The national flag fluttering in the wind next to the exit of the Beijing Expressway instantly attracted Qiao Xi's attention. When he took a closer look, he saw a banner under the bright red flag with a line of large characters on it: Registration Office for Compatriots of the Flower Country Returning to the Country. There was also a line of small words in the lower right corner: The Resident of the Flower Country QM Consulate General.
Even though she had always had the idea of reliance on her own, a sense of joy arose spontaneously at this moment.
Qiao Xi followed the instructions on the banner and came to a shop next to the highway. There were several people with red armbands inside, and two people had consulate work passes on their chests.
In addition to the embassy stationed in M City, there are four consulates stationed in other major cities in the country. The closest to the national border is the QM Consulate.
It is the QM consulate staff who are busy here. As power and communication have not been restored, more and more compatriots stranded in this country have given up waiting and drove back to the country on their own. The consulate staff have come to the border to take charge of the overall situation.
After checking Qiao Xi's ID, the staff told her that a huge wildfire broke out in LW's territory on the 10th and is still burning. Unfortunately, the LW section of the KM International Highway is stuck in the wildfire area, so the land route is now impassable.
Fortunately, the local Mek River leads directly to the domestic border city of XS City, so you can return to China by boat, which only takes about twelve hours. As for the boats, some are provided domestically, and some are provided by compatriots who are engaged in the local tourism shipping business.
"Will the wildfire burn to our border?" Qiao Xi, who is allergic to fire, asked. There is a large area of virgin forest at the junction of the two countries.
"It's really hard to say. The troops have worked overtime to set up fire isolation belts on the border. They spent so much effort to protect them back then, but now they have to eradicate them." The staff member shook his head sadly, "This is also a solution that cannot be solved. It was difficult to extinguish wildfires in the past, let alone now. If they burned, the damage would be immeasurable. If M City was burned, most of the capital would be destroyed. It would be a shame if there was a big river to block it, otherwise the consequences would be more serious. "
When mentioning M City, Qiao Xi Shao couldn't help but mention a few words about the thunderstorm that happened there, and also talked about the one he encountered on the road. He didn't say that he had experienced it personally, but only said that he saw a tornado from a distance. She felt that thunderstorms were spreading from south to north and had to be on guard.
The staff knew about thunderstorms in M City, and also knew that thunderstorms also occurred in several other southern coastal cities in country T, but it was the first time they learned that there were thunderstorms in central cities. Hearing this, he said seriously: "Thank you very much for the information you provided, we will report it immediately lead."
Qiao Xi sincerely hoped that they would pay attention to this issue, be prepared, and hide immediately when the weather changed, which could avoid casualties to a large extent.
"Excuse me, how is the capital city?" Ships frequently travel between the two countries, and they always bring some domestic news.
Staff member: "As far as we know, apart from the power outage and internet connection, everything in Beijing and the city is fine. We haven't heard any bad news."
If there is no bad news, it is good news. Qiao Xi felt relieved.
"What about our car?" asked another young man received by the staff.
Staff: "I'm sorry, there are currently more than 18,000 compatriots waiting in line to return to China by boat, and a steady stream of compatriots come every day. The boats are limited, so they only carry people and not cars, and each person's luggage is limited to 20 ㎏. The car can be parked here for the time being and then driven away after things return to normal."
"More than eighteen thousand! How long do we have to wait?" The young man instantly forgot about his car.
"It depends on you," the staff member flipped through the registration form. "The most comfortable cruise ship is on the 31st, the sightseeing ship is on the 29th, and the cargo ship is on the 26th. The sailing times are all at five in the morning."
Not everyone can bear the scorching heat for more than ten hours. If you are not careful, you may suffer from heat stroke. Therefore, the most people want to take a cruise ship, followed by sightseeing ships, and the least popular ones are cargo ships.
It's now past five o'clock in the morning on the 21st. It will be five days until five o'clock in the morning on the 26th, and it will take about twelve hours of boat ride. In other words, if you take a boat, it will take at least five and a half days before you can set foot on the country.
