While in Pingyao we got an email from our daughter Kerri telling us that Lil's mum had had a massive stroke. We had to catch an electric cart out of the old town and then a bus to the provincial capital Taiyuan. We had already booked a sleeper train from Taiyuan to Qingdao so made our connection with that. The railway line and station at Qingdao were closed as they were rebuilding some of it to be ready for the Olympic games as Qingdao is hosting the sailing events. After an 13 hour trip we had to get off the train at Cangcou station. The soft sleeper was old but comfortable and we shared it with a mining engineer, who spoke very good English, and a businessman.
Qingdao airport
At Cangkou we had a lot of difficulty getting a taxi to the Qingdao airport and were pestered by touts with unlicensed vans wanting to take us. Finally we managed to find a student who spoke a little English but a lot of French and he helped us negotiate with a van driver. After a couple of hours at the airport we took our Dragonair flight to Hong Kong.
The landing in Hong Kong was pretty rocky and we couldn't see anything because of the heavy rain. Once we had landed we saw that there was a typhoon warning. Our flight to Auckland with Cathay Pacific was delayed an hour and then another hour and after hanging about we were told to report to the desk at 10.30pm. When we did front up we were told the flight would go at 7.40am the next day and as many people were stranded there were no hotels and we had to sleep on the airport floor. It was difficult to sleep as large groups of people were watching football on TV and it felt like we were at a live match because there was so much clapping and cheering.
In the morning we fronted up again and found 300 people at the desk with one clerk who spent the whole time on the telephone and wasn't able to answer any one's questions. We were then told that we would not fly until 4pm that day.
We managed to get some phone cards to ring NZ and a lovely free shower and food at the Cathay Pacific lounge.
A clear view of Auckland as we arrived!
We flew into Auckland and had to wait for a flight to Gisborne which left at 11am which was when the service for my mum was beginning. Kerri and my sister-in-law met us at the airport and we drove to Ruatoria and then onto Waiomatatini. We arrived 69 hours after leaving Pingyao in China in the same clothes and my mum had already been buried.
Qingdao airportAt Cangkou we had a lot of difficulty getting a taxi to the Qingdao airport and were pestered by touts with unlicensed vans wanting to take us. Finally we managed to find a student who spoke a little English but a lot of French and he helped us negotiate with a van driver. After a couple of hours at the airport we took our Dragonair flight to Hong Kong.
The landing in Hong Kong was pretty rocky and we couldn't see anything because of the heavy rain. Once we had landed we saw that there was a typhoon warning. Our flight to Auckland with Cathay Pacific was delayed an hour and then another hour and after hanging about we were told to report to the desk at 10.30pm. When we did front up we were told the flight would go at 7.40am the next day and as many people were stranded there were no hotels and we had to sleep on the airport floor. It was difficult to sleep as large groups of people were watching football on TV and it felt like we were at a live match because there was so much clapping and cheering.
In the morning we fronted up again and found 300 people at the desk with one clerk who spent the whole time on the telephone and wasn't able to answer any one's questions. We were then told that we would not fly until 4pm that day.
We managed to get some phone cards to ring NZ and a lovely free shower and food at the Cathay Pacific lounge.
A clear view of Auckland as we arrived!We flew into Auckland and had to wait for a flight to Gisborne which left at 11am which was when the service for my mum was beginning. Kerri and my sister-in-law met us at the airport and we drove to Ruatoria and then onto Waiomatatini. We arrived 69 hours after leaving Pingyao in China in the same clothes and my mum had already been buried.
