Today I went to the Consulate of the People's Republic of China to submit my application for a travel visa. Since my airline ticket is not refundable I do not wish to be refused.
The consulate is a fairly new building a few blocks north of the St. George subway station. In the past that part of St. George was well known for its rowdy late night parties that originated in the fraternity houses. There are also some medium tall apartment buildings whose residents did not want to experience the frat parties. Apparently the parties are more controlled now, or perhaps just not reported as often in the newspapers as some years ago. The consulate looks to be about three or four floors high and is surrounded by a steel fence with one opening about a metre or so wide, just enough for one person to pass through at a time comfortably. The part of the consulate dedicated for visa applications is at the north end. When I came in the door I immediately had to figure out which line I needed to be in. There is one for picking up documents, another for submitting visa applications and a third for getting documents legalized among other things. The door is open for visa applications at 9.00. By the time I got there at 9.20 the line was already almost at the door. There were at least thirty people ahead of me.
The line moved slowly but steadily. Eventually I got close to the wicket and had my papers examined by an official. I had been admiring his suit for some time and was going to tell him so. However he insisted I had to get or fill out a form from my employer in China since I checked "teacher" as my profession on the visa application. I told him my job here is teacher, my status in China would be tourist. I don't think he was convinced but he let me move forward. His spoken English was extremely limited and not very clear. I have no idea how much English he understood. The woman who took my application was very courteous and efficient. Next week I can go back to the consulate and get my passport back with the visa in it. I wonder what it looks like? Will it be another piece of paper or just a stamp on a page?
One step closer to being in Beijing.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
A Day For Needles
Yesterday I went to a travel clinic to get my inoculations for the trip. I found the place by searching on the Web. From what I saw on the Web it looked like a stand alone travel medical clinic. I assumed it would be a small, quiet place. People would come in, register with reception and then sit on vinyl chairs and wait for their turn. Some of those assumptions turned out to be correct. However the travel clinic is actually one doctor who also has other kinds of patients. And there is more than one, probably several, doctors in what is a walk-in medical clinic. Some people coming in had appointments, some did not, as is usual in walk-in clinics. Some people came alone, like me, some came with other family members. Sitting and waiting for my time with the "travel doctor" was like sitting in a subway car.
Some people came and sat and waited. Some people came and sat for one or two minutes, then got up and went to one of the clinic rooms. Some people came to the door and looked in and went away. Some people got told to come back later. (The place is open seven days a week and until 9.00 pm most of those days.) I sat and waited with all kinds of people, and conversations both face-to-face and on cell phones were going on in several languages. I waited for about twenty minutes, which is not unreasonable.
I talked first with the "travel doctor's" assistant, then with the doctor, then the assistant came back in and got the materials ready. She reviewed the schedule of shots and took my payment. She also shared with me some of her experiences as a traveller in Beijing. Then the doctor came back in, one shot in one arm plus a band-aid, another shot in the other arm and another band-aid. We talked for another couple of minutes. He reminded me to come back in a month for the second of three shots for hepatitis, and he went over the procedure for the traveller's diarrhea and cholera preventative. Then I was done. As far as medical experiences go this one was not only painless but even pleasant. If you want a quiet office-like atmosphere for a travel medicine clinic then go somewhere else. If you are comfortable in Toronto's multi-ethnic mix then you are guaranteed to find it where I went.
I also talked with my mother last night. She is excited and pleased that I am going on this trip. She visited Egypt and parts of the eastern Mediterranean some years ago. It was something she wanted to do for most of her life. When she had both the time and the resources she went. She still talks about that visit from time to time. She said I will make memories I will never lose. Her first question was "are you ready to go yet?" I had to say no. I still have to get my visa (soon) but that is the last "official" thing I have to do. After that I just have to pack. I think the baggage allowance is quite generous: 2 - 22kg bags underneath plus one carry-on bag. The carry-on will be my laptop and its associated stuff plus a book or two, headphones, a pillow and my Palm Pilot which is my MP3 player. If I trusted the airline baggage system more I would put my laptop in my checked baggage but it is not mine, it is my employer's. If it gets lost or damaged it will be almost impossible to replace the information on it while I am in China. And I need it in China because I will be communicating with my online students while I am away. So I will keep it safe by carrying it with me.
If you are reading this and have suggestions about either how to survive a 15 hour plane ride (plus a 3 hour layover in Chicago) or what I should pack for two weeks of summer in Beijing I would be very happy to hear from you.
