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Visas at the American Embassy (1/3/00)My friend had to get her visa renewed so we had to go to the American Embassy in Beijing. It was almost a disaster since my friend forgot to bring enough money (visas are expensive), and the only thing I had was my credit card. The window in which she could get a visa was very small - in the morning for about an hour. Suffice it to say there are not many ATMs in China. However, we went to a near by Bank of China to see if we could get money off of the credit card. Well, the bank opened and I was able to get money, that was good. I wasn't allowed in the Embassy (only visa applicants were) so I had to wait outside for a long time. Nothing to note really except I was able to get some English reading material on news and such. After the visa application was made we had to wait around for awhile until she could pick the visa up. We visited the friendship store, to look around. Also we ate at McDonalds (hey, I had to try it), it was just like America, except the quantities were a bit smaller. There is a bazaar just on the outside of the embassy district. Here, rip offs of almost all name brands in America are sold for ok prices. The prices are better if you are Chinese and can bargain really well. Also, they sell a lot of pirated software in English around this area. Actually, pirated Chinese software is easy to get around Beida in Beijing's university district. However, the embassy area caters to foreigners who want pirated software. However, almost all of the software sold in this area is incorrect, damaged or flawed in some way. Don't bother. More Blur (1/4/00 - 1/9/00)I don't remember too much about this time. I know we visited Dongdan (West shopping district) and I bought a fake Northface jacket (hey, I couldn't resist). I also saw some really posh department stores, where I couldn't even afford what they sold. Strange, I would never even go to these places in America. I'm wondering if this is also the time we went to the dentist. My friend wanted to see a dentist in Beijing because it was cheaper than seeing a dentist in America. We waited in line from 5:30 in the morning in the freezing cold. Finally, about 7am they let us in. The hospital in China is a bit different, since I guess everything is socialized it doesn't have to be comfortable at all. Suffice it to say we went back to Beijing University again, took more showers, also I think we ate at Great Wall restaurant before going back. Oh, the food there was really good. I also think we visited the optometrist so my friend could get new glasses. They actually have the person walk around with the prescription for about 30 minutes before they make the glasses. In America, if the prescription isn't right, you can just get it changed, but in China this is much harder so you better be sure before you buy the glasses. |
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