- Tomorrow I'm going to a Chinese Consulate. I need to make and print reservation of hostels in China
Monday morning.
- Consulate office is closed on Monday, June 2nd. It will be open on Tuesday, June 3rd.
Tuesday morning.
- Good morning, you, also, need photo copy of your passport and Vietnamese visa.
20 min later.
- Do you have all needed documents?
- Yes.
- What do you do in Vietnam?
- I'm tourist.
- Sorry, we can not give you visa.
- Why?
- We don't give Chinese visas for non-Vietnamese in Hanoi, unless they have working permit.
- But... I need it. Look I have a Russian visa and I need to cross China to get to Russia.
- Sorry, you are not a first one. My boss told me that regulations changed.
- When?
- Last week
3 min later after a lot of swearing in Lithuanian, English and Russian.
- Hi, it's me again. I have a question: Will it help if I bring an invitation letter?
- It might help.
15 min later on FB chat
- Hey, man I'm sorry, but I have to ask you a favour. Because of recent tensions between China and Vietnam I'm stuck in Hanoi. Chinese consulate refuses to give tourist visas to nationals of third countries. A lady behind the counter said that invitation letter might help. Do you think you could help me in this case?
Wednesday morning on FB chat
- So I send it to your email. (thank you, Kang without your help I couldn't do it ;)
20 min later at 11:15
- Sorry consulate is open only from 8:30 to 11:00. Come back tomorrow
Thursday morning
- Hi again. I have an invitation letter from China.
- Good, this afternoon I will talk with my boss if you can the visa.
- How I'm gonna know if I got the visa.
- You need to come back tomorrow in the morning
Friday morning.
- Good Morning, I am back.
- Good Morning, please wait in the waiting room.
25 min later.
- Please come in
- Hello.
- Hello, we have few questions. First of all, how do you know the person who wrote the invitation letter?
- We met in a university.
- Where?
- Budapest, Hungary.
- .... What is your nationality?
- Lithuanian
- Where were you born?
- In Lithuania
- Where were your parents born?
- In Lithuania
- Why didn't you get the visa in Lithuania?
- Because, I was living in Indonesia?
- What were you doing there?
- I was student. Look I have student ID (meanwhile trying to get my wallet from a pocket to get my student ID.
- Ok ! Ok ! Ok ! Please go back to the window No.2
3 min later.
- You can come and pick your visa on Wednesday June 11th. You need to pay 30$ in this bank
- But yesterday you said that I get my visa on Tuesday, June 10th.
- In this case you need to pay 50$, because it's an extra fast service. Normal service takes 4 days.
- But I gave my passport to you yesterday.
- Ok, pay 30$ and come back on Tuesday June 10th.
10 min later.
- Sir, there are a lot of engine oil under your motorcycle. You need fix it...
- You got to be kidding me...
3 hours later after I managed to pay for the visa, fix and sell the bike
- Hi, how much a bus' ticket to Sapa costs?
- 12$, when do you want to go?
- Today.
- It leaves at 6 PM and comes to Sapa tomorrow at 7 in the morning. When do you want to come back?
- What time it leaves Sapa and what time it comes to Hanoi?
- The bus leaves Sapa at 6PM and it's Hanoi at 7 AM
- How much it is usually late?
- It comes to Hanoi at 7 AM.
- Are you sure? I need to be in Hanoi before 11 AM on Tuesday!
- YES!
- Ok then I want to leave Sapa on Monday, June 9th.
Saturday morning.
- So it's 8:30 and I'm in Sapa. The bus is late for 1.5 hours - Very reasonable by South East Asian Standards.
Monday evening
- Is this a bus to Hanoi?
- Yes.
- Good
Tuesday morning
- Where are we?
- 130 km from Hanoi.
- What!?!? It's 8:20. Why are we so late?
- I don't know. I think we stopped last night. I woke up two times and we were standing in the same place
- What time we will in Hanoi?
Driver points at 12 on his watch
- 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... I still have more than two hours. 130 distance is doable in this two hours
1 hour later and 27 km closer to Hanoi.
- Why we are STANDING AGAIN!?!?!
Driver and rest of the crew forgot all English, while filling their mounts with Vietnamese Noodle Soup.
- WHY WE ARE SO LATE? WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE IN HANOI AT 7. IT'S 9:30 AND WE ARE NO WHERE CLOSE TO HANOI.
- sorry, sir, sorry, sir, sorry, sir, sorry, sir...
- WHY?
- sorry, sir, sorry, sir, sorry, sir,
Driver is bumping his fist to each other,
- I suppose that mean a crash on the way?
- Yes, sir
12:45
- Hi, I booked a return ticket to Sapa in your agency on Friday. You said that the bus comes back at 7 am. I'm back now, almost 6 hour later.
- ...
- My passport is in a Chinese embassy and I cannot collect it today, because it's already closed.
- No, no, no, it's lunch break. They are open 8:30 - 11:00 and 14:00 - 17:00
- hmmmm...
2:01 showing the papers, with which I have to collect my passport to a soldier next to the consulte
- Tomorrow
- But...
- Tomorrow
- ...
Dear Vietnam,
It was a lot of fun for both of us, but from the very beginning we both knew that is only for fun. Don't get me wrong, you are the most beautiful country I've ever been, but at the moment I'm not looking for anything serious. It's not about you, it's about me. I hope you'll find nice persons who want to stay here longer. But, please, be reasonable and let me go. It's over!
Yours,
Povi
P.S. I'm sorry I'm about to go into your biggest foe - China.
