China Romance
All About China => Share your love story => Topic started by: Neil on February 22, 2011, 02:57:43 am
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I'm too tired at the moment, to write everything that happened during the last three weeks, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right?
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Congratulations from Sujuan and Robert . We will await with baited breath for the next installment .
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You are certainly right there Neil!!! Best wishes to you both for your future life together from Ming zhi and myself. Happy days indeed :)
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Congratulations on your marriage... the Chocolate man got married ;D
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Great picture and congratulations on your marriage
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If I had to describe China in one word, it would be: uncomfortable. Beds like rocks, squat toilets, no heat, the fact that it would be the end of the world if your feet touched the ground, ever, under any circumstance.
But we tend to get used to the discomfort. My soft, warm bed is sorely lacking. Fast food is poison. I've been home for one day, and I miss China, and I miss my wife more than ever.
She is my dream come true. Her family has accepted me as one of them. I am both humbled and impressed. I need her as much as she needs me. Not financially - her family is huge and very close and supportive and protective of her.
Speaking of family, she has four older brothers and an older sister, all married with children, all gainfully employed (I should say, business owners). Her parents live in one of the oldest homes in their town. It is a heritage site, and pictures of it can be found in museums and temples. Her family has lived in this home for over 100 years. There are at least 3 families living in the home, not related in any way to her family.
Her son called me Daddy. We got along great, though we really couldn't communicate. I downloaded a game: Plants vs Zombies and we played together. My wife calls us both Childish, yet she can see us bonding, so she puts up with it. He is learning English in school and he was learning the names of plants by the time I left (in the game).
She rents a room in an apartment in Zhangping, about an hour from her parents home. The older lady that owns the apartment is like another mother to her.
Nothing beats time together with your wife/girlfriend in China. You can't possibly learn everything about her online or on the phone. Hell, I'll probably never learn everything. I sure can't wait to try. I have no idea when I can return, or how soon she can join me here. Now the hard work begins. It's a daunting task, but I am up to the challenge.
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Great news. I am happy for you.
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Wow that is so cool. Congratulations on your marriage from Fiona and me.
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Nothing beats time together with your wife/girlfriend in China. You can't possibly learn everything about her online or on the phone. Hell, I'll probably never learn everything. I sure can't wait to try. I have no idea when I can return, or how soon she can join me here. Now the hard work begins. It's a daunting task, but I am up to the challenge.
So true. You gotta get on a plane and go there. And paperwork nightmare is daunting but worth it.
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I am now starting on my journey to meet my future wife in China. I hope to learn from the people here that have gone through the hoops to make their marriage a reality.
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Good luck mracn. I havent been here long but I have learned a lot from reading the posts and there are a group of really good guys on this site. They wont hesitate to share their experiences. Alan
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Neil, congratulations, I'm sure you are very happy.
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congratulations Neil , all the very best to you and your new wife
wising you a happy future for both of you
now it time to start living the dream :) regards joey and Sophia
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Neil
Many congrats to you and your lovely Lady.......whatever comes next in the great beaurocracy adventure will be worth it in the end
Good luck...all the best
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Hi mracn...welcome to the forum.
Everybody here is always willing to assist in any way we can to make your task as easy as possible. But having said that, there are sure to be a few bumps in the road !!!
Many of us here can testify that the result is well worth the trouble and complexities that exist.
Best of luck. What stage are you at in your quest for a Chinese wife ??
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Congratulation Neil.... Sooner or later everyone will marry a Chinese wife.. It is only a matter of time ;D
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I figure I'll try to write some of the things we did over the three weeks.
The day after I arrived, we drove to her parents home. My wife rented a car, that is, she rented a couple seats in a small van. It was about a 3 hour drive to her home, then another hour to her parents place. It was night when we arrived so we quickly met her family then went to bed. She has her own room at her parent's home. This home is very old and there are pictures of it in the local museum and temple. There are three or four families living there.
