It's coming soon...

ETA: 24 hours

So everything and everybody in the house is in a state of general upheaval at this point. The cat definitely knows something is afoot. He's been standing (or sitting, or rolling) sentinel outside both bedroom doors for hours today, even foregoing dinner :-( Last night, I met the guy who will be taking care of him. He's had cats before and he seems trustworthy and a real sweetheart, but I'm still going to worry about my kitty everyday. I'll be the picture of dysfunction, I'm sure.

This trip is unlike any that I've ever taken before. It's meticulously planned (everyday is accounted for, sometimes by the hour), but there's also a lot we're just leaving up to fate, and it's the latter that's giving me a heart attack.

For example: my dad is taking off a day earlier than we are. His flight (JAL 005 -- lucky him!!) departs tomorrow from JFK at 12:30 PM. His cell phone won't work once he gets to Shanghai. He's also a very uncooperative, misanthropic sort, so he refuses to contact anyone when he arrives and wants to just tough it out on his own for a night before he arrives. So what's the best "plan" we've come up with for when we eventually meet up? Since we have no way of contacting him and he has no way of contacting us, and he refuses to contact Pan's parents, we've agreed that he'll loiter at the exit from customs at Shanghai Pudong Airport. I showed him a map. He understands... um, I think. *sighs exasperatedly

There's been a lot of chatter about air pollution in Beijing and how it will be even more difficult to breathe for those of us who were never proficient in it in the first place. I checked the air quality index today--it's at "moderate," but just to be safe, I'm making sure to pack one of these. I have lots of them left over from when I thought I was going to catch H1N1 :-)

To cheer myself up, I've been ogling at pictures of the hotel Pan's mother booked for us in Shanghai. Everyone knows that a good hotel will always life my spirits:-) Below are photos of Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, courtesy of TripAdvisor. It's part of the Intercontinental Group, which is exciting and reassuring. I'm sure you'll see/hear more about it soon.



This photo of Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Whoa, what the heck is going on with the lobby decor? Don't know yet if I'm a fan of Tree Trunk Chic. First impression says probably not.


This photo of Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Um... where's the hairdryer?


This photo of Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Wow, okay... *squints. I'm intrigued.