We're off... No wait Maybe we are not.

China had this site blocked for some reason.  So now I can finally update.

My trip to China began pretty rocky.

As I was driving to the airport a message went off on my cell phone notifying me that my first flight would be delayed by 2 hours due to the weather.  When I checked my itinerary my heart sank because I would miss my connecting flight in Atlanta.
 
One call to Delta and I was rescheduled to another flight. True to their word in two hours the airplane arrived but only the crew got off. There weren't any passengers. It made me say Hmm… The new crew arrives and we boarded the airplane. Just as they are about to back the airplane out disaster struck.  The auxiliary engine stopped working. The pilot called for a mechanic but it appeared the airplane would be down several hours so they order another airplane.  Now I will have to reschedule another flight.

When we got off of the airplane and the gate personnel wouldn’t even help us with our flight connection issues.  She told us to call Delta if we wanted help.  Needless to say I wasn’t a happy camper at that point.  After an hour on the phone I had a new schedule but no airplane to get to Atlanta on.  Finally the agent booked me a taxi from Augusta to Atlanta. I arrived in just enough time to get checked in and board the airplane but no wait.  There is another problem.  Due to the weather the crew is not there and we wait for them.

Finally they arrive.  The airplane is 40 minutes late leaving the gate.  Fortunately the gate agent understood my problems and moved me into first class so that I could hustle to the next flight.  While in the air the Flight Attendant told me that I would miss my flight to Hong Kong.

 
When the airplane landed I left like a rocket only to stand and wait for my luggage like everyone else on the flight.  It didn’t take long and once I got my luggage speed was my mode of movement.  Finally something went my way and the connecting flight was a little late.

The airline was Cathay Pacific and the people were exceptionally nice.  The agent put me at the bulkhead because, as she said, "we need a strong man to open the door in case of an emergency."  What that translated to was exceptional leg room on a 15 hour flight.

 
I arrived in Hong Kong at 4:30am and had to wait for the first ferry ride into China at 9:00am.  I arrived in China at 9:30am and went through customs and then expected to see Xin Jiao but she was not there.

I was thinking maybe she might be late but I wasn’t sure and my cell phone does not work in China.  While I waited I helped a young lady who was looking for a Austrian man she had never seen before. This is common.  He never showed up. 

The young woman called Xin Jiao for me and I found out that Xin Jiao missed the first bus and was about 10 minutes away.  She arrived at 10:15am and all was good because I was back in Xin Jiao’s arms.
 
I only arrived 9 hours later than my first flight.  Not bad but Delta has to be the worst airline for customer service and problems.