Returning

I boarded China Southern flight 4708 this afternoon and left Hanoi in a burst of turbulent glory. So long Southeast Asia, it's been a real slice.

Two hours later the plane touched down roughly in Guangzhou, China and I was welcomed by humid smog. I purposefully organized this series of flights with a 22 hour layover in Guangzhou in order to see a bit of China firsthand. You can stay in any of the three major cities for up to 72 hours without a visa. It feels like I'm cheating the system somehow--I do hate paperwork.

After passing through immigration I was directed to a China Southern waiting room by a woman clothed head to toe in fuchsia. I was told to wait without any explanation which seems to be the standard mode of communication here. Luckily I had some inkling of what was going on. Weeks ago I had heard a tale told by a fellow traveler who had used this same airline. Apparently if you have more than 8 hours between flights the airline gets you a room for free including meals and whatnot. That feeling of cheating grew sharper as I waited.

Eventually the other passengers and I were herded through the gigantic airport to an unmarked van. The Dutch woman next to me said that we could set the world record for easiest kidnapping, ever. She wasn't very impressed with the service but she had done this once before. We were in for a treat once we saw the rooms.

Check in went smoothly and I stalked a sombre, empty hallway for room 552. I'm reminded of the Shining but the room is a treat. It's much nicer than the shitty dorms I've been paying for. This is a comfortable way to end a trip where I've purposely roughed it as much as possible. The only problem is I look out the windows and Guangzhou's poor suburbs and the grey haze above them fill my view. At the risk of sounding ungrateful, the contrast between this opulence and general Chinese welfare seems like an accurate introduction to the country. I'm going to try and get a ride into town to see what I can see.