The next day was spent vising and meeting family and friends. Everyone was very nice and gracious. Her family is huge, with four older brothers (one owns a cell phone store, one has a cement business, one runs a small store attached to the home, and the oldest is a farmer) and an older sister. All are married and have a child or two.
Day three was Chinese New Year, and was spent vising each family member, and having tea or a meal while the kids blew stuff up with fire crackers and bottle rockets. By nightfall the fireworks started, and every hour it got more intense. At midnight, we were trying to sleep, and the fireworks were incredible. She kept telling me to go watch, but I figured they must be almost done. Finally I got dressed and ran outside. This small town put on a bigger fireworks show than I had ever seen in my life up to that point. Every home and business has a fireworks budget I think. Everywhere you looked were fireworks.
The next day she took me to the doctor. I had caught a cold on the plane, and it went straight to my chest. It was still a holiday in China so his office was closed, but the brother was able to convince him to see me. It's nice to have connections, especially concerned brothers. It didn't cost me anything to see him, I only had to pay for the pills he gave me, and brother paid for the next bunch.
After a few more days, my wife decided it's time we took care of this wedding thing. A quick bus ride to her apartment, shower, and off to get wedding photos. I thought it was a bit premature - what if there are problems and we can't get married? Ah, I figured, why argue? I figured she knows what she's doing. And she did. 6 hours later and 6 outfits later we were back in our own clothes and in possession of our small photos we would need to put in our red books (wedding certificates kinda).
The next day we caught a bus - 8 hours to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province. Rented a hotel room, then the next day we visited the government office for marriage with a foreigner. Apparently I didn't have the right papers, so we had to go to the Canadian consulate in either Shanghai or Guangzhou. This was a Tuesday, and Shanghai does marriage papers (I forget the proper word) on Tuesdays, so we made an appointment with Guangzhou for 4:00 pm on Wednesday. Down to the bus station we go. Twelve hours later on a sleeper bus, we arrived in Guangzhou. It was 6 am and we watched the sun rise in a park.
We hung out in the consulate a couple hours early in case we could get in early, but we didn't. We saw 6 or 7 couples doing the same thing. It was a quick interview. I went in by myself. Gave her my papers, signed and swore it was true, had it stamped and paid just under 300 RMB. Papers in hand, we caught a taxi back to the bus station.
Another quick 12 hour overnight bus ride back to Fuzhou, taxi to the hotel, shower, shave and off to the marriage office for another try. No problems this time. She had to read aloud and sign, I only had to sign. She had to take my paper across the street to be notarized, but apparently not translated. 5 minutes later we both had our red books. She said she felt like she was dreaming. We walked hand-in-hand to a temple. I think she wanted to say a prayer or burn an incense or something, but felt embarrassed because it was very crowded. I asked her if she wanted to, but she said no. I regret not pushing harder, but we were both too happy to really think straight. We ended up walking back to the hotel. We were really married.
That's the first half - I'll finish it off in another post later.
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Congrats and all the best to you both!
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Neil, I know it is belated but congratz.
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Thanks guys. This really was an amazing trip. I met this woman through qq, and I wasn't even looking. She was first and foremost, a friend. Before I even realized it, she had become more than a friend. She has always been honest and straight forward with me. She gave me her trust, she put her heart in my hands, but she also had the strength to ask me to be gentle and honest with her. She is more than I deserve. She is exactly what I've searched my life for - my true love.
I had given up my quest to find a Chinese wife. I had let my accounts on dating sites expire. I changed my plan and bought a new vehicle. I wasn't going to need to save for another trip to China anyway. But I had made some friends on qq, and we continued chatting. It's funny how quickly life can take a turn. All it takes is a little faith, a positive attitude and an open mind. And a willingness to get out of your comfort zone.
