My multiple entry China visa expires every 30 days, and 10/18 was the last day I was allowed in the country. While I was well aware of that fact, I couldn't help but stay in Hangzhou until the last minute, and so I planned accordingly. I wanted to go back to Taiwan and visit friends and family for a bit (despite territorial claims by China, and regardless of your perspective, Taiwan is a de facto separate country, meaning it operates as a separate country with its own government, military, and visa/citizenship rights; hence going to Taiwan - as well as HK/Macao - counts as "leaving the country" for visa purposes), but there were a few logistical / operational issues to solve:
1) The easiest way to get to Taiwan is of course to fly through Hong Kong or Macau, which is also the most boring and also very costly (typically in the range of $800~$1500 USD). The alternative was to go by boat from the city of Xiamen (廈門) to Jinmen (金門), an island controlled by the ROC (i.e. the government in Taiwan), but it is rumored only those with Taiwanese ID cards could pass through. I checked with a travel agency, who said foreigners can go through, but I was still uneasy since most of the comments I've read on forum boards online mention that the Xiamen -> Jinmen route is inaccessible to foreigners, at least in the past.
2) Ideally I wanted to go to Xiamen by train on 10/17. The 20+ hour ride is not only less expensive than by plane, but also would allow me to have a different experience. However, the only viable train from Shanghai/Hangzhou arrives at 16:55, too short a turnaround to guarantee making it to the last boat out of the port at 17:30, especially during rush hour. As a result, I had to go by plane. Certainly I could still have gone on 10/17, but it seemed like a waste, given I still had plenty I wanted to do in Hangzhou.
3) I had left most of my luggage in Shanghai, and so I would have to make a trip back to Shanghai to pack up before leaving for Xiamen/Jinmen. Additional time would need to be allotted to go from train station to apt to airport.
4) The Xiamen -> Jinmen boats go every hour on the half hour, with the last boat leaving at 17:30, which presents difficulties due to the long lead time before I arrive in Xiamen.
5) It turned out if you wanted to buy tickets for the boat in advance, you had to do it well in advance. The travel agency was unable to procure tickets for me because of that, and recommended that I try to buy them at the port. There were no guarantees that there would be tickets left.
Despite the above difficulties, and the inherent uncertainities that come with traveling (e.g. there is a potential point of failure at any of the connection points - train delayed, flight delayed, unable to get a taxi, unable to find the port, etc.), I persevered, and somehow my plans were not derailed. My itinerary ended up as follows:
10/18 8:25am - Train leaves Hangzhou for Shanghai
10/18 10:02am - Train arrives in Shanghai
10/18 11:50am - Arrival at apt
10/18 12:25pm - Packing completed and taxi flagged
10/18 12:50pm - Taxi arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
10/18 1:50pm - Flight leaves Shanghai
10/18 3:20pm - Flight arrives in Xiamen
10/18 3:45pm - Luggage claimed and "black car" taxi flagged
10/18 4:10pm - Arrival at Xiamen Port
10/18 4:25pm - On board the 4:30pm Xiamen -> Jinmen boat
10/18 5:30pm - Successful arrival at Jinmen.
Time Spent by Location (10/18):
Hangzhou: 8hrs, 25min (35%)
Shanghai: 3hrs, 48min (16%)
Xiamen: 1hr, 10 min (5%)
Jinmen: 6hrs, 30 min (27%)
In transit: 4hrs, 7 min (17%)
Distances:
Hangzhou -> Shanghai (train): 203km / 126 miles
Shanghai -> Xiamen (plane): 795km / 494 miles
Xiamen -> Jinmen (boat): ~15km / ~10 miles
Crepuscular rays in Xiamen:
Xiamen->Jinmen Boat in Xiamen Port:
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2 comments:
You take care.
khethai / aka Yang, Ta-Ko
TUCC
Will do. Thanks for reposting on the YAF-TUCCNY forum!
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