Stubbornness, Public Transportation, and the Family Death March

We could have hailed a taxi. Heck, we could have even grabbed up a cart to travel through the airport.

Instead, attracting a good deal of stares, we hefted our five backpacks (which is really ten backpacks because we all have a daypack as well) through all the steps from plane to hotel in Shanghai.

First, we waded in the sea of people past the health screening checkpoint, immigration, baggage claim (not that we had any bags to claim, but it’s a huge room), and customs. Then, we took the magnetic levitation train (“maglev” for short, a total splurge, but Holly and the kids were quite excited about it), then the number two subway line, followed by the number ten subway line, then the last kilometer or so to our hotel on foot. At that point, we took off our five (ten) backpacks and eagerly slept through the night.

Are we stubborn? Or, more to the point, is Holly stubborn? 

Should we have listened to the friendly people on the plane who said that the maglev train was too far out of the way? That the subway was going to be too hard to navigate with luggage? And with kids? 

The plan to walk and take the train was composed at one of the moments in our lives when we hadn’t just spent thirteen hours on an airplane—during one of those days that has twenty-four hours in it, rather than thirty-three. So, maybe when we confronted the reality of jet lag and an extra-long day, we should have reconsidered. Perhaps we should have called off the family death march. 

It is worth mentioning that we tend to shy away from public transportation more often than we should because the process can seem intimidating. Buying tickets and navigating maps, especially in a foreign language, can be tough. And there is a feeling of investing in understanding a new system—that for too short of a stay it isn’t worth the trouble of figuring it out. I think some of us also harbor thoughts that public transportation won’t be as comfortable as a private car; this applies to temperature (I have a distinct memory of sweating through my nice shirt on the way to a broadway show in mid-summer), luggage (we do have ten backpacks to carry), and seating (on one airport trip we stood fully laden for about twenty minutes before any seats opened up). For these reasons, we tend to hail a cab (or call a car on a fancy new app) rather than make use of public transportation. 

But it’s all just silly!

It is never as hard as we anticipate. Jet lagged in Shanghai we bought maglev tickets with nothing more than a little pointing and some hand gestures. Once on the metro, the ticket kiosk had a handy, “English” button in the corner that worked like magic. Communicative icons were everywhere. It was a cinch! And carrying luggage—well, it’s good for you. And standing when there are no seats—well, that is good for you, too.

So, do we regret the family death march?

Not at all, it was fun! And no one actually cried, just one kid had sorrowful red eyes (though he was also the one who didn’t sleep on the plane as his parents suggested; more on natural consequences another time). 

Furthermore, being on the subway allowed us to interact with the locals; on the most crowded spots, we were downright friendly, if you know what I mean. And let’s not forget the virtues of saving money and fossil fuels to boot.

PS – Holly confesses she was stubbornly clinging to the essence of our Fivebackpacks Family name. Hah!