Crossing The Border:
Well I found out that airports are pretty dead in the wee hours of the morning. My plane departed at 11:30 the next morning for Tokyo. I can now claim to have been to Japan, even though just in an airport. I can tell the Japanesse take great pride in their throne room. In the airport wash room the seat for dumping is king size. The hi-tech gadget came with buttons to warm the seat and also the ability-if you dare- to wash your derrière with wash and dry functions. I wonder if the dryer setting has a good blow....function:blush:
The flight on Nippon Air to HK had all pretty stewardesses but of all the airplane food I have ever tried, their meal was the worst I had. At least I got to see the movie The Taking of Pelham123.
My next worry had to do with my entry visa into mainland China. On the visa it had "Enter Before Oct 17th." I was originally slated to land at HK on the 15th - so 2 days should be enough. Now I was slated to arrive on the 16th at 10:45 pm. My plane was arriving late and I finally cleared the airport at 11:35 pm. I did not know if I could still enter on the 17th or if they would say the visa was invalid. It usually takes about 40 to 60 minutes to reach the Shenzhen border. I thought that I didn't have enough time to arrive before midnight so I decided to try the next day. I would have hated arriving just after midnight and been denied just to have to return to HK to apply for a new visa the next day.
The next day we left to reach the border. My wife was foolish in that the shoes she wore to HK were brand new, and never having been broken in, she developed some bad blisters. When we arrived at the border I only had to fill out one flu form compared to 3 times in 50 yards on my last trip in May. The border agent held up my passport and pointed at the date :s I nodded and said I know - I was to arrive sooner but had problems coming from San Fransico. By her expression I think she knew about the delays, and thus she stamped my passport and I was in :icon_cheesygrin:
Sunday was spent meeting with some of her friends that helped plan the wedding as the pictures show. Monday my wife took me to the Hotel I was to spend the night with my friend Guang Han that had been our translator from the agency. The picture shows the room with the see into the bathroom window(sorry my wife asked for the removale of her pic, she complained she didn't lookgood). The room cost $30 Cdn. We also went shopping for our wedding rings, and since I was the groom - my wife took me for some grooming.
[ Thats all for today. My next post here will be of the wedding day and the Hunt For the Red October Shoes - did I get them? or did I get the Boot?
