cattle class

• join the snaking linesssss to check in
• join the snaking linessss (and sprint to new line) to clear security
• buy coffee and get a mini heart attack
• buy summat from family mart (cos no lounge access)
• join the fat snaking line to board
• aisle seat yeah! and right in front of the loo!
• quickly stand to avoid being climbed over
• stand to let seat mate to the loo
• stand to let other seat mate to the loo, holding on to meal tray
• swiftly sweep feet away when seat mate accidentally drops orange peel (and seeds)
• land early (nice!!)

solo travel in coach. i miss my usual buffer from the world, HOM.

sticker shock

i buy a cuppa at the airport before i am fully awake and pay the price at a global-standard high.

on the other hand the barista and the cashier speak smooth effective english and the joe is smooth and full-bodied. 

note to self: check prices before ordering. even when sleepy in china.

IG-ready

you gotta give it to the chinese. 

they have leap-frogged ahead in tech connectivity transportation and public amenities. the security is unbeatable for peaceful eventlessness for the law-abiding asian. the delivery economy is hassle-free accessible and penetrates to my hotel room. the food is varied affordable and great.

and to top it now they have cute artwork* at the changing rooms too.

*at the anta store on beijing rd

helpless rant

i wonder why the laundry room smells of tobacco smoke and walk to the end of the long room to discover a middle-aged idiot surreptitiously puffing away beside a barely cracked open window and (possibly, if one is charitable) thinking that no one would notice.

what is it with smokers that they needs must inflict their choice pollution upon the rest of us even in a hotel that is expressly non-smoking?

choo choo train

we meet a multi-carriage adult-and-kid-ready kiddie ride at the mall and immediately remember A's delight at the considerably less impressive single-rider versions.

amazing how becoming grandparents has radically adjusted our tolerance for electricity operated froth.

sauv blanc

wine bottle design reaches a new height. in 3-D relief.

so HOM checks vivino and consults his taste buds. i go by them dinky labels. 

busy day

for the record, today we miss our naps for:

• an extended session at the optometrist's, getting our prescriptions revised to present needs, and
• a happy success in locating the seamstress to run up the flat sheet into its modern iteration

and that's that. more than enough to enervate a couple of middle-aged bodies, it is.

specialty tailoring

the flat sheet gets converted into a fitted sheet, thanks to clever sleuthing on HOM's part that gets us to another hole-in-the-wall set-up that only does bed linen. the seamstress does not blink an eye at our request, but she does ask how we ever cottoned on to her shop. 

you gotta love the back alleys the specialization of labor and this whole concept of crowdsourcing.

dashers 'n' riders

the first vehicles across the junction are always the delivery boys. zip zip.

it's a tough life, always rushing to keep the rest of us entitled folk in abundant supply.

proletariat travel

we upgrade to business class of the small regional airline that we test out in exploratory anticipation of future forays.

suffice to say that with small regional airlines one should try hard to upgrade*. socialist principles can only stand so much in the face of reality.

in other news, the haikou meilan airport is charmingly uncrowded and the transit experience is the best yet.

*resources permitting, of course, which is often more moot than desired.

terminal 4

trying out a new airline to the old haunt. watch this space!

as HOM says, we are thankful we can travel and have vacations.