After 5 business days of waiting I was given my Chinese visa. I’m glad I was given 60 days instead of the typical 30, it even cost the same amount—$50. The pick up process was a lot smoother than last week and only took a few minutes.
Now I have to figure out where I’m going to go in China. I fly into Beijing and want to head toward Xi’an, maybe stopping Pingyao on the way. From there I may head toward Chengdu. Kunming and Xishuangbanna sound interesting but they are quite far. I would like to spend some time in the Guangxi Provance and I have a friend who should be home in Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) by the time I arrive. If I’m there I might as well hop over to Hong Kong and grab a drink with a guy from my Chinese class who’s teaching English there. The only problem with that is I have a **single** entry visa and would rather not nullify it by leaving in the middle of my trip.