Bon Vovage

Now it's our own countdowns to our trips. 3 days to go for A. and her friend to Thailand and Cambodia; 3 days for Z. and friend to Guizhou and Guilin, China; 4 days for me and W. to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Bon vovage !

(I wonder if we select similar dates to begin our vacation out of same understanding, which is, one week after the Olympics starts, surely we won't miss watching its opening ceremony and some events. Besides, during the one week, a good test time, we can know how well or how badly the Chinese team might perform. So we will enjoy our own travels, ensured, relaxed or even a little proudly. Take care and good luck.)

In the picture is Borobudur, in Yorgakarte, Indonesia, one of most impressive architectural wonders in Asia, which will also be our first highlight on tour.

go happy lucky

go happy lucky
I smiled back at the girl at the supermarket cashier when she said:
'Look, it's a lucky sum, 88.80, haven't had this number for long time.' 8 has become a really popular lucky number to Chinese population, for a very simple reason actually. It sounds like Chinese word for quick money. We have been paying more to have more 8s for our phone numbers, wedding dates, or any numbers. Luckily 8 will be more valued after it's been so reconfirmed by this current Olympics when deciding its grand opening time, 8:08 pm, 08-08-08, although I still hardly could believe such a superstition dominates so publicly an official event.
Of course people would say, since still you have to decide on some time, why not 8 time?

Actually it's not a real lucky day to me and my travel friend. Regardless of the high air plane ticket, we had reached the agreement the day before. We were to book the ticket from Bali to Kuching by AirAsia today. However, when I tried to do it this morning, something interesting happened.

When 'booking' if I clicked 'one passenger' ,the price would pop out; but when I corrected the number of us to 'two passengers', strangely the system showed 'no available prices for the date.'
As 23rd IS going to be the day, we guessed if it's possibly the system mistake, but couldn't help worrying, if it meant only one ticket was available, we would have big trouble ahead.

We logged on at different time, tried different web browsers, but all were same result. Finally I called to the airliner office. The service staff kindly checked on her system and soon confirmed our worst guess.

'It is our last ticket available, as we don't over sell seats.'
This worried my friend. Of course I knew why. If we don't have this flight ticket, we can't apply for visa upon arrival to Indonesia and have to reschedule all our next flights afterwards. We discussed all other possible plans, trying to check other airliners, other time and came to consensus that we had only one step to go.

If we can't flight direct, we will fly first to Jarkarta, the capital, as there are many domestic flights between Bali and Jarkarta. Booking tickets for domestic flights in Indonesia seems not easy at present, with international credit cards, so we quickly decided only to reserve the flight from Jarkarta to Kuching, sparing the first flight to book only after we arrived there.

After we settled this, we said goodbye on MSN and went back to watch sports channel for Olympics. Still grateful at heart, I think, what a a real luck it is, having a travel friend who thinks alike, understands changes, and acts quickly with me.

So, a 8-8-8 rated pal?!

olympics opening

performance was like a giant bling-bling.

a painting

...that I bought in May at Chongqing zoo. Belonging to Farmer's style.

my august syndrome

It's August now, 3rd, and only five days before the great game. Having been asked many times, on many occasions ,my feeling for the Olympics, by foreigners, my very diplomatic answer was 'of course I am happy and proud too.'

But it should be 50% honest. My very true feelings are three: 2008 is not a good year , as so much mishaps happened to its people since the very beginning, the snow disaster, the earthquake, the train crush, the floods, the explosions, the Lhasa issue, the slump of stock market by 40-50%. A game is a month long while the livehood is more vital. So why to spend huge sum of money while the people are struggling on the edge and living with lots of restrictions ?

Feeling two, due to the very expensive travel expenses, and extremely strict visa policies, no tour group are entering, hence tour guides all become laid off in this whole month, and for sure there will be no penny's compensation. So still to cheer, with empty pockets?

Feeling three,which is the strongest feeling, is: even before realization, from its countdown of 300-odd days to 9,to 8, to five days, I keep wondering how cruelly fast time runs and what I've done on earth?

