What if the Mainland?

I haven’t been to Taiwan in a while. I used to go regularly.  It’s always a fascinating contrast, parallel Chinese (or at least Fujianese) universe, in which to consider the contiguity and the what-ifs of Chinese possibilities.  What if the Nationalists had won?  What if Taiwan were just another province?  What if China were a democracy?  What if the mainland still used traditional characters and Wade Giles Romanization?

My client and I were supposed to sit together on this Air China flight.  There were only middle seats but we had two together.  And as we boarded they penned in a different seat number on my stub and told me I had a new seat.   “Is it an aisle?”  I asked.  “No.  It’s a middle seat.”  There is some Economy-Plus-like seating section that I was now told to sit within.  I explained that I preferred to just stay with my colleague.  Could he sit next to me?  Could I sit back with him?  They told me to take my seat and wait till the other person, who now had my old seat, boarded.  In the end, I just resigned myself to this new middle seat.

In line for immigration I discussed getting a local sim card for my iPhone.  My buddy told me he didn’t need one as his Google Pixel had would already be working and there were no roaming charges for anywhere it might be used in the world.  And yes, it had worked just fine the last few days we were all in China.  This is the second person to tell me about this.   I have been holding off on getting a new iPhone or these latest models to be released.  I wonder if these Pixel phones can be bought here in China? 

Later he and not I have summoned an Uber.  We are having a race really, as I am in line at the airport ATM to get some cash.  His driver is seven minutes away.   Someone two people ahead is having difficulty with the machine but eventually they leave.  And now, it’s my turn.  His driver is . . . still seven minutes away.   We head outside and consider the cab queue.  His driver’s little auto-icon isn’t moving.  He texts him as the driver can’t call his U.S. number.  He responds with something that doesn’t make any sense in English, but certainly doesn’t sound convincing.  Soon, we’re on our way with a jolly Taipei cabbie who is driving faster along this highway than one could ever do in Beijing.  This because he knows without checking each time, that the guy in front of him won’t suddenly veer into his lane.

Tuesday 9/25/18