Me Ol' China 2010: Day 8

The longest day in China started few hours after the end of Sunday. Daughter had to be taken to the hospital dor stomach cramps. It was one of the most shocking experiences of my life. Around 4 am I called a colleague that came over to take her to the hospital, after the hotel receptionist had told me that there was nothing they could do. While in the taxi I realised I left our documents in the safe. I got off and went back to the hotel while my colleague and daughter where heading to the hospital for the emergency. Once back to the hotel my key could not open the door. This was the 4th time in 3 days and they had told me, every single time, that they would have fixed it. Back to Receptionist the same guy who had to stand my swearing every night as part of his duty, getting kicked by a pissed off client, was reassuring me that the key would have worked. Up to the 12th floor and back downstairs swearing like I have never done before. They called in a manager and he let me in. just changed my top and got the passport and ask for a taxi at reception. The hotel guy told the taxi driver where to go and I was droppen in 15 minutes to the hospital. It was shocking... hundreds of people all over the place. Some queueing, some just on the ground... A manifestation of pain I have never seen. Dirt, pain, sufferance... the worst show but, worst than anything else, no sign of my daughter. more than one hour had passed since I saw her. Nobody could speak English and my colleague mobile was unreachable. I checked everywhere, they were just not around. Nobody spoke English. I managed to contact my colleague and she told me that she was in the Emergency ward, daughter wasn't well at all but she was already being looked after by a doctor. I started running like a mad all over the emergency ward. She just wasn't there. I dialled the number again and I passed the first guy I saw wearing some medical uniform and I found out that the idiotic taxi driver had left me to another hospital! I got another one and reached the place. It was less packed but the atmosphere of pain and chaos was worse than the other. I saw daughter and colleague. My poor little girl looked really bad and she was definitely worse than when I left her 90 minutes earlier in that taxi. the longest night of my life was starting. Daughter was getting worse and when they took her blood for testing she was close to fainting and she had to lie down on the ground. Vomit, pain... I skip the details as it hurts even thinking of it. By noon we were out of the hospital and back to the hotel ready to pack and go. The infrastructure of the hospital in Chengdu was terrible but the doctor was impeccable and so the stuff, very very helpful. For those who criticise China all the times, I remind that it cost me around 50 Euro, if that much, for a scan, blood tests (results withint the hour), medicine and so on. and we were foreigners. The same thing in civilised America would have cost me an arm and a leg! The hotel manager apologised for the night earlier's issue with the door and gave us a present to apologise. Daughter was still not 100% and we still had to fly to Beijing. At the airport we were going to face the most inefficient situation ever. The checkin was smooth but once we were in, if it were not for a mere curiosity, we would have missed the plane. Not a single announcement telling that the flight was canceled and not one member of stuff that could speak English. We understood that we had to get out and go to check in, again, for a new flight. this meant going through the whole passport and xray controls... We were given two seats far enough from each other on a plane that was supposed to take off one hour after the cancelled one. It was already 32 hours without sleeping. I was carrying on my shoulder 25 Kgs of luggage, daughter wasn't well. My knees were getting weaker and weaker and every step was an effort. I asked the Air China staff to change either mine or daughter's seats. 4 people at the gate not one could speak a word of English. one of them had the idea of calling someone she knew and so via this person we manages to get a seat close to each other. Once in the plane, the nightmare was over. Back home, back to Beijing. Well well... not really, but compared to what I had been through, arguing with the room service people for not bringing me the burger I wanted because they didn't have any burgers left but they never told me or asking for a club sandwich that would have been a lettuce sandwich because they had nearly no other ingredients left, is nothing serious to worry about. Bed at midnight and up at 13:00 this morning! 38 hours without sleeping and nearly 24 hours without eating, plus walking around for hours with more than 20 Kgs of luggage on my shoulders... I love Beijing! My daughter is getting better and better and I am grateful to the doctors of that hospital and more to my colleague that stayed with us till the airport check in. Once again Chinese people have revealed to have a big, huge heart.


Tuesday has been a restful day with just sleep, lunch, watch a movie on TV and shopping spree to buy some presents for daughter and for some loved ones in Europe.


Night folks! Tomorrow barber experience, gym and Peking Duck for dinner! The holiday is nearly over but, I must say, I am happy like that. I am getting tired over here. The heat is nearly unbearable as the typical Baozi weather (hot steaming) is back and I nearly prefer the rain in Chengdu.


Catch later, Me Ol' China. Oh, I forgot. for those of you writing to me about the pictures, I have to ask you to be patient. Picasa is not visible here in China so I cannot send you the link as I do not know it myself. Next week they will be here on the side, by the blog.