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Neil , you are so right .. the way it happened to you . I should know , it happened to me . When your True Love is handed to you like this , you will always do your best never to let go and cherish her forever . These things do happen for a reason and now it's up to both of you to nurture it .. let it grow and don't forget to thank the one that really got you together .... !
Haha .. why does paperwork always include Traveling ?
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I had given up my quest to find a Chinese wife.
I am happy to see that your life like your Avatar - Chocolate boy - was just as Forest Gump's mother said. You never know what you are going to get. Great pictures and a great story.
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Neil, you finally become a Fujianese son in low... hahaha, Zhangping is in the west of Fujian province,it's famous for their grapefruit.
You will eat plenty in the future.
I notice your wedding photo in your QQ , And I know you must find your love, And I didn't think it's so quicky also.
You are really lucky... When you are not looking, True love comes to you.
How is your impression about Fuzhou ? I spent 3 years college life there.
And I was passing the foreign marriage register center many times, I thought if I had a chance to have a red book here in the future,
Because I donn't know where the local people marriage center is ...hehe
Your wife looks stunning and
I bet we will see more smile from your face .
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Yan ... yeah , smiles yes .. but He already is slowly Melting . Chocolate can not take the Heat of this pretty Wife . hahaha
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Fuzhou was beautiful. I was really amazed how big that city is. The buildings are so tall. We visited a beautiful temple just down the street from the foreign marriage center and a beautiful park with a hot spring and a tourist shopping street with ancient buildings.
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Yan ... yeah , smiles yes .. but He already is slowly Melting . Chocolate can not take the Heat of this pretty Wife . hahaha
Haha. It's funny Arnold, look at my picture on my first post in this thread, and then at my avatar. Very similar.
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Yan ... yeah , smiles yes .. but He already is slowly Melting . Chocolate can not take the Heat of this pretty Wife . hahaha
Haha. It's funny Arnold, look at my picture on my first post in this thread, and then at my avatar. Very similar.
Well yes , look the same .. but those are most likely Chinese Copies of the Chocolate Man .
Your Wife properly drank the original with Milk . :P
I'm just pulling you on the "OTHER" Arm . haha
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An interesting side note:
I was together with my wife for 3 weeks this trip. For the first two weeks, I realized I wasn't recognizing as many words as I should. I mean, I've studied a bit. I should recognize some words. During the third week, we had a translator join us to help with our wedding. Her and her husband could both speak a little English. 5 or 6 of us were having tea together. I noticed the translator's husband making a funny face and scratching his head. His wife said to me something like: "My husband is from Fuzhou. He is not local, so he can not understand the local dialect. He cant understand what we are saying." This whole time my wife and her family were talking the local dialect.
As an example: my wife's apartment is in Zhangping. If I type that in google translate, I can hear how it's pronounced: Jangping. Well, they pronounce it Zangping, with a hard z like in zipper.
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Haha. It's funny Arnold, look at my picture on my first post in this thread, and then at my avatar. Very similar.
Weird coincidence, or is Neil really the Chocolate Guy from the commercials, but in disguise when he visits China?
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Honestly, when I saw the first picture, next to the chocolate man, wow, Neil was the model for the chocolate man!
Seriously though, congratulations Neil, you both look happy in the pictures.
Lloyd
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Here's a little update I figured I'd share.
I met Alice's sister-in-law (she's actually a cousin's wife) who lives in Ontario. She came to Alice's parents home during Spring Festival. Since I've been back, her sister-in-law's daughter and husband who also live in Ontario, have been helping her fill out forms. They filled the forms for her sister-in-law when she first came to Canada. They both can speak English quite well. They have been a great help.
It really feels like we are making some progress. I also think it will be a help for us to have family in Canada, especially one I have met in person. Hopefully I can meet the rest of the family one day.
It's been a slow process so far. Until recently, filling out forms has been difficult with the huge time difference, me working long shifts and tons of overtime, and (until recently) the inability to save partially filled-out forms. It's refreshing to finally see some progress. Time flies. I've been home nearly two months and I feel like we should have this stuff filed by now.