Qiao Xi clicked his tongue. The more anxious he was to go home, the more he was confused. If there were no wildfires in LW's country, he could finish the less than 300 kilometers in half a day, but now he has to wait for five days!
When she wanted to wait for so many days, she became irritated and asked tentatively: "Can we leave from MD?" This place is very close to the MD country in the west, and you can return to the country via MD. Because there is no direct road to the country in that country, you have to go around in circles, and the political situation is unstable and the public security is a bit chaotic, so I didn't consider it at first.
Lin Shaoan, the young man next to him, suddenly lit up: "Yes, you can go that way."
The staff member broke the two people's illusions and said seriously: "Several local armed forces over there have openly rebelled against the central government. There are fighting in many places, which is very dangerous. Some compatriots trapped there cannot return to the country from the north, and they have tried every means to escape southward. Come to T country, don't jump into the fire pit."
Qiao Xi secretly thought that it was strange, and asked why he would choose the faster and more controllable land route instead of taking the water route. She asked again: "Then if we can find the ship by ourselves, can we follow the big ship?"
The staff were surprised and expected: "What kind of boat and how big is it?" The current dilemma is that there are too many people and few boats.
"Small motorboat, more than four meters long." Qiao Xi was talking about the rescue boat. Its top speed was about the same as that of a freighter. It was best to tie it to the freighter with a rope to avoid getting lost.
The staff member couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, shook her head, and explained patiently: "There are many whirlpools and undercurrents on the waterway. Big ships have little impact, but small ships are very dangerous." She finally saw that Qiao Xi was eager to return, and she persuaded her, "Five days Time passes in the blink of an eye. Even if you are worried about thunderstorms, it will still take some time to spread to the north. If something happens in the middle, let alone safety, the delay may not be less than five days, right? "
Qiao Xi smiled and nodded.
After completing all the procedures and explaining the precautions, the staff handed them the ferry tickets: "We have rented several hotels and B&Bs nearby. You can stay there for a few days, but you have to squeeze in when there are many people. During special times, Please understand. If you don't want to be crowded, there are some vacant warehouses on the pier that are only open to compatriots with cars. After all, it's not possible without air conditioning on this day. What do you choose?"
The hotel and B&B were really overcrowded, so some people who were willing to live in their cars had to be diverted to the warehouse.
Qiao Xi looked at the ticket. The information was all written on it, and it was stamped with the official seal of the consulate. She once again made a friend out of nowhere: "I have a friend nearby. I want to give the car to her for safekeeping. By the way, I can leave it at her place." Can I stay for a few days?"
The staff member was suspicious: "Don't be impulsive."
Qiao Xi couldn't laugh or cry: "I just want to live more comfortably, after all, I have to wait for so many days."
The staff believed her for the time being and warned: "You can stay with your friend, but be sure not to miss the time to board the boat, otherwise you will have to queue up again."
Lin Shaoan and the other three chose the warehouse.
Qiao Xi, who had been traveling all night, also decided to go to the warehouse to rest for a while before talking about anything else.
"This is your breakfast today. We will provide three meals for free, so don't worry." The staff handed over a bottle of mineral water and a pack of biscuits.
Qiao Xi declined: "I've eaten."
The staff smiled and took it back. People who drove over by themselves basically brought a lot of supplies.
The three young men didn't take any. They carried several large bags of food in the car, which they exchanged for a latest laptop computer. Each person's luggage on board was limited to 20 kilograms. Hey, they couldn't take away some food.
Later, a volunteer took Qiao Xi and the others to the dock warehouse. It was very busy inside, with more than 30 cars parked, and an RV.
It was not yet six o'clock, the sun was not strong, the temperature in the warehouse was still within the tolerable range, and many people were chatting outside the car.
When you meet a new person, you must ask where they are from.
Lin Shaoan and several young people were very familiar with each other. They called each other brother and sister, and they quickly got along with each other.
The three of them are all international students, and the school is closed and they are not allowed to go out. I didn't take it seriously at first, but after waiting and waiting for it to return to normal, I gradually started to panic, so I secretly climbed over the wall and ran out.
