Hong Kong with Pictures

The text is the same as before, but the pictures now work, and you can see them. If you did not read the story before, please do, otherwise, skip to the pictures!

I have mentioned once or twice that I was in Hong Kong, and I was, for about 36 hours. Therein lies a tale…

On Friday afternoon, the first full day in China, we got a text message from my employer on the China cell phone they provided, asking for photos of our visas. We dutifully sent these along, and went about our business.

On Friday night i got a call on that same China cell phone letting me know i had the wrong visa, and would have to fix the problem. I had gotten a tourist visa, and since i would be working here, that would not be legal. The university at which I would be teaching, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) was not willing to take any risk of having me teach on the wrong visa, so the problem would need to be taken care of.

The answer was to quickly fly me to Hong Kong, where I could apply for and get an expedited visa of the correct type, an F visa. Initially i was told i would be flying there with another faculty member that was in the same situation, and accompanied by a staff member the entire way. It did not work out that way, but it all worked fine. It turned out I was the only faculty member with the wrong type of visa, and in fact there would not be somebody with me the entire way. All of this, coupled with severe jet lag, left me less than excited.

However, they took very good care of me. Audrey booked me business class from Dalian to Shanghai to Hong Kong. Rose accompanied me from the welcome lunch on Sunday back to the hotel so i could pack, and then to the airport all the way to security. From there to Hong Kong I was on my own, but that worked out fine. I reminded myself i had flown to Indonesia without anyone to hold my hand and returned safely, so i could do this.

Meet Rose, who got me from the college campus where we had orientation on Sunday morning, back to the hotel, and out to the airport. She took care of getting me the boarding passes and escorted me right up to security. This was taken at the welcome cocktail party a week later.

It turned out to be not bad at all, I found the gate in the Dalian airport, got on the right plane at the right time, and made my way through Shanghai to the right gate also. Since Hong Kong is a Special Administrative District, I had to pass through Immigration and Customs on arrival and departure. The fact that I had to do this i think is part of why i could go to Hong Kong to get a visa.

After getting through immigration and customs, Robin, another LION employee, was waiting for me with a big smile at 00:30 on Monday morning. He took me on a train and a taxi ride to the hotel, saw me to my room, and let me know we would meet at 7:30 the next morning to go to the visa office. Which we did.

Meet Robin, an extremely nice, friendly, helpful person who helped me get the replacement visa. He has a great smile, and uses it often. This was taken in the Visa Service Center office as we waited our turn to be processed.

We went and stood in line, got the right application filled out, got a picture taken without a smile, and turned in the application with a request for an expedited visa, which meant a 24 hour turnaround.

With our main business accomplished, we got some lunch (duck with rice and another dish) and then we headed back to the hotel for a rest before going out for dinner. We didn’t get dinner while we were out, but we walked all over the harbor and saw the sights.

Here are (hopefully) the pictures!

Climbing onto the plane in Shanghai – loading and unloading on the tarmac was very common, you then take a shuttle bus to the terminal.

Business class really is a nice amenity, both for the seat and the lounge to relax in while waiting for the flight. LION did take good care of me!

Other than what i saw from the taxi window at 1 AM on Monday, this was my first real view of Hong Kong, looking out on the harbor from my hotel room the next morning.

Random shots on the street as we were headed to the visa office. The juxtaposition of old and new is very common in what I have seen of China, and the number and scale of the high-rise buildings is truly amazing!

Luxury cars, average cars, brands you know and brands you don’t. The car dealerships were all on the way to the visa service center, and i love the green on the car in the window. Never having seen a car dealership in NYC or Chicago, if they have them in the middle of the city, i wonder if they look like this?

These are some shots i think really look great, and show the high-rise buildings, wide roads, and just more of Hong Kong. Notice which way traffic is going on which side of the road!

The next few pictures show small storefronts that are selling building materials. It seems there are not any large distributors or huge open lots with materials, they are sold in smaller quantities out of stores like these.

Scenes from the top deck of a double decker bus we rode from the visa office back to the hotel.

They also have trolleys, both in Hong Kong and here in Dalian.

Some interesting tall buildings, including the Bank of China Tower, which was at one time the tallest building in Asia.

The front of the hotel i stayed in while in Hong Kong,

A clear shot of the International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong, the tallest building in Hong Kong and the ninth tallest in the world at 484 m.

Hong Kong at night is amazing, as the next set of pictures show.

This tower’s light show is truly amazing,

After a long time spent walking the streets of Hong Kong, Robin and I headed back to the hotel and some dinner. I found a nice pale ale, and a pizza that was mostly familiar.

My hotel room in Hong Kong,

Some shots from another double decker bus riding from the visa office to the airport, i saw or rode over several cable-stayed and suspension bridges. China is about scale, and the scale is large!

All in all a good trip, although i did not initially welcome it, nor did i ever expect it. As many people said when they heard i had to do this, “Welcome to China.” That statement covers a lot of ground.