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| Shopping on Shamian Island |
We hurried down to meet the group and went to the consulate appointment. It was all very surreal. Into a building, up escalators and elevators, pushed through lines, and finally into a room that is reminiscent of a bank. In the Ukraine. A consulate employee addresses us all from behind a bulletproof window, complete with the pass through slot and metal speaker. A few bits of information, then we stood and swore we done the paperwork and supplied information to the best of our knowledge. Pay the visa fee, and someone reviewed my paperwork for about 30 seconds. Then a few harmless questions about my log in date, agency, and children at home. Done.
We found out on the bus returning to the hotel we'd have to arrange our own transportation in Hong Kong from the train station to the airport hotels. And guess who ended up making the arrangements? Yup. The single woman traveling on her own had to do it.
We went to the island later, and I bought some squeaky shoes (inside wear only), a silk jacket, and purses for the girls. Okay and a tote for me. It was raining and cold, we messed up her blanket again and generally became miserable. We did stop at a special store called A Gift from China, and I encourage every reader to visit their website. The items are handmade and the proceeds go to helping China's orphaned kids.
http://www.agiftfromchina.com/
I was glad to get back to the hotel and Jude's hands and feet were obviously really cold. We went out to dinner with the remaining members of the group. All good, and found out Jude likes broccoli and cauliflower. Came back to the hotel and started packing. I'm about 50 percent finished, but I'm really tired. I think it's time for bed.
