Travel to Anhui.... an adventure in itself

We got to the Province of Anhui on Sunday, August 26th.  The journey there from Beijing was an adventure in itself.  We were ready to leave for Anhui --mentally.  Four days or so in  Beijing, and it was time.  Our bodies had gotten use to the time difference, and well it was time to go on to  the next step of our journey.

We get to the airport, and we have to take the bus to the plane on the tarmac.   I am use to this, as in Europe I experience this all the time. We get to the plane, and we get seated, and its a full flight.  We sit, and nothing happens.  Finally it is announced that we are delayed, but that that they will go head and serve lunch.  mmmnnnnn I don't think in all my travels I have ever experienced service while sitting on the tarmac,  but hey we were a bit hungry and it did make the time go by.  Everyone around us were on their cell phones talking away, and then my travel partner and I look at each other, and we both realize that people were smoking on the plane! Her and I have sensitive noses, especially for smoke, and that was cigarette smoke.  After the smog and sinus issues from Beijing,  our sinuses are in overdrive, and we aren't happy.

Lunch is over, and finally the plane is ready to take off.  We get the usual lecture about electronics being turned off, blah, blah, blah.... we know the spill.   Of course, we expect the people around us to put their phones up and their tablets, etc... that is what you think... The lady behind me was yelling to someone on her cell phone as the plane was lifting up, the man across the aisle was chatting away, and the flight attendants who did see it, said nothing.  Amazing.

Halfway thru the flight our  sinuses are once again attacked by cigarette smoke... it can't be we think... but our sinuses don't lie. We cant believe it.  We are so ready to get off that plane.

But oh,  the airport is an adventure  as well.  Now Hefei is a large town, millions of inhabitants,  but the airport reminded me of a Caribbean island airport.  We had to take pictures of the carpet, as it was unbelievably dirty and just the whole airport was more than disgusting.

In Beijing we did not experience  much of the staring and the pointing.  In the airport, we did, especially with my oldest also being Chinese, and us  having blond hair.  It was the first time I had really noticed it.

We finally found our guides and made our way to the hotel. (Also another adventure)

The pictures below are of us on our journey.

That nasty carpet.....

View from our hotel room..... yes it was like this daily... SMOG