Most of the people in the warehouse are labor workers and businessmen, with a few expats who have settled there for many years. The carefree tourists were the first group to leave for their home countries. Most of the stranded tourists who have not left yet came by chartered car, and few of them had their own cars, so they are not here.
Lin Shaoan complained: "I don't know when it will return to normal. It's really weird. Do you think it will be the end of the world? There is a foreign movie about the end of the world caused by a global blackout."
Brother Sun said: "Who knows? I used to talk about the end of the world every day on the Internet, but there is no real end of the world. But this time it was a bit big, and I felt panicked. When I go back, I will buy more food and drink to put at home. I have some in my hand. Liang is not worried."
"I would like to buy it, but I don't have a hundred yuan in cash. I haven't touched cash in several years. Well, these potato chips were all exchanged with people using computers. I guess my parents don't have much cash either. Who keeps so much cash at home now and doesn't know if the country has any corresponding policies?"
Brother Sun was also worried: "Let's see when we go back. Whoever has no money is in the bank? The country can't just watch us starve to death."
This is also the current dilemma for many people. Their country has the highest popularity of mobile payment in the world and has already entered a cashless society. Older people may have some cash, but for young people, at least half of them can't afford a thousand yuan in cash.
"That's definitely not the case. Brother, when will your boat arrive?"
"The morning after tomorrow, I should have left long ago, but my brat must take a cruise."
"It doesn't matter if it's a few days earlier or a few days later. As long as the children are happy, it doesn't cost any money anyway. It's still good for the country!"
Someone next to him interjected: "No, our country has never been ambiguous about the evacuation of overseas Chinese, and it has made those foreigners jealous. Their country has not even given a shit until now. We have sent tens of thousands of people back home. If it weren't for If we don't sail at night because of the danger, the number of people will have to be doubled."
For a moment, the people around him laughed proudly.
Brother Sun sighed: "On the one hand, the country is powerful, but on the other hand, the close distance takes advantage. My friend's family went to country
When Qiao Xi, who was resting in the car, heard this, his heart sank. He realized that Zhou Kelin's family was attending her aunt's son's wedding in country M. It took more than ten hours to fly. It was not easy to return to China across the ocean. The only consolation is that the Zhou family owns real estate in the local area, and the Zhou family's uncle is still a local, so he is not considered helpless.
She shook her head, suppressed her futile worries, and focused on the problem at hand. Which of the three roads to return to the country should she choose?
The first one is via MD country. If everything goes well, you can return home in one day.
There are two problems. One is the road map.
The second is domestic war. The lethality of man-made disasters is not inferior to natural disasters, but she can use space to avoid danger. But the delay in the middle is difficult to estimate, and no one can guarantee whether it will be shorter than five days or longer.
The second is to drive the rescue boat back to the country by yourself. You don't have to wait for five days. You can leave tomorrow and arrive in the country in the evening without any accidents.
There are three troubles. One is the route map. She can follow the government ship quietly. If she is discovered halfway, she cannot be driven back.
The second is the whirlpool and undercurrent in the channel, but with space around you, the danger is controllable.
The third is what if we lose the big ship? The Mek River is hundreds or thousands of meters wide, with countless tributaries and forks along the way. Once lost, even if she has a route map, as a novice on the road for the first time, she may not be able to find the correct channel on such a wide water surface. It is difficult to find someone to ask for directions and correct the direction.
It is also difficult to estimate how much time will be lost after an accident occurs.
Article 3: It is safest and safest to take the flight back to your country five days later.
During the five days of waiting, she could also go to nearby cities to purchase the missing supplies. There were more than 3.9 million Tbaht in cash in the space, which was almost 800,000 in the country. It was inevitable that cash would be needed in business, so she prepared some.
The trouble is that the days are burning with anxiety, fearing that thunderstorms will strike and flights will be suspended, and worrying about whether my parents will be in danger during the five days they wait.
Each of the three paths has its own advantages and disadvantages, and each has its own risks. For a moment, it was really hard to make a choice.
She wants to go home, but why is it so difficult! ! !