Waking up at 5.45 am to be ready for the pick up at 6.30 am to go to the Beijing airport.
Together with Andrey Zhu, the CCTV director making the documentary about “The most beautiful people in the world”.
While checking in for the NorhtWest flight to Tokyo with continuing service to Los Angeles, in an airport coffeeshop meanwhile Andrey Zhu was setting up his camera for a last interview.
Until the last minute of the stay in China, the time was made productive.
It was a good interview and a little awkward.
All the travellers coming in for a coffee were staring at what was going on.
It took considerable time, the interview, and at the entrance for the passengers an official of NorthWest Airlines was waiting.
He grabbed the trolley bag and ordered to hurry with him to the gate.
Going through security at high speed and running like it was a preparation for the Olympic Games.
We passed a Starbucks Café and the idea was born to let the guy run with the trolley bag to the gate while stopping to have a Café Latte Grande.
Just as a joke.
As the last passenger the Airbus A 330 was boarded, the door was closed and the plane left for Tokyo.
Fellow passenger in the adjoining seat was Tina.
A 28 year old plastic surgeon from China.
Doing cosmetic jobs on Chinese unhappy with the way they look.
Tina had met on a dating site on the Internet a 40 year old guy in Detroit.
Divorced, a software technician with 2 Chihuahua dogs.
He had been in China half a year ago to see her.
Staying in a hotel in her town.
Tina still lives with her parents.
Now she was on her way to Detroit to see the man she called “my fiancé”.
They were going to travel in the USA for 3 weeks.
New York, Washington DC and Las Vegas.
But Tina had doubts about the whole affair.
One issue was that her fiancé was a Christian and expected her to follow him in his religious footsteps.
Another issue was that Mr. Fiancé loved his country and wanted her to come and live with him in the USA.
Without consideration for her love for China.
And for the fact that her Chinese credentials as a surgeon are worthless in the USA.
Best job she can get is to be a nurse.
Tina had already decided that if fancy fiancé during that romantic dinner by candlelight in Las Vegas would offer her a diamond ring and ask her to marry him, she would say no.
This conversation made a bond between the two travellers.
A pleasant intimacy and it was noticed that in fact Tina was a pretty woman.
And nice as well.
A wild idea was born that for a man of 58 years old, the perfect partner is a 28 year old plastic surgeon.
She can work constantly on him to make him look presentable and attractive.
When walking at Narita Airport in Tokyo it was mentioned to her that it felt like travelling together.
Yes, said Tina, a honeymoon.
She got on a plane to Detroit and we said goodbye as if we were long time friends.
Tina wanted the e-mail address for new contact soon.
NorthWest Airlines had a very old Boeing Jumbo available for the flight from Tokyo to Los Angeles.
Damaged seats showed the plane was already many years in service.
New co-traveller was a very strange Japanese man of 39 years old.
Not speaking one word of English and very religious.
The flight happened to suffer of extreme turbulence and on row 64, in the far end of the plane, this was felt very badly.
It was even scaring but Miya would get his Japanese Bible out and start praying.
This had a soothing effect.
He had another book with him with images and texts for non-English speaking Japanese.
He would look for an image and a word in his book to show it to his neighbour.
Pointing to “How are you?”
Of course the opportunity was used to look in his book for an unusual answer.
As a response to his “How are you” an image and text was found and pointed at saying: “Where can I find a taxi?”
The puzzlement on Miya’s face was better than the two films NorthWest Airlines was showing during the flight.
In spite of the heavy turbulence and the devastating humour applied on Miya, the plane landed safely at LAX-airport.
Everybody happy to finally get out of the Jumbo after the 10 hour ordeal, it was announced that Immigration was not ready yet to receive the travellers.
All passengers had to remain seated.
We were waiting for 45 minutes before the Immigration Officers wanted to fingerprint the over 400 exhausted travellers.
In the hall of the airport building were 8 Immigration Officers in their boots.
5 were available for the small group of American citizens.
3 were available for the over 350 foreign visitors.
A very long line of tired non-Americans hardly moved.
It took an hour before an Immigration Officer was reached.
A very friendly woman.
Who wanted to know how someone can retire in Mexico.
What kind of work can allow that.
Photography, Mam.
She stamped the passport with no further questions asked.
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