China 1999. Detachment in Tanguu finished so flying aircraft back to Shenzhen. The first day was via a couple of places to Wehzhou but I will not describe that as I would be called a liar.
The second day is Wenzhou-Xiamen-Shenzhen. The flight plan is accepted and the first leg goes OK. Refile for the second leg and have lunch. At two o'clock call up for start clearance. There is a delay for start, time unknown.
After thirty minutes dismount and go to ATC. Evetually we end up in the Area Control Room to talk to the area supervisor. There is an air force exercise at Shantou and all non-scheduled (i.e. me) traffic is banned. We will have to wait until they have finished.
Not too worried. CAF exercises vary between a rerun of WW II to one aircraft doing circuit training. It was three parts through the month so they would be running out of their monthly allocation of fuel so I expected them to finish by five o'clock. Shantou was an hour away so lift off at four.
Four o'clock came, nothing doing. My controller was on the blower to the Shantou controller who was on to the CAF bloke. Indefinate delay was the word, maybe all night. I wasn't worried. Xiamen was a bright new modern city and I was quite looking forward to a night stop there, especially after two months at Tanguu. My Chinese co-pilot wasn't so keen, something about being away from home too long.
He was now on his mobile to one of our Chinese engineers that we were giving a lift to. Engineer fronts up in ATC and there is a huddled conversation between him and my co-pilot during which a few hundred yuan change hands. The engineer then leaves.
Fifteen minutes later he returns laden with two cases of Coke and two cartons of Marlboro cigarettes. My co-pilot relieves him of them and proceeds to hand them round the control room like Father Christmas. The supervisor then drags out a 'special' route that avoids Shantou to the North and connects with the airway into Shenzhen.
Twenty minutes later we were en-route.