P-I-D. Stupid! The US policy continues to be reactive in the era of Covid. Finally, foreigners can come to the US. However, they will have to show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test taken with 72 hours. Unvaccinated Americans who want to come home have to show a negative test taken within one day of departure. Somehow the incompetent US government thinks that the tight one-day window will inspire unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated, since those that are vaccinated need to show a negative test taken with 72 hours. Who believes that having two extra days to take an unnecessary, overpriced Covid test that is not necessarily checked by the airlines/airport staff for authenticity, if it is even checked at all, will motivate someone to get vaccinated? Having a common-sense policy like vaccinated travelers don’t need a test to come home may inspire some to take the jab. Regardless, it makes no sense that the US government requires vaccinated citizens to take a test in order to come home. My nose is still sore from my last trip. Enough of this bullshit.
All of those took courage and fortitude to accomplish but none of them compare to the wild ride of starting IQKhameleon, an idea so crazy that it might just work, an idea so crazy that if it fails will still be a great story.
The latest installment of the IQ saga took me to Medellin to see my prototype in person. Over two days, we finalized the design and are almost ready to bring it to market.
While there are so many more steps to go, I have a great sense of accomplishment for getting this far. Who else would hire a Nike designer to design a logo? Who else could effectively communicate the details of an unorthodox idea with a designer whose first language is not English? Who else would go to Colombia to see his vision become a reality? The same guy who moved to Mongolia to make it big.
Inside the lab
Follow IQ on IG which currently has a grand total of 4 followers.
TPOL is on a train to Wales. This will be my 117th country (see Where I’ve Been). My plans to go to Italy to buy a villa have been detoured by bad flight availability. As such, I have been rerouted through Denmark, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England. Formal posts will resume when I return, whenever that is.
TPOL is out of the office through October. If you do not see daily posts as is required (see TPOL Opens M-F at 10:07AM EST), I am either in quarantine dealing with a breakthrough infection or having a great time. However, I have written posts from my recent trips to Colombia and Miami that will fill the airwaves until I get back. This strategy is better than waiting 5 years to recap posts about my visa problems abroad (see Visa Blunder Part 5: An Unexpected Birthday in Hong Kong).
Some trips are perfect. Others don’t go as planned. The true traveler keeps fighting through, knowing that an unexpected twist can go from a Travel Nightmare to a dream day. After spending the first part of my birthday detained in Shanghai (see Visa Blunder Part 3: China Visa-Free Transit Disaster (again)) and after enduring the worst flight in the world to Hong Kong (see Visa Blunder Part 4), I was eager to get back to my vacation. It was not as simple as getting off the plane. The three non-compliant border crossers were told to wait until everyone deplaned. Then we were escorted to border patrol.
The 3 Stooges: Me, Ms. TPOL, and Mr. Unlucky Frenchman
I was a little anxious until I heard the harmonic sound of the visa stamp. Appreciating our new found freedom, we stopped for a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue in the duty-free
Per tradition, it was time to explore Hong Kong the only way I know how, The 7-Eleven Drinking Game. For those unfamiliar, here is an excerpt from that post:
As soon as you come across a 7 Eleven, stop in to purchase a beer. After purchasing your beer and toasting to a great day in Hong Kong, continue walking while taking in the sights and sounds of this bombastic city. Proceed to the first 7 Eleven and purchase a beer then immediately cross the road and purchase another. If you find yourself understanding the Cantonese neon lit street signs then you are playing the game correctly. If you find that you are lost, keep walking because your tour guide, 7 Eleven, is only a few more paces away.
Always recycle.
We eventually made it.
Disoriented, it was time to eat. In Hong Kong, that means one thing:
And now the conclusion to my Visa Blunder story. On my 34th birthday, I was not at MINT Shanghai. I was held in no man’s land because I had, according to the immigration agent, violated the Visa-Free policy by flying into China from NRT and leaving out of China back to the US via NRT. Before arriving in PVG, I recognized the error of my ways and booked a flight that would put me into compliance. She did not care and made me sit in the holding area until her shift was done. At 8AM a new guy and much nicer person told me I could fly to Hong Kong and back that day on a flight that they would book on my behalf. For $400 RT for two people, I flew on the worst airline in the world. It was bumpy. It was noisy. It was exhausting. The only funny memory was the flight attendant leading the passengers in Tai Chi exercises.
Note: This was originally published on May 18th, 2016.
It’s my birthday today and for it TPOL gave me the gift of a huge headache at Chinese Immigration. I’ve written about how I’ve written about my visa problems (see Visas). I thought I had this problem under control, but disaster struck again today.
Ignorantly enthusiastic about flying Air New Zealand from AKL-PVG (see The Lucky Windfall From China Visa Disaster), I neglected to appreciate the significance that my flight going into Shanghai and leaving from Shanghai connected in Japan. This is a violation of the Visa-Free transit rule because technically I am going from Japan to China and back to Japan. To comply, I needed a flight from China to somewhere else before Japan.
On the descent to Shanghai, I booked a day trip to Hong Kong just in case my original itinerary was non-compliant. Upon arrival, I presented this information to the agent. He passed this on to his superior and, twelve hours later, I am finally going to Hong Kong. The first few hours of my birthday were not spent in Shanghai as planned. Instead, I was in a detention room being grilled about my itinerary. The agent did not believe I had a real itinerary and insisted that my only way out of the mess was to take the 10AM flight back to Tokyo. Hours of arguing, joking, and calling the airline to explain to her my ticket did nothing.
Exhausted and broken, I considered booking a direct flight to the US in coach so I could be done with the drama. While rationalizing how a 13 hour flight would be a mental challenge, a new agent approached me with a much warmer demeanor.
He asked to see my ticket and offered to help me. Perhaps it was my stellar Mandarin skills or my nonsensical babbling, but I’m happy and exhausted to say that I’m at the gate bound for HKG.
The takeaway of the story is that I am still awful with visas. The lesson of the story is to forget the transit visa nonsense and buy the ten-year multi-entry solution. That would’ve saved me time and money, though I wouldn’t have this great story to tell.
This was supposed to be a review of Air China from NRT-PVG. Too nervous from worrying about what would happen to me in Shanghai when I landed, I was in no condition to take photos of the plane. Even the traditional champagne toast, could not be enjoyed. It felt like my last taste of the good life before the inevitable end. For three hours I tried to play out the scenarios and anticipate how border control would react.
Honest Mistake: Oh it’s an honest mistake, you thought you were coming from New Zealand. Don’t let it happen again.
Back on the Plane!: You are being deported.
Temporary expulsion: You have to go somewhere else and come back.
Since I was arriving on my birthday, maybe they would take pity on me everything would be fine.
