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From Frankfurt to Shanghai

Writer's picture: AnjaAnja

Still in Germany

When we arrived in Frankfurt, our first stop after checking into the hotel was the corona test, throat swab... *gag*. However, we had the feeling that everything was a bit undisciplined in this corona centre.

In short: Test passed, we are negative. And that means we can get on the plane on Monday at 5pm.

At the Hilton at the airport, almost everything is not accessible to guests due to Corona, Denny had specially packed his sports stuff at the top of his suitcase. You can pick up breakfast in a bag from reception and eat it in your room, restaurant closed.

Well, we will check out here at noon, check in our suitcases and then enjoy ourselves in the lounge.


Above the clouds

On the plane, we were even greeted by name at our seats, which Anja thought was great. There was lots of legroom and a menu card too. After the meal, Denny lay down to sleep, the seats can be converted into a bed, with cuddly cushions and

blanket, it's almost like sleeping at home. Anja was far too excited and couldn't sleep, so she watched films and read. After about 10 hours we landed in Shanghai (10:00 Chinese time, 04:00 German time).











In Shanghai

Before we could even leave the plane, we had to get a health certificate. „Healthcode“ per WeChat


Not so easy without the internet... After 20 minutes of fiddling and help from the board crew, we had created the QR code. So out of the plane and on to the next check.

The next checkpoint, temperature cameras, people in protective suits and "diving goggles", filling in sheets of paper, presenting passports, filling in more sheets of paper, on to the next stop.


The next stop, after being shuffled through countless corridors, was the corona swab from the nose. Denny and I already found the throat swab unpleasant, so how bad can the nose be? -> Very bad! It feels like they push the swab all the way into your brain. (By the way, taking photos is forbidden everywhere)

After the test, you're shuffled through all sorts of corridors. There are really separate corridors with signs. You feel a bit like a mouse in a labyrinth.

Every now and then there is a branch-off, where you are divided into target regions. Another checkpoint and another QR code, again without internet. But the staff in protective suits gave us a hotspot and clicked through the Chinese instructions with us (by the way, we had to enter the same data as we did on the plane).

Last stop before getting some fresh air, we had already been in the airport building for 2.5 hours, handing in our passports so we could board the transport buses to the quarantine hotel (we also got our passports back on the bus).

The "Hotel"

Arrived in front of the hotel, Anja did not want to get off the bus. The hotel did not make a very promising impression from the outside, the organisation of the room allocation neither and payment is only possible via AliPay or WeChatPay. Both of us haven't done that yet, because it requires a Chinese bank account.

We each got a room for ourselves. The rooms are very oldschool and in need of renovation...

Theoretically, there is also internet, but only via a certification code, which can only be received via SMS. -> of course NOT to a German number.

Denny had our router, which had already been set up in Germany, in his suitcase and was able to connect it in his room. So he was well supplied with internet. However, it did not reach Anja's room.

After 24 hours and endless phone calls to the reception, Anja packed her bags and moved into Denny's room on her own. Anja had a certificate with her from Germany stating that she could not stay alone, which the staff then accepted.

Since we are together again, the 14 days of quarantine can be endured.


How do we spend our days here?

We have to report our temperature to the staff twice a day. 1x at 8:00 am and 1x at 1:00 pm. We read, do sports, practise for our driving licence, listen to music, look out of the window and are happy to have each other <3

The Transrapid, developed in Germany, passes in front of the door and planes fly over the hotel every 5 minutes. So it's not boring ;)

And what else?

We regularly get food delivered to our room door. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It is simple Chinese food, often still too much Chinese for us. Breakfast usually consists of a yeast dumpling with something indefinable baked into it, an egg and stuffed dumblings. There is no difference between lunch and dinner. It's always a piece of fruit, a drink packet with hell-sweet fruit milk, rice and another hot part. But what exactly this hot part is, we don't know. What do you think? Here is an example picture:


On our third day we got a food delivery thanks to Denny's HR colleagues.

Rye bread, butter, honey, bagged soup, Chinese FerdiFuchs sausage, orange juice, milk and coffee <3

We had also ordered cheese, but it was not allowed to be brought to our room. Only food that can be kept unrefrigerated for at least 20 days. Reason: safety reasons and salmonella. (but hanging an egg on the door handle for breakfast - exactly my humour... )

And what did we do with our treasures?

Rice always comes with food, so we heated up milk and honey in the water heater and enjoyed rice pudding. The first coffee was also heavenly.


Oh, and the best for the end:

For our toilet we got chlorine tablets.

So if we ever have to, we are instructed to let the result swim for 1 hour together with 10 tablets and only then flush. We are beginning to believe that after this procedure there really will be no more coronaviruses on the Chinese streets.

In the next blog, we will tell you about how we are finally released and arrive in Changchun.

Many greetings from us in the Chinese quarantine

Anja & Denny - we're hanging in there ;)


(the best way to reach us is via Signal - you can find it in the AppStore - WhatsApp only works with a significant delay and also only via VPN)

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