My wife is excited to come to Canada. Silly girl bought a coat in preparation. I wore warmer clothes over there than I do in my daily life here. It's a different lifestyle with heated homes and a warm car to drive the 6 blocks to the grocery store (also heated). I keep telling her she won't get cold.
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Hey Neil,
Good update. Glad she has some support from this side... hopefully that'll help her mitigate the "QQ factor" that others seem to hit during the transition process.
On a side note, if she knows people who live in Ontario, if you're on a visit down here, definitely get in touch with some of us for a night out...
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I'd love to. My father lives in Branford and her sister-in-law and children live in Hamilton. I hope to get out for a visit one of these days, but it may not be until after my wife comes to Canada, for obvious reasons.
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This was a rough weekend. My wife has been feeling very sad and lonely. She is missing me. She constantly asks when I will return. She is worried our love will fade or I will find someone else. Her cousin/boss had a lump removed from her breast last week, so the shop has been closed this week. She hasn't had work to keep her mind off sad thoughts.
I want to return soon, but it is not cheap and work is very busy. I'm tempted to reduce my debt load. Maybe sell my new car and get a used one. I need to win the lottery or something. I wish I could stay with her until the immigration is finished.
I see her smile on the webcam and I know this is all worth it. She is so beautiful. I really feel very lucky. I could not ask for a more dedicated, loving, caring wife. She appreciates me and is full of concern. She always reminds me to eat breakfast in the morning or go to bed when I'm tired. She is eager to come to Canada, though she is also terrified of the interview.
I can't wait to see her again. Two months in, and I'm already working on returning.
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though she is also terrified of the interview.
Neil , this is the very reason .. I had waited the longest ( between my Trip's ) on my last Trip ( 7 month's ) just so I can be by my LaoPo's side at the Interview . This has calmed her down enough to stay focused on what's at Hand and gave us a chance to go through the final prep one last time and like I said .. give her the chance also to take your Passport to the Interviewer ( a big PLUS ) . So if you can arrange you Trip in that time-frame .. I certainly would . It is after all very hard to calm your Wife down from thousand's of miles away .
Just a thought .
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This week my wife is in Fuzhou with our son, doing the immigration medical check up. I'm heading back on the 16th for a week, and I can bring back all our documents to file. I think we have everything we need now, except photos and the chat logs (which I'm dreading).
My wife's cousin is getting married, so I've been invited to attend. I'm very excited. I've only been back for 3 months, but it feels like an eternity. I can't wait to see her again.
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Neil I hoping for you and your wife.
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Have fun printing all the chat logs and such. I thought I was going to burn out my printer. I am sure it will all happen quickly for you though. The Beijing Embassy is a pretty quick place. Best of luck to you two.
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I really wish I had the choice to use Beijing. My wife lives in Fujian Province and Hong Kong processes her application.
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I finally received confirmation from Immigration Canada. I am approved as a sponsor and our application has been forwarded to Hong Kong. The wait times for Canada say 55 days (working on applications received June 21). I mailed my application June 15 and the last 6 days have been very stressful. In the 3 months since I mailed it, I received no confirmation of delivery, no notice that they are working on it, nothing. Thank God that stress is finally over, and I can begin to worry about my wife's application. Hong Kong's wait times are currently up to 19 months. I'm heading back to China in December for a couple weeks. yay!
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Congratulations Neil,
I can see that the stress has gotten to you as by my calculation it just took over two months for your approval of sponsorship since you mailed June 15th, but you thought it was three months waiting. Yes nail bitting tends to make time feel much longer. I believe that once Hong Kong received our file the average processing time was only a small wait of 12 months, but know being 19 months I hope you do not get the same delays that we did. The 18th of this month marks 26 months since Hong Kong received our documents.
