Short version: we left the house in Ludwigshafen on Wednesday 26.05 at 18.08, flew out of Frankfurt to Shanghai, did some Corona and admin stuff along the way and finally arrived in the quarantine hotel in Pudong (district in Shanghai) on Tuesday 27.05 at 19.01. And we’re all fine.
For the slightly longer version… Here are some impressions.
Technically, this didn’t happen on Wednesday, but it serves the purpose. Our house wasn’t ready and empty on Wednesday morning (obviously). Ensue loads of stress, loads of last minute throwing away, last minute putting outside of some furniture (for someone to pick up a few days later :-D), last minute house handover to the renters, last minute car drop off to car company that bought our car…
But hey, our taxi driver was at our place at 17:45 (sharp; he’s German), did his covid Schnelltest and we were ready to leave at 18.08. A very respectable 8 minutes late, only.
Going to the airport by taxi-van: no stress, easy –> Check! No pictures of the more stressy and painful part: getting covid tests the day before at Frankfurt airport to get Green QR codes for China. Painful (nasal swab was deep and long) and stressful (we also had to do a blood test, which was Liz’ first time to give blood –> so there was some crying and some panic, but in the end she was very brave and it all worked out). Result: green QR codes ready!
Flying: eeeeeaaaaaaassssyyyy like a sunday morning!
And then the arrival in China… A complete Kafka experience going from desk to desk to check pount to check point through the airport, showing QR codes, generating other QR codes, filling out forms, getting tested again. Nasal kind here, no blood: but deeeeeeeeeppppp (including 5 times twisting, letting the swab stick for 15 seconds to really let it soak up properly and then some more twisting. Gotta love it! :-S). And our interactions with local staff: only with completely suited up people. Very weird experience.
After we were released from the airport: via bus to the quarantine hotel. Bus only for BASF people. Ergo: time for a group picture!
Arrival at the hotel… What do you think? (This post is wrinting itself now) More suited up people, more QR codes, more forms to fill out. But no test (for now)! And then: each to their room “one person, one room” principle. So as I am typing this up, Vanessa and Liz (under 14yrs) are in the room together nextdoors, probably already asleep. The way it seems right now, we might be separated for the next 14 days. But let’s see what happens… The fact they have the room next door and that we can video chat all day via wechat is already a good consolation.
And that’s all! We made it all in one piece. Are healthy, had a good flight and got through all the uncomfortable bits. It was just really really really exhausting!!
Now: let boredom begin… While Shanghai waits for us!
Jan & Van & Liz 
Let’s do some Webex to kill this boredom. I think, we as humans are getting ready for alien visits, there seems to also be an opportunity that exists to make better looking suits ? Perhaps a collared one with a tie or something ..
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