China Trip Day #22 - Visas

After a week and a half in Guangzhou, it was time to say goodbye.  I’ll miss the weather and the community of other adoptive families in our hotel.  I’ll miss having no other responsibilities other than to take care of my children and show up when our guide tells us to.  It’s funny that the Garden Hotel will hold a special place in my heart for the place where I made first memories with Kiera and Matteo.

Even as I’m a little sad about leaving Guangzhou, I’m also looking forward to Hong Kong’s drinkable water and unlimited Internet access.  I hear it’s an incredible city, ranking up there with New York City.  Some families choose to go to Hong Kong at the beginning of their trip rather than Beijing and some go at the end because they want to make a family vacation out of Hong Kong Disney.  I wish Hong Kong weren’t just a place for us to sleep and we could actually see the city, but I really don’t have the energy for more sightseeing, especially with two toddlers.  I’m ready to go home and see my family and relieve Chris’s parents and Marcel who have been taking care of Oliver and Soren non-stop for the past three weeks. 

Hong Kong is a common departure city for families flying back to the United States.  One of the few flights from Guangzhou to the United States is to Los Angeles and the connection to Minnesota is not ideal.  Another option is to fly from Guangzhou to another city in China (like Beijing or Shanghai) or elsewhere in Asia (Seoul or Tokyo), but that given that none of those cities (except Tokyo) have a direct flight to the Minnesota, we’d end up with an extra layover.  American families have more options if they make the two-hour trip to Hong Kong and the difference in flight costs usually makes up for the cost of an extra night’s hotel stay in such an expensive city. 

Instead of taking a van, we opted for the train, which is almost a fourth the cost.  We checked out of our hotel and waited in the hotel lobby for our guide to return from picking up the kids’ visas from the consulate.  Visas aren’t available for pick-up until 3:30 p.m. the day after the consulate appointment.  Once she arrived, she handed us our paperwork, including the adoption decrees, and the mystical brown envelope, and the kids’ passports and we loaded our luggage in the guide’s van for the drive to the train station. 

I had thought our train trip to Shenzhen would have prepared us for the trip to Hong Kong, but I forgot about one difference: customs. We waited in line at customs and when we got to the front we learned we needed to fill out departure cards, because, well, we were leaving China.  We then went through another security clearance before making it to the departure hall.  This part of the station was so much nicer than where we had to wait for the train to Shenzhen.  It wasn’t as crowded, there were plenty of seats and there was more than just a single convenience store.  We didn’t get to enjoy the improved waiting area, because as soon as we arrived, they started boarding. 

The train left 10 minutes late and took about two hours.  The kids (well, Matteo) were a bit wound up since we were traveling during dinner time and eventually bedtime.  We hadn’t thought to bring dinner on board, so we ate the random snacks we’d stashed in our bags when were packed up our hotel room in Guangzhou.  I’ll never be so happy to have a healthy salad when I get home!

When we arrived in Hong Kong, we went through customs again.  We did not know we needed to fill out arrival cards for ourselves and the kids, so that held us up again.  I had hoped for another stamp in my passport, but all I got was a piece of paper saying I could stay until May.

Chinese drivers get a bad rap, but our Hong Kong taxi driver drove the fastest of anyone we’ve ridden with in the past three weeks.  Whatever the posted speed limit in kilometers per hour was, he seemed to be driving as if the speed limit was posted in miles per hour.  They also drive on the opposite side of the road in Hong Kong, so there were a few unsettling moments before I realized that we were not driving on the wrong side of the road at 80 miles per hour.  Another adoptive family was on the same train and they said their taxi driver was also speedy. 

It was after 9:00 p.m. by the time we got to our room, so we quickly changed the kids into their pajamas, brushed their teeth, read one quick book and declared lights out.  For once it didn’t take them long to fall asleep. 

I am not looking forward to the long flight tomorrow, but I keep thinking about how the long trip will be worth it to see Oliver and Soren at the other end.  Gosh, I miss those cute boys.