I've been back in China for about a week now after spending 6 weeks in the United States, mostly at my father's house in Poughkeepsie, New York. My father passed away about 2 months ago so the visit wasn't for a happy occasion, but it was nice to see some old family friends.
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| View of Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York |
My international and domestic (within China) flights were both on China Eastern Airlines, China's second biggest airline and (like many major Chinese companies) majority owned by the Chinese government. The reason I chose China Eastern is simply that it was the cheapest flight I could find. Actually, I've flown China Eastern a few times now for the same reason (cheapest). While it doesn't compare with some other usually more expensive airlines such as Singapore or Korean Air, overall its not too bad. So far, I haven't experienced any significant flight delays and the on-flight service is decent although nothing spectacular. One gripe I do have is that the leg room on international flights seems to be a bit less than some other airlines (and at 5'10", I'm not excessively tall).
I experienced serious jet lag after arriving in China which is unusual for me, but all I wanted to do was sleep for several days. After getting over the jet lag, I promptly caught a bad cold. Although not as cold as New York, it has been chilly here, especially in the evenings and my apartment has no heating and absolutely no insulation. My university did provide me with a space heater, but it only works for a very limited space - if I have it a couple feet away from me, only one side of me is still cold. I might have to go buy another. Anyway, the cold weather isn't supposed to last too long here since I'm in southern China. In the meantime, I'll have to keep sleeping with a T-shirt and two sweatshirts on.
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