But being that this is your thread, I can only wish your case file God's speed & pass on a small ounce of patience,..... you're going to need it.
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haha. maybe it just felt like 3 months. Those two months have been spent working 12 hour days, some 7 days per week, then one week after the project was finished, a fire tore through and destroyed all our work. Add that to the stress of my wife asking almost daily if we've heard anything from immigration. She was very happy and relieved to hear the news as I wished her goodnight.
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then one week after the project was finished, a fire tore through and destroyed all our work.
Must have been all that passionate talking on QQ that started the fire Neil .... too much heat 8)
Yes I remember all to well going to the mail box each day waiting for the envelope from the Government. The next big wait will be you bugging her if she received anything from the Hong Kong consulate. Then once she does and she gives you her case file number, you can check on the Hong Kong website to see if any updates are posted. My word of caution, don't check too often and wait at least a while because you will get annoyed seeing the same status.
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Best of luck for a speedy process. Try not to get discouraged by the slow pace of Hong Kong.
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Well, my tickets are bought. I'm returning to China in December for another 3 weeks. It's my wife's dream to come home for Christmas, but since the chances of that happening are very slim, this will be the next best thing. I really should put it off until Spring Festival and our anniversary, but we've been apart too long already. By the time I arrive in China, it will be 7 months apart.
I want to do something special for her this time. I hope to travel somewhere. Her ears really perked up when I mentioned Hong Kong, but I'm also considering Yunnan as a possible choice. Winter isn't an ideal time to be a tourist in China, but southern China shouldn't be too cold (I hope). I thought for a short while about Guilin, but having spent time there with my former girlfriend, the magic would be tainted. Does anyone have any suggestions for possible alternatives?
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Same dilemma. It will be the cold winter when I will be able to go. I suggested I'd go after their New Year (more in spring). I hate the cold.
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Hong Kong can be a little pricey, but if you were already on planning on spending the coin, I think Sanya would be no difference price wise.
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Neil how about Zhuhai, It's warm year around.It is kind of like the Florida of China.While staying in Zhuhai you could run over to Willy's in Zhongshan.And drink all of Willy's beer.You could also take a day trip to Macao.Or go to Shenzhen.Macao is just a short walk from Zhuhai.Zhongshan is a short bus ride.Shenzhen is like a 2 hour bus ride.Hong Kong is a hour and a half ferry ride..
Neil if your wife wasn't born in Guandong province.she will need a special visa to go to Hong kong or Macao.One of the British guys here Phillip can fill you in on how to get a visa to Hong Kong or Macao.He does it for his wife about every 3 months I think.
You also mite look southwest of Zhuhai. In the Hanain province the city of Sanyo. There is some luxury resorts there.On the south China sea.That maybe worth checking out.If you go there you have to tell us how it is.Ive tried talking my wife into going thiere.The last 2 years.But so far no luck.
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Neil, I am hoping to be in Shenzhen come November. Of course if Hong Kong is slow in issuing the visa & returning her passport, my visit might be in December. What 3 weeks are you gone for? As Maxx is right, it is still reasonably warm come December there, however come January & February, the temperature can get colder.
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I leave December 10 and return December 30th. I have a great boss.
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I have a great boss.
And she lives in China right?
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Niel, before you make too many plans remember that to visit Hong Kong and Macau then you will need at least three entry visas as Maxx says. One to arrive in China and two others to get back in from these two places. If you have multiple entries then that will be OK. But your wife will require special passes for her to enter Hong Kong and Macau as they are Chinese but both are SAR's. These passes often take several weeks to be produced to a Chinese citizen so she would need to order them soon if you plan that to go to either.
I think that maybe you will given Zhongshan a miss for obvious reasons ( no not me). Me I am facing my third winter in the lovely warm south but I felt the cold last winter.
After 7 months apart I think three weeks warpped up in a cosy bedroom would be very nice.
Willy
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After 7 months apart I think three weeks wrapped up in a cosy bedroom would be very nice.
