No one knows how bad the H1N1 flu is going to be, but the Asians are not taking chances. We arrived in Tokyo yesterday evening, then caught a flight to Beijing, where we are staying presently.
Before we were allowed to deplane in Japan, we had to complete special forms and be cleared by blue-coated health officials, who boarded our mammoth airbus and scanned our temperatures with a contraption resembling a camera (above). Things were somewhat disorganized, and the procedure took a long time. Passengers became impatient, and when they were finally allowed to get up, people bolted for their luggage. The airplane crew did not keep control, and a young lady's carry-on suitcase clobbered me on the head when wrested from the cabin compartment, but I was not hurt. Health hazards come in many varieties.
We were also scanned again upon arriving in China, but this was a smaller flight, and it was easier to keep things organized, I think. The Chinese officials seemed very experienced, and joked as they screened us to lighten the atmosphere.
Beijing Airport is being kept very clean, just as it was last summer right before the Olympics, but this time the place reeks of the carbolic acid they use to disinfect.
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