Another set of windows has opened for foreigners who missed his or her first shot. This information isn't confirmed but this is what I was able to find out.
Aug 20th Friday. Calmette hospital. 8:30am-5pm. Appointment phone 15877990400. www.gokunming.com/[...]
I called today. The phone was powered off. Most likely they will answer the phone a day or two before.
As for student visas, I checked with Keats and Tenwest. They both said it's not possible right now. In Keats case, they stopped doing in country student visas. In Tenwest case, the university they are associated enrollement deadline for the semester has passed. I called another school which said some kind of online teaching student visa could be availble but it seemed more like a scam.
Work permits are still available. But of course you need to find a Chinese company willing to hire you through the Foreign Expert program.
Investment visas are still possible, but the expense is in the ten of thousands of rmb.
I spoke with a Xiamen Airlines office agent and found out cancellation rates are increasing for both international and domestic routes. She said this wasn't idiosyncratic to her airline. It's happening across the board.
I was trying to buy an international flight from Kunming to Los Angeles and she warned me that cancellations are increasing and delays of days are not unheard of after a cancellation. With a 3 day negative test required to enter the USA and a CDC requirement that travel needs to occur in that 72 hour timeframe, I have to reconsider returning end of this month and hope the PSB will kindly grant another 30 day extension.
Regarding the roads, my impression was the opposite. I left Vientiane for VV via bus and found the road ok. From VV to Luang Prabang the road was quite miserable.
Nothing better than floating down the river with some of your friends; however, avoid the bar with the giant concrete slide. A Swiss guy drowned last year after using the slide, and it's cause innumerable other injuries to party-goers. Also, the tube doesn't make up for not being a good swimmer.
Very happy that poor kids are getting a free meal at school...Very sad they are forced to eat spoiled food at times.
I think the children should be given 3rmb food vouchers to be spent with the local chefs and vendors outside the school. No more troubles for the schools to operate a kitchen, and the children can decide with their pocketbook (aka vouchers) which vendors food tastes best. If no food vendors can make decent food for 3rmb per child, then the gov't knows why the schools are forced to use rotten stuff at times.
Never gotten sick once at Sals. Their food is TexMex, so yeah, not authentic Mexican food, but pretty authentic as TexMex goes. Burrito wrap has improved a lot. Like the draft beer option now.
If you haven't had dairy products in a while, and do eat here, best forgo the sour cream. Nothing wrong with it, in fact it's the best sour cream in Kunming, but if you've eaten Chinese for month or months with no dairy intake, your system will react to sour cream or probably any liquid dairy product not so well. Maybe that's what happened with nailer and tallamerican.
It's now 5 working days for regular processing. So I submitted my application a bit before 5pm on a Friday and was told to pick it up next week Friday after 5pm.
Cost is now 400rmb for a single 30 day entry. Or that was what I was charged anyways. There are no posted prices and its cash only with no receipt except for your passport pickup. That's like $65 USD.
You can pay another 150rmb for 2 day or 100rmb for 3 day processing. For 400rmb, they should process it in three days like they used to before, but now you'd pay 500rmb. The office is still like deserted most of the time, so why does it take longer now and cost extra. If you opted for 2 day, thats like $90 usd. All other neighboring countries charge like $25usd.
The rest of and cope review is still good for hours and location.
Snapshot: Grand Canyon of the East
Posted byI think you guys went back for the food! Man that last picture is making me hungry.
Getting Away: Vang Vieng
Posted byRegarding the roads, my impression was the opposite. I left Vientiane for VV via bus and found the road ok. From VV to Luang Prabang the road was quite miserable.
Nothing better than floating down the river with some of your friends; however, avoid the bar with the giant concrete slide. A Swiss guy drowned last year after using the slide, and it's cause innumerable other injuries to party-goers. Also, the tube doesn't make up for not being a good swimmer.
Safety concerns plague national school lunch program
Posted byVery happy that poor kids are getting a free meal at school...Very sad they are forced to eat spoiled food at times.
I think the children should be given 3rmb food vouchers to be spent with the local chefs and vendors outside the school. No more troubles for the schools to operate a kitchen, and the children can decide with their pocketbook (aka vouchers) which vendors food tastes best. If no food vendors can make decent food for 3rmb per child, then the gov't knows why the schools are forced to use rotten stuff at times.
First-hand account: Setting up a guesthouse in Xishuangbanna
Posted byHas The Balcony Guesthouse opened for business? Would be very curious if there was an update to the article, which was excellent reading.