My grandma, mom and sister are thrilled that the tour they signed up for has been cancelled. The complicated visa application process has delayed their trip to Quangzhou to visit family. They will leave for Quangzhou on Monday (May 12) and stay for about a week as they plan on returning to Hong Kong to take a tour to Shanghai and Eastern China in late May and a tour to Taipei in early June.
My mom finds it difficult to organize their travel plans because they had to wait for the visa approval and then the confirmation or cancellation of their signed up tour. When they arrive Quangzhou on Monday, my mom will look for available tour(s) there.
My mom is now searching online for China/Taipei tours departing from Hong Kong. Hopefully, there are tours that suit their schedule.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Extreme Heat
I have talked about extreme cold in Edmonton. Now, it is time to talk about extreme heat . . . . .
My mom’s hot flushes make the heat unbearable for her at times. Her glasses steam up and sweats pour out of her. She cannot understand how anybody can wear sweaters and jackets in such hot weather. Yet, an amazingly large number of people she meets on the street wear thick and dark color clothing.
My mom and sister continue to “steal” wireless internet, but are getting less successful with it. As a result, my mom cannot post notes on a regular basis. Over the past few days, my grandma, mom and sister have been meeting with different family/friends each day.
My sister bought two cell phones and had been to the store in Mong Kok almost daily to exchange them because something was wrong. She is now very familiar with the streets in Mong Kok.
The application for visas to enter China is successful and they can enter China two times. They signed up for a short trip to China simply for meeting the requirement of visa application. The trip can be cancelled if not enough people sign up for it. They are hoping for cancellation of the trip so that they can go to Quangzhou on their own to visit my mom’s cousins. They will know two days before departure date (May 14).
My mom’s hot flushes make the heat unbearable for her at times. Her glasses steam up and sweats pour out of her. She cannot understand how anybody can wear sweaters and jackets in such hot weather. Yet, an amazingly large number of people she meets on the street wear thick and dark color clothing.
My mom and sister continue to “steal” wireless internet, but are getting less successful with it. As a result, my mom cannot post notes on a regular basis. Over the past few days, my grandma, mom and sister have been meeting with different family/friends each day.
My sister bought two cell phones and had been to the store in Mong Kok almost daily to exchange them because something was wrong. She is now very familiar with the streets in Mong Kok.
The application for visas to enter China is successful and they can enter China two times. They signed up for a short trip to China simply for meeting the requirement of visa application. The trip can be cancelled if not enough people sign up for it. They are hoping for cancellation of the trip so that they can go to Quangzhou on their own to visit my mom’s cousins. They will know two days before departure date (May 14).
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Shopping Excursion
My mom and sister went on a whole day excursion. They met with friends for lunch and then went shopping at Mong Kok. They got more experienced in bargaining. However, when the vendors readily agreed to their price, they wondered if they had lowered the price enough.
Since they were meeting with mom's nursing school classmates for supper, they decided not to go home and continue shopping. It was a lot more walking than usual and their feet were getting tired. Whenever they walked past a shoe department, they sat down to try on a few shoes. They have tried on shoes, sandals, slippers and runners.
They had an enjoyable evening visiting with old friends. A reunion is planned for their 40th aniversary in the year 2010 - Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver.
Since they were meeting with mom's nursing school classmates for supper, they decided not to go home and continue shopping. It was a lot more walking than usual and their feet were getting tired. Whenever they walked past a shoe department, they sat down to try on a few shoes. They have tried on shoes, sandals, slippers and runners.
They had an enjoyable evening visiting with old friends. A reunion is planned for their 40th aniversary in the year 2010 - Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Money Exchange
My mom was told that it is better to use her credit card to pay for major expenses during her visit in Hong Kong. It turned out that some places do not accept credit card payments while others charge a 2-3% service charge. My mom accumulated a debt of over $3,000 shortly after her arrival in Hong Kong.
It was time to visit a bank to exchange for Hong Kong dollars. An auntie accompanied my mom and sister because service fees can be waived for having an account with the bank. The “mission” failed at the first bank they visited. This bank does not accept Canadian dollars for currency exchange. My mom has US traveler cheques but they only accept cash.
Off they went to a second bank and this bank accepts cash and traveler cheques of both Canadian and US dollars. Service fee of $50 can be waived if the exchange value is over $3,000. My mom proceeded to sign her traveler cheques and was then told that there is a service charge of $60 for cheques. My mom decided to continue with the transaction as she was in need of Hong Kong currency. Unfortunately, the transaction could not be completed because she did not have the original copy of her passport. All the passports have been submitted for visa approval and will not be available till May 7. They went home to gather cash and returned to the bank to accomplish the mission.
