This is China

Today in Shenzhen I remembered why saving a little bit of money is not always the best way to go. I am finally in the waiting area of the airport waiting for my flight to Shanghai. Flying from Shenzhen rather than Hong Kong can be a lot cheaper. This flight is about $84. That's before the $20 taxes that they add on after you get fired up on that price. And that is one way. Flying out of Shanghai is more expensive. All told it will be $239 - about 50 bucks cheaper than going from Hong Kong. Getting to the Shenzhen airport couldn't be easier- there are buses that leave from Central!
Well, I spent an hour on the Internet trying to figure out the schedule but never found it. Not even for buses from Wan Chai, which is where they start.
Well, once upon a time I had taken a picture of the schedule on the kiosk and I could just make out that it leaves every hour and I will have to get the 8:15! Ugh.
Iam given a green sticker for my lapel and board with several others, none of whom has a green sticker. Orange, blue, purple, but no green.
The bus goes to the border and then people board other buses to go to various places.
At the border you go through Hong Kong immigration, reboard the bus on the other side, drive to Chinese immigration, and get off with all of your luggage to go through customs. I've done this part before so I know what to expect. In fact, last time I think I had to bring my stuff with me through HK immigration and board a different bus between borders. That was a different company. Once through customs, the place is crazy and crowded and there doesn't seem to be any order. On that's right, I am now in China. The crowd joins more people outside where you can get a taxi or a city bus or get picked up. There are several busses to the right that look like they are going elsewhere. I search for my company's bus and find one. Going to the airport? No.
Where is it?
Over there (vague wave of the hand).
It's a CTS bus? I ask.
Pretty much, he says. I cannot see any busses that say CTS on them but I do find a CTS kiosk and they tell me to wait there. Soon a driver with some people in tow comes along and we dutifully follow him to a small bus. This is why I couldn't see it before, it was hidden by the big busses.
It is another half hour to the airport. So totally it took an hour and a half, versus 40 minutes on the airport express.
It really is at the airport where the confusion, and frustration, starts.
I am let out at the domestic terminal, but have to ask and find out I need to walk to the other terminal for my airline. I guess they are both domestic terminals. The board says I am to go to window 95 for my flight. I don't see a 95 so I double check. It says 95, but the windows only go to 36.
I go ask at the Air China Premium Customer Service desk. The guy has no idea where 95 is. Great. Premium service.
I walk down toward the international section and see behind the glass walls a 95 and 96. I figure my flight must be going internationally via Shanghai. I start to go through the gate and am stopped by the girl manning the help desk. I tell her where I am going and she says I have to go back to the domestic section. I trudge back to look at the board again. This is the thing- people often arrive early to make sure they don't miss their flight so I have to wait for the board to cycle through all the flights till 5:30 this evening before it shows the upcoming flights.
Meanwhile, they have 3 other boards showing all the flights that have departed in the last two hours. Sure enough, it is a flight to Tokyo via Shanghai. I head back to the international section and the ever so efficient help desk. Again they stop me. I tell them that even though the plane goes to Tokyo I will get off in Shanghai when it stops and picks up more people.
No. I must check in in the domestic section. Where? She gives me a range of windows I can use.
Back in the domestic section it is fast to get through, except I had to remind the guy at check-in that I had a bag to check. I think it will be ok.
Now I am on board and it is leaving on time and it is a full flight.
Not all of these people are headed to Tokyo!

So, I left HK at 8:15 for an 11:25 flight and saved 50 bucks. The bus costs the same as the airport express, but is am much bigger hassle and the Chinese airlines are not as good as Dragon Air.

Will I ever live and learn?!