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The last week should be the last busy week before the show event. I had an adoptive family group. Supposedly the family were to have every related documents and the child's passport ready before they leave for Guangzhou on August 1st. But due to the over occupized leaders at department of civil affairs, for conferences for anti-terroist attacks during the game time, we had the adoption certificate one day late, which cause every delay afterwards. Thankfully, the helpful notary public office did prepare those papers on time on Thursday for the parents could fax and register to their state. But big headache was with the passport application the last step.

Before the new regulation taking effect early this year, the passports of adopted children would be handled only by the provincial department of public security, passport center. However now the local city public security bueareu takes over the power of issue right. But the poccessing is still supervised by the provincial level.Comfussing?!

On late afternoon Tuesday we submitted the documents for the passport application at the local city center but their staff were not experienced with similar cases. Finally, after running between buildings and asking questions, we were seated and have our documents accepted. The staff promised to stamp 'urgent' on our case but she still added she didn't gurantee the ready time, even after we told our departure time on Friday.

On Thursday morning, I went there. The passport was not ready. I called their office, and answer was,'The passport was in the provincial center. We don't know.'

In the afternoon, I called again, and different staff picked up my call. She was happy for the boy adopted but still from the computer system, she didn't see any progress. She kindly gave a number for the provision, but all calls, to more different numbers, were all missed. No body was in the office.( They all went to attend urgent meeting.) Definately we could have it, the passport on Thursday.

When I returned to the hotel, I explained to the parents, who became very nervous. The reason was clear. If next day, Friday, if they couldn't have the boy's passport, they couldn't fly;They had to wait till Monday and the visa interview in Guangzhou would be delayed too. In short, they hardly could return to America before their own visa to China expired.There were all uncertainty. I of course couldn't promise anything. Anyway, I worked out the plans to them:

'Next morning, I will contact the passport center. Hopefully, it would be ready. So every worry will be settled in that case. You will catch the flight, already rescheduled, to 6:40 pm from the original 3:40 pm.' 'But,' I meant, ' If still in the morning there's no good news. From 2:30 till 5:00 pm their office time. we will still give the last minute try.'

That night I almost didn't still sleep at all faced with such a huge stress. I was not sure if the family rested or not.

Friday morning, I called the provincial office. Finally somebody picked up the phone but he very boldly answered he couldn't answer any question on phone regarding passport application. I had to go back to local city center for details. So depressed, I called to the city center office. Good news. The passport was approved but would be only picked up in the afternoon from the provision. So from the window it would be Monday morning.

I explained our very urgent situation. She asked me to go to the counter to explain again. She was just an operator. The three staff heard me out but expressed they couldn't help. One woman was impatient at all, asking why you booked the ticket this afternnon. We didn't ask you to book the ticket? If urgent, why not ask the passport to be mailed to Guangdong.' She forgot one thing. The boy needed the passport for the flight. After a while, she said the earliest time was in the afternnon, when their coworker picked up all hundreds of passports from the provicial office, they kinds try to pick it out. After that she coldly waved me to leave. By then I totally understood, why a murderer in Shanghai, who killed six policemen was even regarded as a hero.

In the afternoon, I waited our doors, asking my driver to pick up the family from the hotel around 3:30. We met at 3:50 and walked upto the second floor, the counter. The time passed and we waited more and more nervous. Because if we picked up the passport later than 4:30, we most probably would miss the flight. They answered briefly my question and told us to sit back and wait. We had nothing to do but to pray. It's 4:05. It's 4:09.It's 4:11. Every tickles of the watches became so loud even out of the crowds.

We waited and waited. Every second and every minute felt so long. Well, when a young girl calmly brought one brown cover thing to the counter, we knew it's us. I told the family to run to the van while I had to fill out some form still. It was 4:25pm, the last time shot I explained. On the way to the airport, I kinda collapsed and couldn't speak at all.

My august story it was, as I believe, much more exciting than the Hollywood action movies. I needed a long sleep, after this or deserve a long vacation, as the one I am planning.