Some people came and sat and waited. Some people came and sat for one or two minutes, then got up and went to one of the clinic rooms. Some people came to the door and looked in and went away. Some people got told to come back later. (The place is open seven days a week and until 9.00 pm most of those days.) I sat and waited with all kinds of people, and conversations both face-to-face and on cell phones were going on in several languages. I waited for about twenty minutes, which is not unreasonable.
I talked first with the "travel doctor's" assistant, then with the doctor, then the assistant came back in and got the materials ready. She reviewed the schedule of shots and took my payment. She also shared with me some of her experiences as a traveller in Beijing. Then the doctor came back in, one shot in one arm plus a band-aid, another shot in the other arm and another band-aid. We talked for another couple of minutes. He reminded me to come back in a month for the second of three shots for hepatitis, and he went over the procedure for the traveller's diarrhea and cholera preventative. Then I was done. As far as medical experiences go this one was not only painless but even pleasant. If you want a quiet office-like atmosphere for a travel medicine clinic then go somewhere else. If you are comfortable in Toronto's multi-ethnic mix then you are guaranteed to find it where I went.
I also talked with my mother last night. She is excited and pleased that I am going on this trip. She visited Egypt and parts of the eastern Mediterranean some years ago. It was something she wanted to do for most of her life. When she had both the time and the resources she went. She still talks about that visit from time to time. She said I will make memories I will never lose. Her first question was "are you ready to go yet?" I had to say no. I still have to get my visa (soon) but that is the last "official" thing I have to do. After that I just have to pack. I think the baggage allowance is quite generous: 2 - 22kg bags underneath plus one carry-on bag. The carry-on will be my laptop and its associated stuff plus a book or two, headphones, a pillow and my Palm Pilot which is my MP3 player. If I trusted the airline baggage system more I would put my laptop in my checked baggage but it is not mine, it is my employer's. If it gets lost or damaged it will be almost impossible to replace the information on it while I am in China. And I need it in China because I will be communicating with my online students while I am away. So I will keep it safe by carrying it with me.
If you are reading this and have suggestions about either how to survive a 15 hour plane ride (plus a 3 hour layover in Chicago) or what I should pack for two weeks of summer in Beijing I would be very happy to hear from you.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Victoria Day Weekend
Yesterday and today I have been pulling weeds and planting vegetables. There were about twenty tomato plants to put in the ground as well as several beds for vegetables. In addition to the tomatoes I have also planted carrots, beets, lima beans, purple bush beans, scarlet runner beans, regular peas, swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, Chinese radish. Some of the garlic and some of the bunching onions I planted last Fall survived the Winter and are shafts of bright green in a couple of beds. All the asparagus I planted last Spring survived and looks terrific. A few of the stalks are more than one meter high. Each plant has only one or two stalks so I won't harvest those. At least one plant has a few more stalks coming so perhaps there will be half a dozen for eating before the season is over.
I am beginning to wonder why so many people go to so much work to get to Muskoka or Haliburton or "the cottage" for the Victoria Day weekend. Yes it is the first long weekend after Easter. So there is one extra day to do whatever one does at the cottage. But the middle of May to the middle of June is fly season. I worked outside in a bug jacket, long pants, socks and shoes and I still have bites on my hands, my neck and my face. The black flies are not as bad this year as they were last year. Last year, walking from the car to the house meant you kept your mouth closed unless you wanted to eat flies. This year I can work outside as long as I am fully clothed with the bug jacket. I went out about 9.30 this morning. The heat inside my clothes and jacket finally forced me inside about 11.30. The black flies swarmed all around me, trying to get through the mesh of the jacket, they never give up. Fortunately there were not enough of them this year to fill the mesh in front of my face and block my vision so I could work easily. I was not comfortable but I got some work done.
(It seems incongruous to me that this weekend I am north of Muskoka pulling weeds and planting vegetables and six weeks from now I will be in Beijing. I suppose sometime I will have to stop thinking my life revolves around two weeks vacation.)
My "niece" Bo, who will be my tour guide at times and my emergency support in Beijing, has reserved a place for me to stay in Beijing. It is a hostel / hotel call 365 Inn. It is some distance from her apartment, she said it will be about 35 minutes by transit but it is very close to Tian An M'en Square and many other historic parts of Beijing. The transit ride involves transferring from one subway line to another. That does not sound like much of a problem, and it would not be if I could read Chinese. However I don't think she would get me lost intentionally so I am sure she will give me good directions. One of the first things I hope to buy in Beijing is a map of the central area with some English on it. She sent me a set of basic characters that will be useful when I am there. I hope to learn more. And perhaps someone at the consulate in Toronto will be of assistance.
