Jetlag, socks...and did I mention it is cold?

I am back in the UK. Sheffield to be more precise. Sitting in my office. I've been up since midnight (it is now midday). I have jetlag. It was just two days ago, or Tuesday whenever that was, that I was welcoming the very efficient Hong Kong members of Crown Relocation into our flat to deliver our things from Ilkley. By the end of the day, most of our stuff was unpacked--at least in a way that is livable--and I was heading off on a plane to England via Bangkok, Dubai, and Manchester (It was a VERY long flight).

I have two things to say about the transportation systems that I engaged with. Firstly, Air travel is not what it used to be. I flew with Emirates, which was fine, though the longer portion of the trip involved a plane set up for shorter passengers. I got to the airport, passport etc. in hand only to be asked for the credit card with which I purchased the ticket. I bought this ticket quite some time ago and of course the correct credit card is sitting safely in Sheffield, far, far away. I had to purchase a new ticket for about £100 more than the original, and I have been told that I can get a refund for the original. I think the £100 is a penalty for being stupid or disorganised or whatever. No doubt I will be writing about the saga of getting the refund at some point--I am still waiting full satisfaction from the Ash Cloud incident with KLM and once had to take Expedia to small claims court, so I am sure that element will not be uneventful.

While this aspect of the travel was new for me and caused quite a bit of initial anxiety, there were other things that let the experience down a bit. Firstly, when I booked the flight I had not realised that the first leg stopped in Bangkok, rather than flying straight from Hong Kong to Dubai as the outward journey had done. This stopover involved sitting on the plane while those stopping their journey got off, the cleaning crew cleaning around the remaining onward passengers, having to remove cabin luggage so that the flight staff could ensure that every piece of carry on baggage belonged to someone, and then waiting while the Bangkok to Dubai passengers boarded. I guess, given that by this time it was about 1 am Hong Kong time, I should be grateful that we were made to remain on the plane and could watch the movies, instead of being required to disembark and re board. We did get all loaded on the flight, and then were delayed because one passengers luggage had to be removed because they did not show up at the gate. The flight from Dubai Airport, which does not appear to shut down at night like North American airports--you can buy anything you want at 4am--was similarly delayed though this time by a person who was drunk and had to be escorted from the plane and the luggage off loaded. I guess what is so disappointing was the change in attitude that passengers have of air travel. It has become so ordinary. When I was a child and flew to California to visit my grandparents and father in the summer holiday I used to get dressed up in my best clothes. Air travel was something you did in a formal way as it was special and to be taken quite seriously. Now people, probably sensibly, wear sweatpants--EVEN IN FIRST CLASS--because they are comfortable. I guess if you are spending that much on a first class ticket, you can wear whatever you want, but the pageantry and specialness becomes tainted a little. It is all a little more ordinary.

Secondly, the first major thing I noticed when I got back to the UK was that the North of England is worlds away from Hong Kong with its public transportation. I had to take a train from Manchester Airport to Sheffield. This is all fine and there are such trains. However this particular station has no signs that indicate destinations. Just information about the trains. As a traveller you must be aware that the train to Cleathorps is the one you want to catch if you want to go to Sheffield. As I was trying to work this out, I kept thinking how difficult it will be for all the Chinese students who were on my flight to find the relevant trains to take them to their new universities. Nightmare. To top it off, they changed the platform and provided no announcement about this. You just had to know to look at the signs. It was probably a good thing that there was a 40 minute wait for the train as the time was needed to sort out where to go and to unpack jumpers from the suitcase (did I mention that it is quite cold and rainy here just now?). In Hong Kong, the same distance would have cost a fraction of the £18 that I paid for my one way ticket and there would have been trains every one to three minutes. Arriving in Sheffield I then had to wait a further 10 minutes for the tram to take me to the flat. It is no wonder the English are so good a queuing. There is plenty of time to practice and the stakes are high if you miss what you are queuing for. No need to que in Hong Kong as another train or whatever will arrive at any minute.

What is nice about the return is the fact that the leaves are beginning to turn and they are pretty. It is a bit cold here (did I mention that?) and so there is a feeling of autumn. I have had to put on socks for the first time since early August today. One of my workmates said thy put the fire (heater) on last night for the first time. People are wearing coats. There is something quite business-like about having to wear socks and put the heater on. It marks a transition from holiday to work time. Of course I can imagine other ways of marking that transition as well, but this is what I have to work with at the moment, and as I have much work to do I must pull up my socks and get on with it until I can go back to the warmth of Hong Kong, see my family and leave my socks at the door.