It was time to visit a bank to exchange for Hong Kong dollars. An auntie accompanied my mom and sister because service fees can be waived for having an account with the bank. The “mission” failed at the first bank they visited. This bank does not accept Canadian dollars for currency exchange. My mom has US traveler cheques but they only accept cash.
Off they went to a second bank and this bank accepts cash and traveler cheques of both Canadian and US dollars. Service fee of $50 can be waived if the exchange value is over $3,000. My mom proceeded to sign her traveler cheques and was then told that there is a service charge of $60 for cheques. My mom decided to continue with the transaction as she was in need of Hong Kong currency. Unfortunately, the transaction could not be completed because she did not have the original copy of her passport. All the passports have been submitted for visa approval and will not be available till May 7. They went home to gather cash and returned to the bank to accomplish the mission.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Shopping
Grandma, mom and sister are still struggling with jet lag. They can hardly keep their eyes open by late afternoon. They go to bed early and get up early. Their daily routine is to steal internet to stay connected with others, meet up with family/friends, shopping and eat (of course). Mom is retaining so much water that her fingers puff up. She has this problem every time she goes away.
Here is a description of their first shopping experience. They bargained and made their first purchase. Just as they were proud of their accomplishment, they found another similar product for a lower price. They successfully bargained for an even lower price. A job well done in terms of bargaining, but the drawback is that they have double of what they need. They have learned the following lessons:
* Asking prices are generally inflated, so it is wise to bargain.
* Do not demonstrate an eagerness to purchase as the vendors will start to offer discounts.
* Go to a few nearby vendors to check out prices before making a decision to purchase.
Here is a description of their first shopping experience. They bargained and made their first purchase. Just as they were proud of their accomplishment, they found another similar product for a lower price. They successfully bargained for an even lower price. A job well done in terms of bargaining, but the drawback is that they have double of what they need. They have learned the following lessons:
* Asking prices are generally inflated, so it is wise to bargain.
* Do not demonstrate an eagerness to purchase as the vendors will start to offer discounts.
* Go to a few nearby vendors to check out prices before making a decision to purchase.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Hong Kong
My grandma, mom and sister are in Hong Kong now. I am not aware they are gone yet. I will soon start to notice they are missing.
My mom and sister are really happy that someone suggested taking their laptop to Hong Kong. They are able to "steal" wireless internet and be able to stay connected with family and friends in Canada.
They went to apply for visa to enter China. That turned out to be quite an ordeal. They wanted to apply for a multiple entry visa because they planned to visit family in Quangzhou and to take a couple of tours to China. They were told that only one entry visa will be approved. They could not get a visa to go to Quangzhou to visit family. Visa will only be issued to visit immediate family and a land title document is required for the application. They went to a travel agent to sign up for a tour so that they could obtain the required documents to apply for visa. The travel agent cautioned them that there is no guarantee visa will be approved. In the event that the visa application is not successful, they cannot get a refund on the tour. What a dilemma! They signed up for the lowest price they could get so as not to risk losing too much money. They proceeded to apply for visa and was asked if they would like one entry or two entries. Isn't it interesting that they got different information each time.
My mom and sister are really happy that someone suggested taking their laptop to Hong Kong. They are able to "steal" wireless internet and be able to stay connected with family and friends in Canada.
They went to apply for visa to enter China. That turned out to be quite an ordeal. They wanted to apply for a multiple entry visa because they planned to visit family in Quangzhou and to take a couple of tours to China. They were told that only one entry visa will be approved. They could not get a visa to go to Quangzhou to visit family. Visa will only be issued to visit immediate family and a land title document is required for the application. They went to a travel agent to sign up for a tour so that they could obtain the required documents to apply for visa. The travel agent cautioned them that there is no guarantee visa will be approved. In the event that the visa application is not successful, they cannot get a refund on the tour. What a dilemma! They signed up for the lowest price they could get so as not to risk losing too much money. They proceeded to apply for visa and was asked if they would like one entry or two entries. Isn't it interesting that they got different information each time.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Snow
A few days ago, the weather was nice enough for mom to take me out on my buddy bike. She was hoping that she could take me out a few more times before she leaves for Hong Kong this coming weekend. It was totally unexpected for mom to be shoveling snow for hours over the past two days. At some spots of our parking lot, the snow was knee high.
My grandma, mom and sister will be going to Hong Kong for about seven weeks. They will be taking a couple of tours to China and a tour to Taipei. They will return to Vancouver on June 18 to look for an apartment for my sister who has accepted a job offer and will start working in July. I won't be going because it will be difficult for my mom to manage my care for such a long period of time in many different locations. She started to tell me about leaving for Hong Kong, but I do not understand what she tries to tell me.
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