Willy
That's why my vote is Sanya - I was there for Christmas 2008 - Oh My God! its been 3 years already :-[
But it was also the place I proposed :) and launched a thousand visits, okay 6 others. ::)
And my wife's name is inbeded as Yan in the locale. ;D Sanya Paradise in Bed
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That's a very good point Willy. Fortunately, I will have another multi entry visa, but it would be quite a shock to someone if they didn't, and couldn't return when they chose to. Actually, there's no reason for me to give Zhongshan a pass. My former girlfriend has moved to stay with her family.
Mike, I can't imagine how you feel. 16 months is a very long time apart. I hope you can be together soon.
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So, my wife asked me a question and I figured I'd see what you guys thought. She asked what would happen if she were to get pregnant during my next trip. I told her that it would probably make our application even more complicated as the (ridiculous) 19 month waiting period would not expire before she had the child, and we would have to change the application to include our new child. I mean, there's no special circumstances or anything, is there? I imagine everyone would take that route if that were the case.
As for the holiday, I think we're going to try to visit Yunnan. We're not really into beaches or the big city. Her nephew is running a business in Yunnan so we might be able to visit him.
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From some of the other topics and threads I have read on the immigration.ca site I believe you hunch is right Neil. It just adds to the complication of the process. Also I have read the new Canadian policy that the birth of a Child to a couple where one person is a Canadian, does not anymore grant the new baby Canadian citizenship if born out of country. I believe this new policy came into affect last year.
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Looks like I was wrong in my first assumption as this is what I found on the CIC website:
What does limiting Canadian citizenship to the first generation born to Canadian parents outside Canada mean?
What does limiting Canadian citizenship to the first generation born to Canadian parents outside Canada mean?
The limitation affects the way people acquire Canadian citizenship outside Canada. It means that, in general, children born outside Canada on or after April 17, 2009, will only be Canadian at birth if they are born to a Canadian parent who was either born in Canada or became a Canadian citizen by immigrating to Canada as a permanent resident and subsequently being granted citizenship (also called naturalization).
The limitation may also affect children adopted by Canadian parents outside Canada, depending on the way in which they obtained, or will obtain, their citizenship. See “New Citizenship Law and Adoption” and “Frequently Asked Questions on Adoption” for more information.
But still nowhere does it mention that your case would be sped up if your wife was pregnant.
Okay I found the article I read last year that got my wrong assumption as it deal with a dad that was first born in Scotland and then moved to Canada.
http://blog.lostcanadian.com/2010_09_01_archive.html (http://blog.lostcanadian.com/2010_09_01_archive.html)
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I read a while ago that Canada needed so many hundred thousand new immigrants to keep the services flowly and the infastructure being built.
I wonder what the time scales would be for say a French or English woman wanting to reside in Canada with their New Canadian husband!
I would wager that there is a special dept that deals with wifes from China and Africa. Even if the do not admit it.
Willy
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Willy as a member of the commonwealth, it would be easy for an English person to get a work permit to come to Canada to live.
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Ok I forgot that we both have the same head of state! French may have a connection as well. So how about a german woman or a Dutch woman.
Willy
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http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp)
These are the current average processing times. You will see that the UK is 8 months, but then to come on a tourist visa for most European countries, it is quite easy.
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I'm still disgusted with the 19 month Hong Kong time vs Beijing's 4 months.
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I'm still disgusted with the 19 month Hong Kong time vs Beijing's 4 months.
Since I am a terrible singer, you are not preaching to the choir. It's been 5 weeks since my wife finished her new medical and everyday I hope to hear the news that she has received her passport with visa in place. Nov 18th will be 29 months since they started our process. So thanks to our application, we have skewered the average towards 19 months. Let us hope for you Neil, that you can tilt it back the other direction. It would be cool if next summer I could make a trip across the mountains to visit the two of you.
