Thursday 9^th August, 2018 0945

Zhongchuan Airport, Lanzhou

I am inured to my travels being fraught with difficulties but not a mere twenty minutes after leaving home!

I took a taxi to the hotel the airport bus leaves from and arrived in plenty of time to have a leisurely smoke before it turned up for the 0800 service.

Seeing me with a large suitcase, a chap approached. Not a word of English but he made good use of some speaking thing on his phone where he mouthed Chinese and it repeated in American. The bus was closed.

Yeah, right. Shades of Guangzhou five years ago when free hotel buses weren't running because Saturday was a holiday but I can take you for five million yuan the two miles to your hotel. Pull the other one.

The fellow actually looked genuine so I indicated I would go into the hotel and ask at the ticket office.

He wasn't having me on – it has been discontinued since the last time I used it!

To be safe my only real option was a taxi. They go off-meter and hike the price to 300y. Would you credit it? Matey outside just happened to have his car nearby and would be happy to take me!

How much? I asked cautiously. The phone said 150 dollars. For some reason occasionally the Chinese refer to their currency a dollars. At least I hoped he meant yuan! I agreed immediately – an hour drive and 28y he would shell out on tolls included in that, I wasn't complaining. Neither was he I am sure, for he will have gone straight from dropping me off to arrivals and collared a return fare.

And sure enough 150y was what he took and I took his phone number. Might come in handy some time – maybe even when I come back.

My case was singled out for a back room inspection. Well actually it wasn't. I had absolutely nothing in it to attract attention – I had made sure of that – but they attributed someone else's bright pink one to me!

Beijing 1830

They say to start as you mean to go on but I sincerely hope I won't. Could it get any worse? You bet it can!

Minor niggle considering but the smoking booth by Gate 116 in Lanzhou (reported in June as still functional) has gone. Indeed, so has the ground floor where it was! That annoyed me because I could have checked in and sat outside for longer smoking before going through security – remember, no queues for me, I was flying up front.

But that was really just an irritation, after all I had my snuff. A nice flight with China Eastern and I filled my belly with just half my in-flight meal (either didn't know what it was or was just too full after the chicken and rice) and a good chat with the serving wenches.

At Beijing Capital Airport the phone number I was given to call for the hotel shuttle didn't work and I had no idea where to even go to wait for the bus so I tried to take a taxi. Easier said than done, ended up logging on to the free wifi to give them the Chinese address. Success, and even though it was a duly licenced cab caught from the official queue he demanded 50y when the meter had said 30y. I wasn't going to get into a brawl at the hotel for the sake of what is really two pounds so I paid it and made sure he knew my thoughts and that I was NOT a tourist.

Dumped my gear in the room and as it was a hot and humid day, decided to find somewhere for a cold beer and internet surfing.

Then the sky fell in. The culprit? Me!!!

I said I would forget something despite the lists but I can't forget anything as easy as a razor can I? Oh no – I forgot the power cord for charging my laptop!!! I was in the middle of nowhere with only a small supermarket and a restaurant where the staff had gone home for lunch and I was now faced with having no laptop by the time I reached Moscow. I did this a few years back in Ninguo when I visited my student Helen. Bought a new lead locally and thus ensured I always had one in my suitcase and never needed to worry.

This time I am in an hotel where nobody speaks English and no shops for miles. Hats off to the receptionist who used that translate speaky thingy and contacted a friend on a motorbike. Three hours it took. He found one for 260y (bear in mind the hotel is 275y for the night), brought it here and it was obvious even from a distance it wasn't going to fit.

Eventually the only suggestion he could make was that he went to an official Asus shop and bought one but they were 700y!!!! For a little box, two feet of wire and a plug.

That was one very expensive mistake.

I can but pray I don't oversleep my alarm at 0200 and miss the 0300 shuttle bus.