To the Hell and Back

(From here)

I had a terrible horrible day yesterday.

After spending a rather relaxing weekend in Shanghai, Mr.B and I were on the way back to our city. When we checked out the hotel at ten,  the sky clouded over. Not a good sign. We had lunch at 新天地鼎泰豐 Xin-Tian-Di Ding-Tai-Feng.  Great meal.  However when we headed to the train station after lunch, it started to rain and so did my nightmare.

The train station was a chaos. Full of people and messy as always. It is not intolerable when the weather is moderate and dry. However on a rainy day, the place turns into a wet, smelly and dirty hell. I struggled through the people across the dark, puddled hall, minded my valuables and tried not to trip on my new, platform sandals. I sighed for relief after I got on the train.  Without words, I cleaned the food crumbs somebody left on my seat, turned on my I-pod and tried to be optimistic about the situation.

Finally the train arrived. Here comes the worst part. Outside the train station, Mr.B and I waited in the rain for 45 minutes for a stupid taxi. It was cold and windy. My jeans and shoes were wet. We stood close together to avoid being poked in the eyes by occasional careless umbrellas and the madness of people trying to file through us from every direction. While I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, Mr.B seemed to be calm and even whistled an unnamed tune. When we were finally at the door of our hotel, when the familiar doorboy called "Ms.B!" and came out to help me with my luggage, I almost cried.

I had a fever last night. My new sandals ruined.

I know this might not be a big deal for some people. My intolerance might sound childish and unnecessary. However, everyone has a weak spot. And mine happens to be exactly what I had to endure yesterday: anything, anywhere wet and filthy.

Please take my advise. Never ever get yourself stuck at a train station in China on a rainy day.