China Has My Passport
I forgot that when you apply for a visa, the embassy or consulate in question requires you to leave your passport with them when you apply. So until Tuesday next week, China has mine. Despite missing out on the discount price of ¥41,000 ($367) and having to spend ¥60,000 ($537) on the air ticket, I figure it’s worth it–I have a friend living in Shanghai who’ll still be on vacation when I go, and can show me around–I’m not likely to have that opportunity again soon. So it’ll be maybe 5 or 6 days in Shanghai and 2-3 days in Beijing, should be fun.
The only concern: how will I be able to blog? My friend tells me that you can buy a card to have wireless access in Starbucks (of course, they’re everywhere), so if that works out, I’ll still be able to post every day. If not, I’ll have to figure out something else, like an Internet cafe. I hope for the Starbucks Wi-Fi, though, as it’ll allow me to post photos.