From so-called enemies to good friends

Air travel has become, at its best, something to be endured. Some airports address this by providing certain creature comforts. In conversations with other travelers we talk about the delights to be found in Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul. We bemoan the cold and uninviting airports of Chinese mainland. They are clean and efficient but hardly places where it is desirable to have to wait between flights.

I now fly most often out of Shanghai's Pudong Airport. Quite by accident I discovered a coffee shop which has comfortable chairs and where they don't rush you along if you must kill some time. A far cry from those airports which don't provide a variety of comfortable places to choose from while you wait for your flight.

Yet one of my warmest memories will always be of a day in Pudong Airport when I had to wait 11 hours for my flight. It was during the great snowstorm of 2008. I left Hangzhou in the morning, though my flight was not until early evening. For days the news had shown hundreds of thousands of New Year's travelers stuck all over China. It had snowed for several days in Hangzhou and I figured I'd better give myself lots and lots of time to account for delays.

Through a series of fortunate events I found myself at the airport only four hours after leaving home. Hence, the long wait for my flight. I hadn't yet discovered the cozy coffee shop and was dismayed to see what was on offer for the waiting traveler. I was walking by a coffee shop where the plastic chairs offered small comfort when a friendly voice said: "M'am, will you join us for a cup of coffee?"