GETTING A CHINESE VISA - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

So my "photo" blog has turned more into a "travel blog" lately. Through my Google Analytics I can see how people end up on my website. I noticed that my blog post about the overnight bus from Bogota to Medellin has gotten a lot of hits. This makes me happy because I purposely wrote that post in order to help other travelers find useful and first hand information. If you currently search "Bus Bogota to Medellin" my website comes up within the top 10 search results, which is pretty amazing.

So once again I find myself packing my bags (well not exactly I'm not leaving for another 3 weeks) for a trip to China. Unlike most countries I have been to in the past, China requires ALL travelers to obtain a visa before entering the country. When I first started researching visas I had many questions and was trying to find first person accounts. Just like with the Bogota to Medellin Bus blog post, hopefully the info below will give travelers useful information.

In order to get a Visa you must either apply in Person at one of the consulates (here is a map) or you must use an authorized 3rd party company to apply for you. There are only 6 locations (The Embassy in DC and 5 Consulates) in the country so depending on where you live you might have to use a third party source to get your visa. Luckily for me I'm in Manhattan all the time for work so I decided to apply in person at the NYC Consulate at 42nd and 12 Ave.

When you call for info ( (212) 868-2078 is the direct line to an automated service with information regarding visa info or here is a link to a FAQ section) they say you need the following:

1) Passport (with blank pages and an expiration date 6 months after you planned trip) 2) Completed Application form (currently downloadable from here, make sure to use CAPITAL letters) 3) Passport Photo 4) Airline Reservation 5) Hotel Reservation 6) Letter of invitation

This had me a little worried because although I had #1 - #4 taken care of, I did not have hotel reservations or a letter of invitation. I decided to take the chance and apply without #5 or #6. So I headed down to the Consulate not really sure what to expect.

The website / phone info says to avoid Mondays, Tuesdays, and all afternoons. I decided to go Wednesday morning right at 9am. I got to the consulate a few minutes after 9am and there was already about 20 people ahead of me. The line was moving fairly quickly and they had seats you could sit in which was nice. I'm glad I got there at 9am because the line quickly double behind me. I think I got up to the window within 15 to 20 minutes.

I handed the girl behind the counter my passport and application form. I then tried to hand her my airline reservation and some Hostel information I printed off. She refused the extra info and instead had me write in the hostel info into the "friend/relative" section on the application form. She didn’t even look at my airline info.

I’m glad I printed off some hostel / hotel information ahead of time. I just picked one of the hostels I had (one that I probably won’t end up staying at) and wrote down the address. I did not have the number printed off but luckily I was able to use my Blackberry to look it up. If you are not staying with someone make sure to have an address and local Chinese number handy, even if it’s a hostel that you may or may not stay at.

I was only in NYC for the day so I decided to pay the extra $30 for the rush service (the regular Visa fee is $130, so I paid $160 total). If you get your application in early (I'm not exactly sure when the cut off is) the 1 business day rush service is actually "same day" service. After checking over my application one more time, the agent told me to return at 2pm.

Applying for the visa in the morning was very straightforward. When I returned things were a little more confusing. First, you need to wait in line #9 in order to be handed another number and told to either wait in line #8 or line #10. I ended up with line #10. After about a total of 20 minutes I was at the counter picking up my visa. It is important to note that they do not take American Express and it also seemed line #8 only took cash.

Although I applied for a 30-day tourist visa, I ended up with a 6-month double entry visa with each stay being up to 60-days. This surprised me but is nice incase I want to return to China within the next six months. I would not count on having them just give you extra time, but remember all visas (30 days, 60 days, 6 months, double entry, unlimited entry, etc) all cost the same price ($130). So if you think you might make two trips or plan on leaving/re-entering (including crossing over to Hong Kong) that make sure you apply for exactly what you need. (How to read a visas)

All and all I have to say the process was less stressful and less bureaucratic then I thought it would be. I'm just happy to finally have a visa in hand. Now I'm counting down my days until I leave. Make sure to check back towards the end of August to see how my trip is going.

Medellin, Colombia - Part 3 - The End

After a wild and fast paced 12 days, my trip to Colombia was quickly coming to an end. Sometimes when you are traveling you can't wait to get home, eat a solid meal and sleep in your own bed (we have all been there at some point). This was not one of those trips. I was ready to keep going, however, I had a class to teach at Temple University that I had to be back for. If not I would have bought a bus ticket to the Caribbean coast or maybe I would have headed south to Quito, Ecuador. Well.. that will have to be another trip. If this is the first you are looking at these pictures, take a quick look at the intro I wrote. I think it sums up my experiences and reactions to colombia. So instead of being repetitive, take another read... CLICK HERE

I'll leave you with a few final photos I shot in Medellin. Pablo and I were coming back from Maria's house and got stuck in an area where, in hindsight, we probably should not have been. I have an interesting story, so ask me the next time you see me....

