Loading ...arriving in shanghai
The flight was fourteen hours and change and completely uneventful. We breezed through customs and immigration at the airport, changed a little money and found our limo and driver. It’s a long drive from the airport to the hotel, 45 minutes or so in very light traffic, until we were about a mile away. Then, when George and Ralph asked the driver for more AC and the vehicle overheated. White smoke billowing out from under the hood, antifreeze all over the road. Nine pieces of luggage.
We knew our hotel’s located across the street from the Oriental Pearl TV tower, which we could see a few blocks in the distance. Decided to go ahead and walk over there, the driver could figure out the car problem and deliver the luggage. It was in the high 80s (about 30?) with about 100% humidity. Turns out that it’s a little more than a mile from where we broke down to the airport, we couldn’t find anybody who’d ever heard of the hotel (even at the Starbucks across the street!). We finally found a European businessman who happened to be walking back to the hotel at the very moment George inquired. Phew.
Our luggage was, of course, at the hotel in the company of our (worried) limo driver when we finally arrived, sweaty but happy with our Starbucks coffee.
The Riverside’s a beautiful hotel, our room overlooks the river and we couldn’t be happier. It’s about 2am and I can’t sleep, so I’m fixing tea and settling in to work a little on my new short story. We’re meeting a friend of a friend for coffee tomorrow, perhaps a tour of Jewish sites in Shanghai. Practice against the Australians tentatively scheduled for Saturday. And then, finally, play begins in the Bermuda Bowl on Sunday.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:27 am
George and Co. will have a huge fan base cheering from the other side of the world.
Watching will be tough, given the time difference, but we’ll try!
Best of luck to the team!
Jeff
September 28th, 2007 at 10:47 am
The timing’s not best for the east coast or the midwest, it’s true. Thanks so much for the good wishes & moral support!