One week

To go before we get on the plane for NZ. This time next week we will be recovering from the long flight between Tokyo and Auckland.

Sonia will have a long week (or short depending on your viewpoint). She flies to Bangkok as normal on Monday afternoon. Then Thursday night (instead of Friday) she flies overnight back to Tokyo. Friday evening we fly to Auckland overnight. So she is only really working for 3 days this coming week. Although if you ask her, I am sure she will claim that she works from home for the other times. Yeah, right.

At the other end of the trip, we leave Auckland very early in the morning on Monday. Flying all day gets us back to Tokyo in early evening. Then Tuesday afternoon we fly to Shanghai. Returning to Tokyo on Sunday afternoon.

Think of the mileage points...

On Friday morning I went to the Chinese embassy to apply for my tourist visa. Arriving at 9:00am (when it opens), I was disappointed to see a long queue stretching down the road outside the building. However the queue disappeared within 5 minutes once they opened the doors.

Getting inside I worked out that the instructions on the website omitted one crucial piece of paper that you are required to provide - photocopies of your Japan Resident Alien card, and the front page of your passport. There are signs up on the walls (in Japanese of course) explaining how to photocopy correctly. I dutifully dug out some change and fed it into the copiers that are conveniently located for this purpose.

Then getting a ticket number, I waited for about 5 minutes before getting to the counter. Another 5 minutes while they checked the documentation (record of return air ticket, hotel booking, application form, and passport), and it was done. I now have a little receipt (for the passport) which I need to go back on Monday morning to (hopefully) swap for my passport with a visa. If there are any problems, I will have to figure out an alternative very quickly - probably rushing around in NZ to get it done there.

Sonia has not done hers yet, and is planning to apply while in Auckland.