Why did I leave China? There's something really amazing about that place. Anyway, I did have a good trip back. The flight from Beijing to Shanghai had spectacular views (ah ... that's why I love China ... everyone with a window seat was actually looking out of it for the entire journey - watching hundreds of aircraft fly past on the Shanghai -> Beijing route and seeing the huge rivers, farms and cities below). It was bumpy.
I had a few hours in Shanghai airport which I spent in "Coffee and Cate". I did ask who or what "Cate" was and they looked at me strangely and pointed at the cake display! :) I ended up with the window seat and the aisle seat on the flight to Australia and so spent most of the flight asleep! I did, however, watch a very thought-provoking film - "Doubt".
I've had a few days in Sydney trying to sort myself out (and, of course, failing) before my next trip on Thursday! Too much work, my house is a mess, lots going on ...
Don't read this mum, but the weather forecast for New Zealand is quite exciting: "Severe weather warning: HEAVY SNOW WARNING", "20cm of snow forecast". Temperatures around -2C are expected. I'm trying to find my gloves and hat. They seem to have disappeared. Does anyone know how to put chains onto tyres?Oh, did I mention that I saw the most amazing sunrise from the flight into Australia? I also
started reading a book that I'm really enjoying, but it does keep annoying me! It's Paul Theroux' "The old Patagonian express" where he describes his journey in which he gets on the Boston subway and then keeps going on local trains until he reaches Argentina! I got on my flight ready to enjoy it and read "There is not much to say about most aeroplane journeys. Anything remarkable must be disastrous, so you define a good flight by negatives: you didn't get hijacked, you didn't crash, you didn't throw up, you weren't late, you weren't nauseated by the food. So you are grateful. ... And from that moment he 
[the traveller] steps into the tube and braces his k
nees on the seat in front, uncomfortably upright - from the moment he departs, his mind is focused on arrival. That is, if he has any sense at all. If he looked out of the window he would see nothing but the tundra of the cloud layer, and above is empty space." What rubbish!The rest of the book is good!
5 comments:
That's an Awesome start to the book!
No, really. The "You are here" sign. That's really great :-) Was that just hanging in Shanghai airport somewhere?
Another random question: when did he do that journey? I mean: is it still possible today to go from Boston to Argentina via nothing but trains? (Because that would make Argentina 'easier' to reach than Morgantown!)
He went in the late 1970s (I think). Do you want to try and see if we can reproduce the journey???
Wooohw.. That would be such a fascinating trip. I wonder how he got through Colombia, though. Or Nicaragua for that matter.
Do you know how long his trip took?
He's currently stuck outside of Nicaragua. I'd better go home and keep reading!
I know a couple of people in Colombia if it's any help (they lived next door to us in Reading and moved there to be closer to family (hem! hem!).
Mel
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