Why do you think I’m pushing this heavy cart down the
aisle…my health? You see the cart coming, start thinking of what you want to
drink and have your tray ready!
And the trip home was especially difficult for me, as
I’ve never seen more passengers on our flights who didn’t speak any English. It
was frustrating asking what they wanted to drink to have them point at the cart,
full of sodas, teas, coffee, water, juice, milk and beer. What are you pointing
at? All right, don’t learn how to say tea, orange juice or water. Maybe have
someone make you a card with both English and Mandarin so you can show me what
you wish to order, since showing you the menu with drink logos doesn’t seem to
work either. I thought the Coca Cola brand logo was international. A mechanical
issue delayed our takeoff nearly two hours, yet one yahoo rang the bell to ask
me if we’d be landing on time. Yes. Yes we are landing on time because Santa is
our pilot, and you know, he tends to fly fast! It was trying at times, to say
the least. “Where are we?” another passenger asked. We all laughed out loud. Um,
I don’t know…Boston? I’ve not looked out the window in 6 hours. I have no
idea!
The crew was
great to work with. Everyone got along and worked very well as a team. There was
much humor and I enjoyed my time with them. Asian crews are different from other
crews I work with. They have unique culinary needs that they remedy themselves.
It’s not unusual to see them bring soups, hot wings, steaks, legs of lamb,
citrus and one time they even baked a cake on the flight. Many are bringing
things difficult to fine in Asia. I’m always fascinated watching the culinary
skills of Asian crews.
Not having been to the Chinese capital for such a long
time, the crewmembers were a wealth of information about the new hotel, where to
find good deals on the products I wanted to shop for, and who to seek out for a
great massage. These are the things important to a flight attendant. This trip,
I decided was about shopping more than sightseeing. I had just picked up a trip
to Beijing for the following week (when it rains it pours; 9 years without a
trip to Beijing and now 2 trips in as many weeks) and I would put off a visit to
the Great Wall for then.
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| My hotel room with glass bathroom walls. |
China is a
great place for massages, as they are so cheap. In Beijing, an hour massage with
tip costs about $25. They aren’t always the best massage. The first one I had on
this trip was a petite woman with pink toenails who basically just wanted to rub
the same 4 spots on my back for 20 minutes each. I had to ask her to start on my
arms and legs and when she was finished, I asked for my hands to be done. She
balked, but I told her I’d tip her for it. The massage felt very good at the
time, but the next day I was sore on those 4 spots she had rubbed so vigorously.
Shopping can
be a pain in China. Fortunately, there are places frequented by airline crew,
and these places aren’t as annoying as others. After all, they have to keep us
happy or we all leave and find a new place. But in the markets, as you walk past
the stalls full of wares, the workers stand at the entrance and call out to you,
“Hey, you look. You want glasses? You need watch? I have purse! Come look, you
buy!” No. No. No. As much as a glance into a shop turns these Chinese merchants into a bunch of seagulls and you have a nice big piece of shrimp on your
forehead!
I went to the
Pearl Market with 4 other flight attendants on my crew. It was about 20 minutes
from our hotel via taxi in the heavy morning traffic. I found that in the 9
years since my last visit, drivers seem to be catching on. Last time I was here,
lanes were merely suggestions. Riding in a taxi was a horror, or a thrill if you
are into such things. And I was always juniored into the worst place- next to
the driver. Most motorists now do a very good job at keeping in their lane. And
there were much fewer bikes on the roads, weaving in and out and playing Tetris
at the lights, squeezing past stopped cars.
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| Shopping in Beijing; photo not mine. |
I’ve found
the weather in Beijing to be oppressive on my past summer visits. Between the
heat, humidity and smog, it’s not a great place for a picnic. I couldn’t get
over how clear it was as the plane neared the airport and the city spread its
complex carpet of buildings, parks, roads and entertainment complexes below. The
skies were uncommonly blue and the weather was very nice; only slightly muggy
and quite comfortable at night. The next day was slightly warmer, but still very
manageable. The day we left, however, some 44 hours after touching down, the
smog was a bit more noticeable.
My shopping
was a success, but Vaughn, Kitt and Sandy were ready to return to the hotel
before I was. Vaughn asked if I had plans for dinner. Since I didn’t, I asked if
he would like to join me. He said yes and Marianne and I continued our shopping
pursuits for another couple of hours. We then returned to the hotel, where I set
out to find a good foot massage. The woman I was told gave wonderful massages
had moved and I had the old information, so finding her was a fail. I returned
to my hotel and found another woman who would come to my room. My feet were
sore, but not as much as my right ankle and left knee. Between the long flight
the day before and all the walking I’d done in Beijing, my dogs were barking,
and you know how I don’t like barking dogs!
My foot massage (which in China includes the back, arms and legs)
was the kind where you close your eyes and they constantly roll back. Your inner
dialogue repeats, "Oh, my gods." Every now and then she'd hit a sweet spot and
I'd think, "Fudge." Only not fudge, but the full-on F-word. After all, it's just
my inner dialogue. Even if she could hear it, she doesn't “speakul the Englais”
and she really does know how to give a sweet massage! I had her go easy
on the sore spots that still resided in my back muscles. The part where she got
to my feet and legs was bliss.
She finished
just in time for me to change clothes and meet Vaughn for dinner. In the lobby,
he told me Kitt would be joining us. Good news; the more the merrier! With none
of us knowing the area, we took the advice of another crew member and went to
the food court in the mall across the street. Food courts in China are so much
more interesting than those in the states; not full of mass-produced meals from
national conglomerates.