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I know Chong mentioned that he sent updated evidence (pictures) to the consulate as continuing evidence of a relationship. After my next trip, I'd like to do the same. I'll have more plane tickets and pictures. Do you think that will help move our case a little higher in the pile?
You're in Calgary right Rhonald? Yeah, you definitely want to save that trip until the snow's gone. That highway is really horrible in the winter.
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My sister owns a house at Wasa lake and I figured maybe one day to take my wife there and being so close to you, make an extra incursion.
We also sent additional information to Hong Kong, but it was after a year we got the 1st letter saying they were looking at our file. That was when I needed to get a police clearance on myself proving I had never been arrested for any criminal activity, in particular of a sexual nature.
I think Chong's case was an outlier as other people we saw at the consulate when I first attempted to speak to a visa officer in the spring of 2010, had been waiting a year for their interview. One woman was pregnant at that time with the Canadian husband's child. The average processing time for applicants then was about 12 months. I never did see an officer since I needed to cut my time short to get to the airport. The other supporting documents we had with us they would not take but instructed us to mail it in instead.
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Hey guys, just a quick update. I'm heading back to China tonight. My flight leaves in 6 hours and I just got home from work. Plenty of time to sleep on the plane. We're going to Yunnan province for our honeymoon. I'll try and check in, but no guarantees. Back in 3 weeks.
Neil
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Have fun Neil. I wish it was me leaving in six hours. My time is coming next month.
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Neil , now that you have arrived over there .. let me tell you !
Have a SUPER ( not Supper ) TIME the three weeks with your Wife . Don't froget some Photo's if you please and somehow write to let us know , your doing great .
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Neal you lucky dog. Have a great time. Look forward to hearing about your trip.
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Neal you lucky dog.
Dog .. nothing ! Can't you see , he's the "Chocolate Man" and he can only go to China in the "Winter" months . ;)
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Well it's still pretty warm here. I'm not a fan of Beijing - I think I'll fly via Hong Kong from now on. It was amazing to descend into the smog. All you could see was a brown haze.
The airline left my luggage in Vancouver so we're going to wait an extra day in Xiamen for it to arrive. I won't complain about an extra night in the hotel with my wife though.
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See Arnold and you thought I was wrong for calling him a lucky dog. ;D
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See Arnold and you thought I was wrong for calling him a lucky dog. ;D
Well now , still warm in Beijing and NO luggage .. now the Chocolate is going to Melt and he has NO clothes to wear ? I'd say he's a poor Dog ! :o
On the other Hand though , all this doesn't matter one bit .. being together with his lovely Wife . Am glad he thinks so too .
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Well it's still pretty warm here. I'm not a fan of Beijing - I think I'll fly via Hong Kong from now on. It was amazing to descend into the smog. All you could see was a brown haze.
The airline left my luggage in Vancouver so we're going to wait an extra day in Xiamen for it to arrive. I won't complain about an extra night in the hotel with my wife though.
Tucked away in a hoitel for 24 hours! With no clothes to wear!
Just what are you going to do for 24 hours? ::)
Willy
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I suppose strip poker is out of the question?
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We want "PHOTO"S" !!! :P
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Who wants pictures of chocolate? I don't get it!
:o Oh! :o
Dirty old man!!! >:(
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Well, I bought my cell phone - it's an international phone so it will work in China. I thought it would be simple to pop in a sim card and go with China Telecom or something - wrong. Bell phones sim cards are different I guess. We tried 3 different sim cards with no luck. $25 per mb for internet kinda rules out using google translate on my phone.
Oh, and Beijing airport has free wireless, but you have to register at a kiosk to use it. lame
My bag came back - they left it in Vancouver. Quick and painless. Really helpful and friendly staff at the Xiamen airport.
