Hoilday/work trip

[cobratwin]

i see ! well i will be doing both one of the girls will be joining me in the HK apartment then showing me around while im there but ill just get letters

 

[2b1ask1]

i see.. Question.. if you were just going there for a hoilday and didnt know anyone ... how do you get an invite?

Dave, it is a hangover from the days of the British 'assistance' in running the place.... A bit like India in that you have to satisfy the bureaucracy and all will be well. They are going to fleece you for £100 for a sticker in your passport so they feel they have to ask you lots of daft questions including HIV & Hepatitis status...

When you get there you will join the 60 deep throng that vaguely works like a cue and when you approach the window a proud little man (or woman) in a perfectly pressed uniform will study your passport carefully without admitting it means nothing to him in English until he thumbs through far enough to find the little green sticker, he will sigh thankfully he has done his job, will carefully stamp it after flicking to the photo and commenting to his mate that 'they all look the same these Europeans' and he will not make eye contact in case you want to talk to him! Oh yes and you get to press one of three buttons on his counter to pass judgment upon his work (smile flat or sad face)... After that nobody cares if you have a visa or not...

The other little game I used to play was that at each toll booth on the motorways a flash camera takes a photo of all the occupants of the vehicle so I would always have a funny face pulled ready for them!

 

[cobratwin]

ive just checked and the British get royal bent over and no lube applied!
rest of the world is about half the price of the uk for a visa!

 

[TridentTested]

first things first ive never been on a plane before ... is there anything i need to know?

Bl00dy h3ll, never been on a 'plane. You sure pick a long haul for your maiden voyage.

As Chris says, it rather depends on whether you are turning left or right after you board. First and Business classes have good seats-cum-beds these days and you might even get a good night's sleep. Cattle class? forget sleeping, make sure you have a good book and your iPad fully charged.

Either way. My advice - as someone who used to commute long-haul on a weekly basis - is dress comfortably, no shirt and tie, no suit, sitting in even the most comfortable seat for nine hours is a pain. Slip your shoes off before take-off as well. Don't wear anything white - you will be guaranteed to spill food on yourself hunched over the fold-out table.



I once took two junior colleagues to the States. One spent the entire flight opening and playing with every freebie supplied, trying every snack, drink, meal, magazine, movie, music. It was like having a boisterous four-year-old with me. The other opened his book while we were still parked at LHR and didn't take his nose out of it, refusing the horrible airline food, not moving except to turn his book's page, until landing.

Everyone is different


Enjoy.