After ordering an oyster pancake and some dim sum, I
found Kitt and Vaughn and took my seat at the smallish table with silver metal
chairs. Kitt, wanting beef, had gone across the hall to McDonalds for a Big Mac
and fries. I know, right? Who goes to Beijing and eats at McDonalds? I could
tell his was a foreign value meal; the soda cup was the size of a can of soda
and not the huge monstrosities served in the US.
Vaughn,
wanting vegetables and rice, had gotten a variety-pack meal from the food court;
rice, soup, diced chicken and some vegies. He said it was good, although he
seemed a bit uneasy with the whole deal and only finished half of what was on
his tray. It was his first time in Beijing, and perhaps his first time in a
Chinese mall food court, where one purchases a debit card for each station; no
money changes hands. There were all sorts of great looking Chinese dishes. There
were soups, dim sum, dumplings, noodles and all sorts of foreign oddities to
delight the palate of those bold enough to try something new.
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| Gyoza and dim sum at the food court. |
The
conversation came easily between the three of us. Vaughn was full of questions
for both of us and Kitt was very outgoing. I enjoyed the conversation as much as
my dinner companions obviously did, as we sat there for about 90 minutes- long
after we had finished eating.
People
watching was fun as the conversation meandered around our lives and interests.
Suddenly, I became very much aware of how great my life was. Here I was with two
people I had not known before the previous day half way around the globe. Vaughn
and I had worked together a few years prior going to Sydney, but we had not
spent any time together. I love that I get to meet new people all the time with
my job. I love that we bond over our jobs and sharing a city and new
experiences. I love that in a short amount of time, I get to learn so much about
people, and chances are, I won’t see these guys after this trip for months.
Maybe years!
Kitt is
Swedish, hailing from a small town almost an hour north of Stockholm. He left
for New Jersey at 17, although I didn’t ask why he moved. His parents still live
in Sweden and he goes home once a year, although it’s been 2 since his last
visit.
I was amazed
when he met us that morning to go shopping. He wore a grey tee shirt and jeans
with the legs rolled up to the middle of his calves, very European. I had to
comment to him at how well his uniform had hidden his muscles. I could tell he
was in good shape, but now one could see just how well developed, and large, his
muscles were. So large, in fact, that his veins sat above them, restrained by
skin, looking like a map of German roads. Obviously, a guy who spends a ton of
time in the gym.
When I first
met Kitt, I couldn’t tell he was gay. He did look German, with facial features
typical of such, and blond hair with a hint of wave in the front. During the
whole flight, it was hard to tell if his demeanor was slightly effeminate or
just European. But when he spoke now, out of uniform, he definitely sounded gay.
He began to speak of his partner, who he had married 14 years ago. I asked if he
was a body builder as well. He is, but Kitt says he’s not as big. Well, If he
were half as muscled as Kitt, he’d still be ripped.
His partner
owns a car dealership in the Denver area that specializes in luxury cars. They
drive a used Bentley that was originally over $200.000, but they got it for
“cheap”; a measly $50K! I looked at Vaughn, who looked at me, and said,
“Obviously one person’s cheap…” Vaughn finished the sentence for
me.
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| A street near our hotel. |
Vaughn is a
larger black guy who lives outside Vancouver with his wife and daughter. He has
two boys, as well, both in college. He normally only flies to Sydney, but has
decided to start flying Beijing trips to do what so many other flight attendants
do; sell inexpensive Chinese merchandise in the US. He told us of his plans to
build a customer base through a web site to sell iPhone charge packs. But after
he saw the quality of small Bluetooth-enabled speakers, he’s’ now convinced he
can make over $900 in just 4 months.
When asked
about his plans for his first trip to Beijing before we left San Francisco, he
told us that other than shopping, he was only going to stay in his room. He had
no interest in seeing the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square or the Forbidden
City. I was actually a bit surprised he was open to have dinner with me,
thinking maybe he’d stay hidden in his hotel room that
evening.
He comes
across as a shy, quiet type, who doesn’t like adventure or risk. In fact, he
admitted as much at dinner. We started talking about cruises (Kitt has been on
over 30) and he mentioned his fear of being at sea. “I can go all around the
world and have no problem walking in bad parts of town, but being on the water
in the middle of the sea…”
Vaughn was
very inquisitive and often kept the conversation going with a line of questions
– what’s a luxury car to tell someone to stay away from? What’s your favorite
city? What do you like most about going on a cruise? I could have sat there
another hour, but when Kitt suggested we head back, we all just got up. I was
eager to hit the gym, sauna and soak in the pool on the 27th floor of
the Renaissance Hotel with a grand view of the moon rising over the ancient and
now modern looking capital city. That was sort of surreal; being in a pool with
such a view.
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| The pool at the Renaissance Hotel. Great views. |
As I clung to
the side of the pool, I thought about dinner. It was very much like dinners I’ve
had before in cities like Sydney, Seoul, London, Frankfurt or even New York,
Miami and Chicago, getting to know crew members for a short time. I love my job
and how I get to peek into the lives of so many interesting people while seeing
so many wonderful places.
After my
soak, I returned to my room and opened a beer. My view from the 17th
floor was the same as from the pool, only ten floors lower. The moon was rising.
The buildings flashed images of children jumping rope. The Chinese do love
flashing buildings at night! Tomorrow would be breakfast, packing and taking the
bus back to the airport for my flight home. I can’t wait to return. Next time, I
will go to the Great Wall of China. They say you can see the wall from space,
but did you know you can see space from the wall? Lots and lots of space.