Somewhere between Maria's farm and downtown.

The national police patrolling the hill side on horses.

Horses, shotguns and machine guns.

Pablo and I finally made it to the Metrocable cars just before the sun went down.

One of the barrios outside downtown Medellin.

Getting closer to downtown.

The sun setting on my final night in Medellin.

On the plane ride back we flew over Cuba (you can kinda of see it). Maybe that will be my next trip...

Medellin, Colombia - Part 2

Thursday was the first day I had to check out Medellin. I was immediately confused because the layout of Medellin is exactly the opposite of Bogota. The rich section of Bogota is in the north, in Medellin it is in the south. I'm usually really really good with sense of direction, but it took me a day to figure out Medellin. The other thing that I noticed right away is that Medellin seems more sketchy. For example, the poverty is more visible (not saying there is more, just more visible), most shops still have bars or gates on the outside, Pablo and I had our bags search by the police, etc....

Pablo took me around town, showing me some of the famous buildings and art work. We also took one of the cable cards that runs up into the hills. Medellin is the only Colombian city to have a metro, and to make it even more extreme, the city built cable cars in order to reach the barrios in the hills. The cable cars provide for an interesting way to see the city.

After a day of sight seeing, we headed out for the night. The thing to do in Medellin is to drink in the parks. This is right up my alley. Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm not the biggest fan of bars/clubs. I really enjoyed the nightlife in Medellin.

The next few days Pablo and I just relaxed. The weather was extremely nice, except there was a constant haze over the city. I ended up not taking a ton of photos in Medellin because the lighting was flat and ugly the majority of the time.

There were many highlights in Medellin, here are a few:

• Meeting all of Pablos friends and going out every night.
• Driving around with his friend Maria, who owns a 1954 VW bug. So much fun!!
• Going to Maria's farm, which is up in the hills and overlooks the whole city of Medellin.
• Going to visit a friend in the village of Santa Elena, an hour outside Medellin.
• Going to a spot where paragliding is popular.
• Pablo's family taking care of me. His mom and dad were so sweet.
• Just hanging out and learning some spanish.

By far the best part of Medellin was meeting a TON of people. Everyone (and not just Pablo's friends) were extremely nice. I just want to thank everyone I met in Medellin, let me see if I remember names.... Thanks to Pablo, Maria, Ana Maria, Sara, Henry, Cristina, Andres 1, Andres 2, Andres 3, Chico, Paule, Juan, Pablo's friend from the coast who tried teaching me spanish at 5am, everyone at Otraparte, everyone at the universities, the girls from Argentina who were touring with films that we met in Santa Elena.... geez and thats probably only half.

The Medellin metro...

"Love and Peace"

Medellin was "shady."

Still lots of fresh fruit for sale on the streets.

A view from one of the Metrocable cars.

Another view from the Metrocables.

This street was full of street vendors selling bootlegged copies of porn videos (I shot this from the entrance of a church).

This mural had a very "revolutionary" feel to me.

Maria and Pablo and Maria's 1954 VW Bug.

A friend's house in the village of Santa Elena.

A popular spot for paragliding. This hill overlooks the Medellin suburb of Bello.

A family overlooks the town of Bello.

Medellin, Colombia - Part 1

The Screenings Pablo and I were enjoying Santa Rosa so much that we ended up almost missing our bus back to Medellin. We ended up getting back with just enough time to get a bite to eat, take a shower and then head out to the next screening.

The screening was at Otraparte, a cultural center in the south of Medellin. Every wednesday night of March, Otraparte hosted screenings of VOCES. each screening featured a different set of films.

After the screenings, I did a short Q&A about my work and then had an interesting discussion that centered around what the "green" movement was like in the US. I think the most interesting point of the discussion is that despite the fact we (the USA) have a tendency to create problems, we also have the resources and brain power to fix those problems. This is obviously something that I hope will hold true in the years to come.

After the screenings, a group of us got food and drinks at the adjacent cafe/bar at Otraparte. After a very long and tiring day, sitting back and sipping on some nice Colombia rum was a real treat. I was very happy to find out that rum is the choice drink in Colombia. Its one of the few liquors i really enjoy.

Otraparte - Medellin, Colombia

Attendees at the festival VOCES.

Otraparte had room for about 30 people, and we were happy to see all the seats were filled.

Screenings were also head at Politecnico Colombiano, one of the universities in Medellin.

Another shot from Politecnico Colombiano.