A Night in Xi'An

Having finished my report and hosting a happy stomach bug I was looking forward to my bed in Chengdu where I planned to sleep for the next twenty-four hours. I doze off constantly in the bus to Yinchuan arriving at the airport in a state of complete daze. Stomach is returning to normal, but fever seems to be kicking in. My flight is delayed 2 hours. My translator leaves me saying "Oh, and something I just remembered, a friend told me once never to fly with China Eastern airways, so good luck!". At around eleven the plane finally takes off and I sink into deep sleep. Just a moment later the stewardess shouts at me, I have to put my seat in the upright position for the landing.

Stopover at Xi'An.

30 minutes later the pilot lifts the airplane into the night sky again. The airport is deserted and the shadows of the airplanes look grotesquely deformed in the artificial light. Screaming rips me out of my dreams again, but this time its a collective disdainful groan coming from all other passengers. It is a response to some announcement in Chinese, the following English version is barely audible, but I when I make out the words "bad weather","captain" and "return to Xi'An" I understand the mood of dissatisfaction.

Back at Xi'an.

The plane has been back at its gate for at least 20 minutes now. Finally there is an announcement "we have arrived at Xi'An, please wait for further information". Several passengers are shouting at the flight attendants. The girl in front of me tells me in English she has seen me today at the Yin Jiao hotel in Xi'An. There is another announcement, calling the passengers to leave the airplane and wait in the airport for further developments. Some people comply but most refuse to leave their seats, maybe feeling a bit closer to Chengdu already this way. In the airport emotions are running high, a Chinese man shouts at the top of his voice towards the service staff who answer with a pitiful grin. Three security officers encircle him and he becomes quieter. For two hours there is no information, an Nepalese family borrows my laptop to change their flights to Kathmandu for the next morning. At around 3am I find an English-speaking airline staff member who tells me "bus is coming, waiting". Just 60 minutes later the bus to some hotel in Xi'An arrives. It takes another 30 minutes until it leaves and at 5am we arrive at the hotel. I fall into a manic sleep with intermingling dreams. The phone rings at 7am, we have to get into the bus to get back to the airport. But there is breakfast.

Leaving Xi'An

Things run smoothly at the airport this time. Without comment I am given 400 yuan by airline staff in exchange for my signature on a list. At 10:15, perfectly on time, the plane takes of for Chengdu and I arrive an hour later. Still I have a feeling that most probably I will never fly with China Eastern again.

A Night in Xi'An