Institutional Encounters III

I took on several challenges today. I went to apply for visas for mainland china for karis and myself. I had a map from the web and all my forms. The website showed a particular corner, the name of the building and said it was on the 7th floor. I easily got to that corner, but that is not what was on that corner--but you could get to a building named that from that corner. Then I got to the building and could not find any elevator that went to the 7th floor or any signs telling me where to go. After walking around and through the entire building, I saw one part that looked taller than the rest so I went that direction and found an elevator. Another person and I got off the elevator on the 7th floor only to find a sign pointing us back to street level and around the back side of the building. By the time I got there, there was, of course, a long line outside. But when you see a long line you know that it is a visa line. I waited outside in the line for 30 minutes only to get through security and then go up the elevator (to the seventh floor!) to the correct room. Because I had all the forms filled out and my photos, I could get a number right away--number 113. They were on number 51. I was called up an hour later and they took my passport and forms and I was told to come back on Thursday to pick up my visas. I hope I remember where that line is located :)

I have been receiving text messages on my phone--the first one was in chinese and there was a $30 in the middle of the chinese characters. Did this mean I had only $30 HK left on my phone? I waited a couple of days and finally got the same message in English. I took a survey among people on how to recharge my phone. On my way back from applying for my visa I went to one of the thousands of 7-11 stores and asked for a recharge card and showed them my original one. After much discussion between two people they charged me $100 HK and pointed to some writing and numbers on the receipt. I came home and tried calling the number that is said to call on the receipt--that did not work. I tried calling the recharge number on the receipt. That did not work. Then finally I called the number on the original card I got with the sim card for the phone. YES!! it asked me for the recharge number on the receipt. Whew. One more thing figured out.

Bureaucracy is a funny thing. There are many forms to fill out and be recorded, yet on Friday I got reimbursed for a ferry ticket without providing any receipt. They just handed me an envelope with cash in it. I did have to sign a form, but nothing to substantiate the costs.