Pretzel Logic
Last week I went to a well known travel agency here in Hong Kong to arrange for a new China Visa as mine had just expired. The staff of the travel agency are very helpful and I use their services often when arranging overseas travel as well as renewal of my China Visa.
When I went to give them my Australian passport and my Hong Kong ID card so that they could arrange the Visa, I asked them to apply for a 12 month multiple entry visa. This will allow me to go into China as many times as I wanted for the next year. Quite useful as I have been into mainland China more than 30 times in the past three years. This type of Visa is similar to the 3 month; 6 month or 12 month ones that I have had in the past and so I didn’t think there would be any problem.
There was an issue however and I was told that I could not apply for a 12 month China Visa because my Hong Kong work visa expires on 11 June 2009, a little over one month from now and that a 12 month Visa would be after the expiry date for my work visa. I was told that an application for a 12 month China Visa would be rejected.
I suggested that it shouldn’t make any difference whether I applied for a 3 month, 6 month or 12 month China Visa as it was going to be attached to my Australian passport and had nothing to do with my Hong Kong ID card situation or my work situation here in Hong Kong. I gave the staff and examples that, if I was in Australia and wanted a 12 month multiple entry China Visa for my Australian passport, then it wouldn’t matter whether I have a Hong Kong ID card or not.
I think this simple logic was just too much for the poor staff in the travel agency and they looked at me as if I was an insect in a jar wondering what I was talking about. They then proceeded to tell me that they could apply for a 6 month or a 3 month China Visa and that that application was likely to be successful.
I pointed out to them that a 6 month or a 3 month China Visa would also take the expiry date of that Visa out past 11 June 2009 and asked them how it was possible to get a 6 month or a 3 month Visa that exceeded 11 June, but it was impossible to get a 12 month Visa that also exceeded 11 June date.
Once again I was scrutinized like an insect in a jar as they studied me with a look on their faces that suggested ‘ who is this idiot?’ And then proceeded to give me the unbeatable answer. They said ‘ because this is Hong Kong’. I understood immediately, because I have been through many situations like this in Hong Kong that make absolutely no sense whatsoever to common sense and a reason. However, that does not matter because, this is Hong Kong and that’s the way things are.
I picked up my new China Visa today. It’s a 6 month one that expires on 16 October 2009, 4 months after the time I’m supposed to be able to use it. When I picked it up I simply thanked the staff for their help and assistance in getting the new China Visa for me. One of them said to me ‘ no, thank you for your help’. As I type this I’m still wondering what she meant, perhaps it’s in reference to last week’s biology lesson where I played the subject in insect study.
Until next time, this is Tales of Asia signing off.
When I went to give them my Australian passport and my Hong Kong ID card so that they could arrange the Visa, I asked them to apply for a 12 month multiple entry visa. This will allow me to go into China as many times as I wanted for the next year. Quite useful as I have been into mainland China more than 30 times in the past three years. This type of Visa is similar to the 3 month; 6 month or 12 month ones that I have had in the past and so I didn’t think there would be any problem.
There was an issue however and I was told that I could not apply for a 12 month China Visa because my Hong Kong work visa expires on 11 June 2009, a little over one month from now and that a 12 month Visa would be after the expiry date for my work visa. I was told that an application for a 12 month China Visa would be rejected.
I suggested that it shouldn’t make any difference whether I applied for a 3 month, 6 month or 12 month China Visa as it was going to be attached to my Australian passport and had nothing to do with my Hong Kong ID card situation or my work situation here in Hong Kong. I gave the staff and examples that, if I was in Australia and wanted a 12 month multiple entry China Visa for my Australian passport, then it wouldn’t matter whether I have a Hong Kong ID card or not.
I think this simple logic was just too much for the poor staff in the travel agency and they looked at me as if I was an insect in a jar wondering what I was talking about. They then proceeded to tell me that they could apply for a 6 month or a 3 month China Visa and that that application was likely to be successful.
I pointed out to them that a 6 month or a 3 month China Visa would also take the expiry date of that Visa out past 11 June 2009 and asked them how it was possible to get a 6 month or a 3 month Visa that exceeded 11 June, but it was impossible to get a 12 month Visa that also exceeded 11 June date.
Once again I was scrutinized like an insect in a jar as they studied me with a look on their faces that suggested ‘ who is this idiot?’ And then proceeded to give me the unbeatable answer. They said ‘ because this is Hong Kong’. I understood immediately, because I have been through many situations like this in Hong Kong that make absolutely no sense whatsoever to common sense and a reason. However, that does not matter because, this is Hong Kong and that’s the way things are.
I picked up my new China Visa today. It’s a 6 month one that expires on 16 October 2009, 4 months after the time I’m supposed to be able to use it. When I picked it up I simply thanked the staff for their help and assistance in getting the new China Visa for me. One of them said to me ‘ no, thank you for your help’. As I type this I’m still wondering what she meant, perhaps it’s in reference to last week’s biology lesson where I played the subject in insect study.
Until next time, this is Tales of Asia signing off.
posted by Alan at
4:03 PM
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