The Big Adventure Part 2
Puma Darts Youth Summer Camp 2012 2
Shanghai all set.
Tickets in hand
Passport in hand
Travel visa stamped in passport....
Packing nearly complete...
In the evening before the take off to San Francisca the family drove over to the airport in Toronto to pass the night there in a hotel. The plane
would start at five o'clock am - to stay over night near the airport looked like the best chance to get at least a little bit of sleep. Though
probably none really slept. But at least one had the time to look around and it would be easier in the morning. Steven was less nervous than the
rest of the family - by now he was full of gleeful anticipation.
Everybody got up at around half past three in the morning, Steven said good bye and passed through the customs around four o'clock and at five am the plane took off. It was supposed to land in San Francisco five and an half hour later...
The operative world is "supposed" as the plane landed with some delay and thanks to Scotty who already waited for Steven and looked
after the luggage the two made it only just in time to the connecting flight to Shanghai. Rather upsetting for the parents who followed the flight
on computer - while the two in San Francisco just had not time to get worried.
The flight from San Francisco to Shanghai took 13 hours and was rather uneventful luckily. Steven slept most of the time - not bad as due to the time difference the plane did land in Shanghai on Monday morning - the opening day of the summer camp.
Steven and Scotty Burnett were the first to arrive. The participants from New Zealand were next. After the opening buffet and the welcome speeches the first practice sessions took place followed by a match youth players against coaches which the youth players managed to win. Cricket was played as well and Steven lost to a Chinese player.
The second day in the camp was a "touristic" day. The youth visited the museum of natural history in Shanghai, the Yuyuang garden, one of the most famous and most important Chinese Gardens build between 1555 and 1600 and the showground of the Expo 2010.
The closure of the day should be a boat ride on Puijang River but it had rained cats and dogs all day long and in the evening a strong wind was coming up - it was the forerunner of a typhoon. The weather forecast for Shanghai predicted even a second one. The first one should hit Shanghai in the morning, the second, even worse one, should turn up in the afternoon. There were flood warnings and evacuation plans. Another sleepless night for the parents at home in Canada who had to wait for the next call from their son as due to the restrictions in China neither facebook nor twitter are allowed...