Zhu nimen xin nian kuai le! Happy New Year everybody!
So here I am, less than a week away from my big trip. The butterflies are having quite the party in my stomach. I think it may be a frat party. I feel hazing going on in there. Gee, I hope nobody gets hurt.
I’ve been doing some stuff behind the scenes to get ready for my journey. Surprisingly, most of that does not involve reviewing my Mandarin. I stopped digging into new lessons about two weeks ago, and I was concentrating on driving home the old stuff, but now I’ve kind of reached this Zen state where I feel like I either know what I know, or I don’t. There’s no point in trying to cram stuff into my gray matter that’s just gonna leak out on the plane. Because, really, that’s not fair to the flight attendant. Is that a conversation you’d want to have?
“Excuse me, sir, would you mind not leaking Chinese onto the upholstery? We have some Austrian passengers who are finding it difficult to enjoy their knockwurst.”
(I have no idea what they serve on these flights.)
But I’ve made good progress, I think. I started learning Chinese through this site just about six months ago and I’ve juggled my studies with my full-time day job, my publishing efforts, a writing career, and freelance graphic design work. Oh, and blogging for this site. 
Anyway, I’m still a Newbie and I’m okay with that! It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it!
Preparations for the trip continue, but in the meantime I have:
• secured a visa
• called my bank and asked them not to freeze my accounts when they start seeing suspicious charges from Asia
• found someone to walk my rather large dog while I’m away
• bought a spare battery for my laptop
• picked up an adaptor for said computer so I can use it overseas
• bought a cell phone with pre-paid minutes that will work in China
• lost my plane tickets
• panicked
• found my plane tickets
• fainted
Luckily, all of those (save the last few) will fit nicely into my suitcase or overnight bag. Score! All I need now is a travel pack of toilet paper and some power adaptors and I’m set! I’m betting I can get those things in the airport, though.
So, here we go. We’re on our way! Well, I’m on my way. I don’t know what you people are doing. Stay there. I can’t fit anything else in my suitcase.
I’ll be scarce for the next few days and then non-existent for the week after. I’ll try to post a little “how ya doin’?” from the hotel, but don’t get your feelings hurt if I decide to skip it. I am on vacation, after all. 
Happy New Year!
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How long are you going for? Is it neccesary to have a visa?
I think I might go to Shanghai later this year.
Hi Bazza,
Yes, everyone coming to the country needs a Visa. You need to get a tourist Visa while outside of China. Large pain in the ass….
Colleen
Actually, Colleen, my experiences getting a visa weren’t bad at all. A simple form and a payment to a visa agency got me my passport all shiny-like within a few days. I was pleasantly surprised!
Bazza, I’ll be there for just a week, with only two short days spent in Shanghai. Too short a time in my mind. I’m going to have to make my mark on those people while I’m there.
Just found out today that I’m going to need a visa too. I’m making my first trip to China, in time for the Spring Festival. Finally get to be reunited with my wife, but only for a short time…
Sounds like a bittersweet reunion, Mike! When did you get married? How long have you been separated? That kind of thing always makes me sad.
Can you get a visa online? I renewed my passport online, well I got a pre-printed form back through the post to sign and add physical photos to. I’m sure it could all be done online really.
Thanks for your sympathy Frank..
We got married in August.. she went back to China 10 days later. She had a return plane ticket for December but her visitor’s visa got rejected. But I should be able to fly down there every couple months till the sponsorship application goes through.
Bazza, I think you can print off the forms on line but you will have to mail in your passport at any rate.
Frank: Being a starving student, the idea of paying someone else to do my visa for me didn’t really cross my mind, and I waited in line at the visa office for a few hours, eavesdropping on unsuspecting Chinese conversations, ha!
Bazza, Colleen’s right. You have to mail them your passport, but I found it to be a really simple process altogether. Here’s the folks I used: http://www.visa-chinese.com/
Give them a try!