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Articles Tagged ‘Visa’

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Burma Embassy, Cows And A Guesthouse

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Bought plane tickets a month ago to go to Burma with a Thai friend. But Air Asia won’t let us cancel our tickets without losing the money. So I spent all afternoon in the embassy office with a few others waiting for the official to appear at the window. But don’t know if I’m going to get a visa or not…you are retired? What was your last job? What organization did you work for? He really looked over my passport closely…too many stamps in too many countries? Maybe I am a journalist traveling around the world? We are only offering visas on a case by case basis, he said. Your application will have to go up to headquarters, he said. And instead of the usual one day turnover, it wouldn’t be available for another 10 days. So I gave him my phone number and he will call and let me know if my application has been accepted. I doubt it. But my Thai friend who wants to go with me has two students at Kasetsart University that are from Burma and whose parents work for the government. They are going to call the embassy on my behalf. We’ll see.

Then on the way back to my hotel I was surprised by an exhibit at the Phrom Phong BTS station. There in front of the Emporium Mall were the same Herd of Cows that we saw in the plazas in the center of Prague in 2004. The life-size fancifully painted cows were culled however. Most of the most suggestive and political cows were missing…the humorous ones probably not translatable.

BTW, I highly recommend new friendly Som’s Guesthouse on a little soi next to Queen’s Park Hotel on Sukhumvit 22. Beautiful large room with wood parque floor, refrigerator, TV with scads of channels, free breakfast and best of all free WiFi…all for 800 baht ($25) a night!

Posted in Burma (Myanmar), Hospitality, Hotels,Hostels & Guesthouses, Visas | No Comments »

To Guangzhou China

Friday, November 22nd, 2002

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Friday November 22 2002 Hong Kong to Guangshou
Across the street to noodle shop for breakfast. Sat with woman who worked as a buyer for a British department store & whose English was very good.

When Bob tried to get Hong Kong dollars from an ATM the message he received was that his account was empty eliciting possible cardiac arrest; went to internet again and, panicky, checked his account through the internet. All was well.

Picked up our passports with Chinese visas right on time from the hotel receptionist and checked out…no messing around…the maid was right there at 12:00 sharp asking us to be out. Think these places have been conditioned by unscrupulous backpackers.

Took taxi to train station for new fast two-hour train to one of mainland China�s big cities of commerce, Guanzshou in neighboring Guangdong Province.

Three China Travel Service (CTS) guys met us in the Guanzshou train station; Biggest Professional Hustle we�ve seen yet; with great confidence and aggresiveness they took us to a desk where they explained the train route from Guanzshou to Guilin; they took us to CTS office (state sponsored China Tour Company where they ran in and bought our train tickets… on the way telling
us they had a cheaper hotel on Shamian Dao Island-the tourist section-but we declined. So they took us to a modest Chinese run hotel near the big international hotels. Probably paid a commission for the train ticket but it would have been a big hassle to try to communicate to the railroad ticket seller which ticket we wanted and the ride to the hotel was free so all in all we felt OK about being touted that day.

The ($30 hotel room had three beds, worn carpet, but had TV with no English programming and a telephone; the bathroom was grimy with mold on the floors and walls. All they had to do, Jana and I told each other, was douse the whole room with bleach! A lady at a desk outside the room kept our key and gave us hot drinking water in a thermos for tea (as they do at all Chinese hotels).

Saturday November 23
Buffet Breakfast at upscale Garden Hotel; I looked for American Press and Cultural Club that was listed on a hotel kiosk but couldn’t find it; we laughed-thinking the club was a cover for the CIA!

Took taxi to the Shamian Dao Island-the tourist area with shops and cafes. Bob made friends with Sherry at Sherry’s Place and bought two T-shirts (one saying “No Money” and the other saying “Love” in Chinese) and cap with Chinese lettering saying Macho Man (Hero). What else is there to say? Saw kerchief with marijuana leaves on it…we laughed and told her what it was…she looked it up in her Chinese dictionary and was mortified.

On the street in front of the shop talked to a friendly outgoing older guy with suspenders and pot belly from Indiana and his young Chinese wife he met through a friend living in China; he had written to her for awhile and then made the trip to China and brought her over on a fiance visa…married 7 years with a 4 year old boy. The 65 year old gu said he had the easiest job in the world at Chrysler (probably sales) and had no plans to retire. Wife used to have a shop in the upscale White Swan Hotel on the island where Communist Party heads used to meet.

Orange squash drink and iced coffee at Lucy’s Cafe; Bob made friends with Paula the waitress. Bob and Jana entertained a group of school girls 17-20 who wanted to practice English.

Watched large group of young kids…some with wanna be baggy pants and stocking hats… all waiting to enter an MTV karaoke hall.

Practically every male smokes…difficult to get away from it.

Posted in China, Excursions, Guongdong, Hotels,Hostels & Guesthouses, Trains, Visas | Comments Off on To Guangzhou China