Aiyah!

Friday, 30 May 2008

Slept the whole flight over. Had a layover at Narita Airport in Japan. My first time in Japan! Although it really doesn't count. Got on a plane to Beijing. Fell asleep immediately. (I can sleep through both takeoff and landing now! Which both impresses and worries me.)

Upon landing in Beijing, I suddenly feel overwhelmed with the task in front of me. The new terminal is HUGE! Then again, that's how a lot of China strikes me. It's very nice.

I navigated the airport express bus into the city without any hitch, then switched to a taxi. I knew the name of the hotel in English, but not in Chinese. The taxi driver started scolding me, lots of "aiyah! this is such a hassle!" and "aiyah, how do you expect me to drive you there and you don't even know where it is!" I tried to reassure him that I knew where it was and I would recognize it, I just didn't know how to say the name. He then pulled the taxi over and told me to get out and ask someone for directions. Umm, I responded, since you think my Chinese is so poor, wouldn't it be better if you asked? Keep in mind this whole conversation is taking place in Chinese. Lots of aiyahs and grumbling later, we pull up to the hotel. All in all, a 3 minute drive.

Here we go again!

Thursday, 29 May 2008

The last time I flew out of SFO, it was to go to the HODR project in Indonesia 2 years ago! That time I misread my meal time as my flight time and missed my flight and it was an embarrassing debacle and yes let's move on. This time JAL has helped me out by simply not publishing a meal time on my ticket. I arrived with ample time, had sushi for lunch, and boarded the plane without incident.

As we lifted off, I thought, "here we go again!"

Qing gei wo qianzheng! (Please give me a visa)

27 May, 2008 - San Francisco, CA

So, there was an earthquake in China, we're going to assess, had some delays due to figuring out people and a sense that the govt. is trying to get a handle on things before opening up more access. Which means that I have one day to get my visa, and then I'm jetting out of here on Thursday!

For a US citizen to apply for a Chinese visa in the US, you need the following:

1. passport valid for 6 months
2. 1 passport photo against a white/light backdrop (not blue)
   
3. completed application form
4. round trip air tickets already booked
5. proof of accommodation during your time in China (mixed info whether this is first night booked, first week booked, or entire time booked. Since I only had a day to get the visa, I booked the whole thing. Details below.

Even with all this, it's still likely that you can only get a 30 or 60 day tourist visa. I've read that if you've received a Chinese visa in the past, then you can apply for a multiple entry visa. If you have time to apply, you can experiment with this and see how much you can get.

So. Passport. Easy. Photo. Easy. Application form. Easy. Round trip air tickets. Bought mine online at vayama.com. kayak.com was giving me lots of problems with fares repeatedly showing up in the listings, yet being unavailable for actual booking. Not sure if this was because I was booking so late. Proof of accommodation. I booked a two-month chunk of hostels through www.hostelworld.com. With each booking, you need to pay a small deposit, which isn't very much. You can also purchase "cancellation protection" at $1.50 per booking, which lets you keep your deposit for future bookings, in case you cancel. This is important, because after I got my visa, I went online and cancelled all of my bookings, except for my place in Chengdu. This is kind of a hassle, but I couldn't afford any delays with this visa.

I compiled all the paperwork and even typed a brief letter, explaining why I wanted the 1 year, multiple entry visa (explained that I wanted to go to China after the Olympics, but that my time might extend beyond 6 months, the next visa down), and laying out my faux itinerary.

I arrived at the consulate at 9:30AM. It took 20 minutes to get inside, and then an hour and a half to have my number called. At the window, the staffer looked through all the paperwork and made sure my name and the dates were highlighted on all my hostel bookings and plane tickets. She took a brief glance at the letter I had typed, and wordlessly slipped it back under the window to me. A stamp here, a stamp there, and she said I could collect the visa at 2:45PM, in the afternoon.

I napped in my car and then went back to the consulate at 2:15PM. It took until 2:40PM to get to the front of the pickup line, where I handed in my slip, paid $160, and collected my shiny new visa in my beat up old passport. The visa fee is $130, the same for all visas (whether it's single, double, or multiple entry, 6 month or 1 year, or valid for 30 or 60 days at a time). The one-day rush processing fee is $30. Total: $160. Cash and credit cards are ok, no personal checks.

Whee! I'm going to China!

Note: I first showed up at the consulate last Friday 20 minutes before closing, on the last day before a long weekend. The line went out the door and down the block. The line today (first day of the week after a long weekend) was also considerably long. Try to go midweek if you're getting yours in person.

Update from Santo Domingo

Saw lots of people, ate lots of food, Karl still cute as ever, Costa Palmera beautiful!!! Will try to post complete update soon.

Farewell, Bangladesh

Feel it's unfair to leave the butt-grab as the last post from Bangladesh, but am now in China and woefully behind on updates so must rush through final days in Bangladesh.

- giveaway day was a blast, volunteers accompanied lottery ticket holders into our yard and helped them to collect their lots. Van rolled away piled high with chairs, tools, pots, pans,
- felt slightly less enthused about giveaway when we returned to our house and sat around with no chairs, no pot for making tea, and no stove anyway
- had our last meeting on 16 April, and Rajib, Jamil, and Selim joined us with their own quirky, endearing goodbye speeches. Rajib and Jamil both talked about how when they first met us, they didn't understand what we were trying to do, and how they thought we were like babies who needed to learn a lot, but that slowly they understood and that they really ended up enjoying the whole experience of working with us and in their community in this different way
- then they asked Selim if he wanted to say anything, and he said "ki bolte?" "Say what?"
- must say, the feeling of staying at a project until the end is quite different than leaving in the middle. While still teary and sad, I felt more at peace with what we planned and what we accomplished. In the past, I've felt so sad to miss out on what's to come.
- 17th April, after Suz and Emma left on the Rocket, and John and Tim pedaled away on their new van, Marc, Paul, and I loaded up and started to roll away to the bus stop. People followed us, an old woman I didn't even recognize clasped my hand and thanked me, with tears in her eyes. Then lovely came running up and said that Jamil had been in a motorcycle accident. While it was quite serious, I'm now happy to update that he is recovering
- in Dhaka, met up with Paul, Rajib, and Rajib's wife for one last dinner...at Pizza Hut! Yum. Then Rajib and Paul went on their own Bangla holiday
- met up with the Embassy guys (with whom we collaborated on some school/temple projects), at the American Club. Had always wanted to go there, but you need an invite to get inside. Not anything all that special, just lots of white people wearing shorts. But nice to sit in air conditioning, eat western food, and have some nice conversation. Thank you to Randy and Harvey.
- 19 April, Ciao Dhaka! Off to the Philippines, where I'll visit Santo Domingo and go diving in Busuanga...