365 Inn is a fairly new youth hostel with the usual rooms of bunk beds for travelers who like using hostels or who don't or can't pay for more private accommodation. It also has some private and semi-private rooms on the upper floors. Staying there means there will probably always be young people around if I want a conversation or company. Bo says they have a cafe which opens into the street, or has a view of the street. So I will not feel alone in Beijing. That is important when traveling. I can get depressed if I feel isolated. Then I don't want to do anything - and that would be a mistake, although I will probably want one or two quieter, calmer days when I can recover from frantic rushing around. I find museums and art galleries a good antidote to shopping and hordes of people, particularly hordes of other tourists.
It is getting close to noon.After lunch I will check in with my online students, do any marking that needs to be done and relax until the sun is further in the West. Then back to playing / working in the dirt, pulling weeds, planting seed, thinking about eating vegetables fresh from the garden in August and September.
I am beginning to wonder why so many people go to so much work to get to Muskoka or Haliburton or "the cottage" for the Victoria Day weekend. Yes it is the first long weekend after Easter. So there is one extra day to do whatever one does at the cottage. But the middle of May to the middle of June is fly season. I worked outside in a bug jacket, long pants, socks and shoes and I still have bites on my hands, my neck and my face. The black flies are not as bad this year as they were last year. Last year, walking from the car to the house meant you kept your mouth closed unless you wanted to eat flies. This year I can work outside as long as I am fully clothed with the bug jacket. I went out about 9.30 this morning. The heat inside my clothes and jacket finally forced me inside about 11.30. The black flies swarmed all around me, trying to get through the mesh of the jacket, they never give up. Fortunately there were not enough of them this year to fill the mesh in front of my face and block my vision so I could work easily. I was not comfortable but I got some work done.
(It seems incongruous to me that this weekend I am north of Muskoka pulling weeds and planting vegetables and six weeks from now I will be in Beijing. I suppose sometime I will have to stop thinking my life revolves around two weeks vacation.)
My "niece" Bo, who will be my tour guide at times and my emergency support in Beijing, has reserved a place for me to stay in Beijing. It is a hostel / hotel call 365 Inn. It is some distance from her apartment, she said it will be about 35 minutes by transit but it is very close to Tian An M'en Square and many other historic parts of Beijing. The transit ride involves transferring from one subway line to another. That does not sound like much of a problem, and it would not be if I could read Chinese. However I don't think she would get me lost intentionally so I am sure she will give me good directions. One of the first things I hope to buy in Beijing is a map of the central area with some English on it. She sent me a set of basic characters that will be useful when I am there. I hope to learn more. And perhaps someone at the consulate in Toronto will be of assistance.
365 Inn is a fairly new youth hostel with the usual rooms of bunk beds for travelers who like using hostels or who don't or can't pay for more private accommodation. It also has some private and semi-private rooms on the upper floors. Staying there means there will probably always be young people around if I want a conversation or company. Bo says they have a cafe which opens into the street, or has a view of the street. So I will not feel alone in Beijing. That is important when traveling. I can get depressed if I feel isolated. Then I don't want to do anything - and that would be a mistake, although I will probably want one or two quieter, calmer days when I can recover from frantic rushing around. I find museums and art galleries a good antidote to shopping and hordes of people, particularly hordes of other tourists.
It is getting close to noon.After lunch I will check in with my online students, do any marking that needs to be done and relax until the sun is further in the West. Then back to playing / working in the dirt, pulling weeds, planting seed, thinking about eating vegetables fresh from the garden in August and September.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Ticket pickup
I picked up my ticket at the travel agency this morning. I was expecting at least a glossy folder with something in it that resembles a ticket. I hoped for something I could keep as a souvenir, a reminder of the two flights. What did I get? A print-out of the two flight itineraries, which I already received when I booked the flight on Tuesday, and a statement of the charge to my credit card. The agent told me I don't have to worry about my luggage during the stopover in Chicago on the way to Beijing. That will be taken care of by the airline. On the way back when I land in San Francisco, I will have to find my bags, take them to U.S. Customs and Immigration, get them cleared, and then make sure they get to the right place so they got on the plane to Toronto. Fortunately I have more than two hours to get that done. But it seems unnecessary to me. Then of course I have to go through Canadian Customs and Immigration when I land at Pearson.