We're back in my wife's parents home. Stopped in Zhangping for some quick visits and a meal of dog. Surprisingly beefy. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen TEETH in the bowl. sigh
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Bell phones sim cards are different ?? could you clarify this? Bell? = ATT? The sim card is a different type/shape? or they just don't work? Is the phone a locked? or Unlocked phone?
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Chances are that it is locked to the Bell carried back home and will not accept a SIM card from another carrier. Depending on the phone you can go online and purchase an unlock code for it.
I had the same problem with AT&T and they said it couldnt be unlocked. I purchased the unlock code online for 25 bucks and it works perfectly anywhere I go.
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the sim card is the same size physically, but the chip is a different shape, slightly smaller than others. the phone powers up fine, but says: sim card locked - contact your provider.
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When I came heer in 2009 I brought with me a phone from the UK. I had it unlocked there before travellinbg. It said it was intternational with many languages. Only thing is Chinese was not one of tghe languages.
So any text I receive has to be sent in English. Any Chinese characters sent come out as little squares.
But I got a free cell phone when we got our house phone installed.
Willy
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Neil,
That is exactly the message you get on a phone that locked to a particular carrier.
What make and model phone is it?
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It's an HTC Incredible S - fairly new model. I've only had it a few months, and it's my first real smartphone. I guess i don't really have any options now for using it in China do I?
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just google HTC unlock and you will get a bizillion hits.
here is one of them. http://www.cellunlocker.net/htc-unlock.php?gclid=CJyYpv7soq0CFWcBQAodaTNAoQ (http://www.cellunlocker.net/htc-unlock.php?gclid=CJyYpv7soq0CFWcBQAodaTNAoQ)
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Wow, I'm finally back home. We had a wonderful 3 weeks. First meal we had once we were back home was...dog. I knew something was up when I saw part of a jaw - with TEETH. It actually tasted quite good - very beefy.
We spent 10 days in Yunnan province, seeing cool things. I got to give my wife her first flight - unfortunately, we didn't have a good window seat, but she was very excited. The flight back was perfect. She took a ton of pictures out the window.
We landed in Kunming and then caught an overnight train (soft sleeper) to Lijiang. Half way there, I woke up with motion sickness. I was feeling horrible when we arrived in Lijiang (fever, headache, couldn't catch my breath, fast heart-rate). She went to the doctor and got me some pills while I looked up altitude sickness in Wikipedia - sure enough that was the issue. The pills helped with the headache and fever, but after a couple days I was fine. Her cousin manages a small hotel in Lijiang and he hooked us up with a beautiful room in a neighbouring hotel. Old town is beautiful with ancient buildings and shops and restaurants everywhere.
We visited Shangri-la - I wasn't really impressed. It wasn't a beautiful city. Pretty new and lots of construction, seemed to me like it was thrown together too quickly. One cool tour we went on here was to a lake - really early in the morning and it was very cold. My wife is from Fujian province - she's used to the warm weather. She was ready to freeze to death. The bus dropped us off and left us on our own. There's a wooden catwalk around the lake - like 2.5 km. When she saw that the lake was frozen, she started getting excited and taking pictures. What was really cool though, the wind picked up and the ice started making the strangest sounds. Growling and moaning and popping. She thought it was echos of a dog across the lake. Very cool. She also got to hand feed chipmunks.
We met some cool foreigners (a young guy from France and his pretty Chinese wife who have lived in China for over 6 years, an American and his Chinese coworker who worked for DHL in China, also a German couple).
We went on too many tours to mention them all, but we really enjoyed Yunnan Province. The history is incredible. The local minority groups are full of character and charm - beautiful and friendly. They really reminded me of our native indians, they have a proud and rich culture and China has embraced their culture fully, not like the way our country tried to integrate or wipe out the indian culture.
I'm glad to be home, but I really wish I could have brought my wife back. Hopefully next time.
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Thanks Neil , that was a very interesting update , I might have to put Yunnan province on my SUMMER to do list , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Good story Neil. Waiting to hear more.