China Blog post: episode 1

I want to be better about posting blog entries, and I figure now is as good a time as any.  I’ve had a few things I’ve wanted to blog about, but haven’t really had the time or energy between work and training for Ironman China.    I’m just kind of chilling, the day before the race, so I figured I’d take some time to get things started.

I got to the Honolulu airport around 7:30am, thinking my flight to South Korea was at 10:30am.  Since it was an international flight, I wanted to make sure I got there with plenty of time; especially since I was checking bike box.  Turns out the the flight was pushed back 12:00am, and ticket counter didn’t even open till 9.  Oh well.  I checked my bags, expecting to have to pay extra for my bike box, but they didn’t charge me extra for anything!  I checked two bags, one of them, the bike box, which I know wasn’t light!  SWEET!

Flight went well.  Some pretty good food on the flight.   Landed in Seoul.  The Seoul airport was really cool and super modern.  It was kinda funny though, because the place could have easily been a mall for all I know.  Tons of electronic and make up stores.   Even the food court felt like a small mall food court.  I boarded my flight to Shanghai, and it had the tv’s in the back of the seats.  Some good selections.  We ALMOST landed in Shanghai, but at the LAST minute rerouted back to Seoul.  It was pretty sketchy; like the scene from Air Force One where the pilots almost land and then gun the engines and take off again.  Apparently visibility was really poor, and we almost had a bad landing (i.e. the ones you don’t walk away from).  I’m happy we had a good pilot that could make a smart decision to not try a risky landing.  wasn’t worth it.

Anyway, we got back to Seoul, and a lot of people from the flight were pretty frantic.  It makes me mad when people spaz out in situations like that.  The Korean Air employees were pretty awesome.  Even through a  language barrier, they did a great job of corraling everyone together, getting us flights for the next morning, AND setting us up in a hotel for the night.  When I got back to the airport the next morning, the SAME employees that were there the night before were there again!  I had an issue though.  My new flight was scheduled to land in Shanghai at 9:45am, and my flight to Haikou was at 11:00am.  Not a problem unless you have to claim your luggage, navigate the Shanghai airport,  check-in with your baggage to another flight, and get through security.  I voiced my concern to one of the Korean Air employees that was there the night before and they said they’d help me out as best they could.  When I landed in Shanghai Korean Air had a escort waiting for me at the gate.  She guided me to baggage claim, helped me get my baggage, get through customs, and get to the Hainan Air check-in.  I don’t think I would have made it without her.

Shanghai airport was pretty crazy.  Super muggy and HOT.  Everyone crowded around security, check-in, and the boarding area.  Most ‘lines’ were just a mass of people trying to funnel through one location.  I made it to my flight to Hainan with minutes to spare.  The flight to Hainan was kinda sketchy from a westerner perspective.  The seats were falling apart and everything was really musty.  BUT, we made it to Hainan in one piece, so I shouldn’t complain to much.

Landed in Hainan without any issues, got my bags, met a nice lady named Carol (who I seem to have run into everytime I’m in the lobby since I’ve been here), and then went to go find the shuttle from Endurance Sports Travel.  Once I left the ‘secured’ area I was bombarded by taxi drivers trying to take my bags.  Seriously, like 5 taxi drivers tried to take my luggage.  Besides the fact that I already had a shuttle arranged, these guys were either really friendly or really sketchy depending on how you look at it.  It was a really frustrating experience, but I got in touch with a guy holding the EST banner, and was promptly led to the shuttle.  That worked well for me, but unfortunately there were OTHER people that were supposed to have taken the shuttle.  Since the kid carrying the banner too me back to the shuttle, there was no one else there with an EST banner for people to look out for.

Made it to the Crown Royal Spa Hotel just fine, and I’ll be posting pictures of it later.  It’s a nice, 5 star hotel, but I really get the feeling that they weren’t properly prepared for us.  Maybe this was the first large group of people they’ve catered to.

Oh, and something I want to comment on, because it’s something I became aware of while traveling.  In the states, I’m used to a work force with a relatively higher average age than what I’ve seen so far in Asia.   I’ve noticed while traveling that this ‘front-line’ work force has been consistently younger in Asia.  It’s just an observation, but I’m wondering what this says about the American workforce versus the Asian workforce.  I also don’t know if this trend extends beyond Asia.

Also, based on my very brief exposure to China so far, I have gained a lot more appreciation for the importance of organizations being service oriented and taking responsibility when things don’t go according to plan.  In more than one situation, I’ve felt like getting my money is all that matters, and that I’m not appreciated or valued as a customer.  This makes me feel like I’m being taken advantage of, and doesn’t encourage me to repeat business.   Korean Air made what could have been a negative experience into an extremely positive experience.  Their motto is “Excellence in Flight,” but should also include “Excellent in Service,” because their service is not limited to what happens in the air.

Anyway, will have more to share in next post.  I finished Bloomberg by Bloomberg on the flight over.  Great book.  I can see why so many people want to work with him.  Will be sharing some of lines that I liked in my next post.

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~ by mattcamp on April 18, 2009.