The agent told me it is much easier going to Beijing. U.S. Customs and Immigration is at Pearson airport and that makes traveling easier. What do I conclude? In order to save a considerable amount of money I will have to undergo being examined by U.S. Customs and Immigration twice. I have no need or desire to leave the airport at either Chicago or San Francisco. My destination is not in the U.S. I am just passing through. Why should I be subject to the same entry restrictions as someone whose destination is the U.S.? I suspect Canada and many other countries do exactly the same thing. If all I have access to during the stopover is my carry-on luggage why is it necessary that I go through Customs and Immigration at a stopover point? If the concern is "security" then keep me in a secure area during my stopover, put me and everyone else who is just passing through into a comfortable, secure place that we cannot leave except to board our next flight. I suppose it is much less expensive for the airlines and airports if they let national governments pay for Customs and Immigration officers rather than manage a secure stopover area themselves. And I suppose people who had stopovers of more than one or two hours would rebel at being kept "locked up". Perhaps giving passengers a choice between going to Customs and Immigration or being in a secure area could work well?
Next, a talk with my doctor about immunization, and a trip to the Chinese Consulate to hand in my application for a visa. Immunization against hepatitis seems extremely wise. I wonder if I should ask about anything else.
The agent told me it is much easier going to Beijing. U.S. Customs and Immigration is at Pearson airport and that makes traveling easier. What do I conclude? In order to save a considerable amount of money I will have to undergo being examined by U.S. Customs and Immigration twice. I have no need or desire to leave the airport at either Chicago or San Francisco. My destination is not in the U.S. I am just passing through. Why should I be subject to the same entry restrictions as someone whose destination is the U.S.? I suspect Canada and many other countries do exactly the same thing. If all I have access to during the stopover is my carry-on luggage why is it necessary that I go through Customs and Immigration at a stopover point? If the concern is "security" then keep me in a secure area during my stopover, put me and everyone else who is just passing through into a comfortable, secure place that we cannot leave except to board our next flight. I suppose it is much less expensive for the airlines and airports if they let national governments pay for Customs and Immigration officers rather than manage a secure stopover area themselves. And I suppose people who had stopovers of more than one or two hours would rebel at being kept "locked up". Perhaps giving passengers a choice between going to Customs and Immigration or being in a secure area could work well?
Next, a talk with my doctor about immunization, and a trip to the Chinese Consulate to hand in my application for a visa. Immunization against hepatitis seems extremely wise. I wonder if I should ask about anything else.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Flight to Beijing booked
Today I made my planned trip to Beijing a reality. Today I booked my airline tickets there and back. I had hoped to take a non-stop flight, or if I had to stop somewhere it would be in Canada. The travel agent found a flight that stops in Chicago on the way out and San Francisco on the way back for about $800 less than either a non-stop or a stop in Vancouver. The Chicago stop is nearly three hours but it is about lunch time so eating will take some time. And I will have both my laptop and my Kobo (thank you Kyle and Lindsay) so I should not be too bored. I leave Toronto the morning of June 28 and arrive in Beijing the afternoon of June 29. That sort of makes sense. When I come back I leave at noon on July 14 and arrive in Toronto about supper time on July 14 even though I will be traveling for eighteen hours. The joy of time zones.
I thought at first I would send this news to family and friends by e-mail. The list of recipients of the e-mail kept getting longer and longer so I decided this method would make more sense. I started the blog this early not because I have a lot to say right now but because I am so excited. Going to China has been a dream of mine for many years. I never thought it would happen. I did a lot of overtime this past semester so there is "extra" money and I have almost-family (hello Bo) in Beijing this year. So I will have an almost-friendly tour guide who will try to make sure I don't get lost and who, I hope, will stop me from paying exorbitant prices for things.
I don't expect to write too much until I arrive in Beijing. I will try not to bore you too much with my preparations. I am going to use this blog not only to keep you informed but also as a record for myself. So you may hear about my travails at the Chinese Consulate (if any) or my reactions to any shots or other preventative medicine I have to get. And how does one prepare for a two week journey whose destination is half way around the world? I don't know -- I have never done this before. My passport is as pristine as the day it was issued.
I thought at first I would send this news to family and friends by e-mail. The list of recipients of the e-mail kept getting longer and longer so I decided this method would make more sense. I started the blog this early not because I have a lot to say right now but because I am so excited. Going to China has been a dream of mine for many years. I never thought it would happen. I did a lot of overtime this past semester so there is "extra" money and I have almost-family (hello Bo) in Beijing this year. So I will have an almost-friendly tour guide who will try to make sure I don't get lost and who, I hope, will stop me from paying exorbitant prices for things.
I don't expect to write too much until I arrive in Beijing. I will try not to bore you too much with my preparations. I am going to use this blog not only to keep you informed but also as a record for myself. So you may hear about my travails at the Chinese Consulate (if any) or my reactions to any shots or other preventative medicine I have to get. And how does one prepare for a two week journey whose destination is half way around the world? I don't know -- I have never done this before. My passport is as pristine as the day it was issued.
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