The Day I Almost Entered China! Not Today Blog 5

It is 2:56 am. As I am writing this, I am sat next to the immigration counter in an empty waiting area. Pudong Airport China is empty. To my right, my luggage. Four seats to the left, an immigration officer. His eyes about to fall. Assigned to keep an eye on me.

One and a half hours ago, China denied me entrance.

Missing flights on Friday the 13th

Let me copy the WhatsApp Chat I have just had with my mate Hansen. Hansen missed his Citilink flight earlier today. He was supposed to fly from Jakarta to Karimunjawa for a dive trip. He then booked another flight via AirAsia.

[14/09, 2:37 am] Me
So, you missed a flight this morning?
Well, I am not allowed to enter China. I have to immediately fly back to Jakarta.
Transit Visa requires to enter from one country A and to fly out to another country B.

[14/09, 2:38 am] Me
I left this morning from Indonesia and my flight out was booked to Malaysia.
What I didn’t consider was the stopover I had in KL. So technically, I entered China coming in from KL which is Malaysia and my flight out is also to Malaysia.

[14/09, 2:39 am] Me
I also booked another flight out to Singapore an hour ago, but they won’t accept changing flights.. Very successful day here in China!
Apparently, Air Asia gives me the next flight back to Jakarta for 200 RMB. At least it’s cheap.

[14/09, 2:50 am] Hansen
😀 😀 😀
What a day
We’ve been saved by Air Asia

[14/09, 2:50 am] Me
Yeah man, this girl from Air Asia saved my ass – also at the immigration.

Shanghai Urban Fashion

My flight landed three hours ago. I approached immigration to enter China on a 144-Hour-Free-Transit Visa with plans to visit a friend and finally get to explore the real Shanghai.

Honestly, I love the place!

I have been to Shanghai twice. I remember how I was gobsmacked by the number of electric cars. All motorbikes are electric! The traffic was barely better than Jakarta but it was deadly silent!

The language barrier was no big problem. Besides numbers, the train system was completely in Chinese. Still, I managed to get around effortlessly. The food in Shanghai is incredible… man. My first steamed jellyfish was in a restaurant just outside Shanghai. And the swag. Shanghai people ARE Urban Fashion.

144-Hour Free Transit Visa China

So where are we again? I tried entering China on a transit visa. It didn’t work, because the flights I booked didn’t match visa requirements. The 144-Hour-Free-Transit-Visa allows passengers to transit in Shanghai (and certain other areas of China) for no more than 144 hours (6 days) without holding a visa. The eligible transit routes are flying in from country A to country B (China, one of the admitted airports) and flying out to country C.

I struggled with countries A and C.

“Surely they mean the last country you have actually stepped foot in. A stopover won’t count, will it? I mean, you are not going to leave the transit area anyways, right?”

False! So that worked out well.

A brief note: I am hungry. Question. Have you ever asked an immigration officer, whether you could quickly enter the country – to grab a bite? All restaurants in the transit area are closed.

The people here are great, I have to say. That makes it bearable. Thanks to Air Asia I’ll be able to book a flight back to Jakarta in a couple of hours. Flight counters open at 4 am. Plus, there are special rates for people with visa issues, so flights will be cheap. The girl said 200 RMB (25 EUR), let’s see.

Earlier, I booked a non-refundable outbound flight going to Singapore. It was 3.600.000 Indonesian Rupiah (230 EUR). I am carrying with me 200 EUR in cash and about 1500 RMB from my last visit. At least I will get somewhere in the world. I think.

Visa On Arrival in China

200 meters from here, the body scan machine is echoing “Please take off your cap. Please take off your mask”.

I know I am being watched, but I’m thrilled. I have never been rejected from entering a country before. Neither do I know anybody who has. This is exciting. It expensive, considering the unnecessary flights I booked in and out of China, but maybe worth the experience. It will make a good story, that’s for sure. “A first-hand experience with the Transit Visa in China.”

I wonder why I am able to use WhatsApp. Wasn’t it blocked the past few times I visited China? Also, did I really book a hotel with a gym – for nothing? My first and last time booking a hotel prepaid!

I was looking forward to the trip. I did enter China today for a total of six minutes. The officials accompanied me to the luggage belt. And I had a four-minute chat with the immigration staff on the other side of the counter.

It’s bizarre how they asked me to go to the Visa on Arrival counter after I had just been rejected entry. The girl from Air Asia told me to not even bother filling out the forms. Apparently, chances were 99% that I would be rejected. Unless I was some sort of diplomat or countries’ delegate.

They rejected me. Thanks! Haha

Flights are booked

Fast forward. It’s 5 am. I am at the gate. Still hungry. Restaurants are still closed. In my company is another immigration officer. He took me to the Air Asia counter where I booked flights back to Jakarta for unbeatable 95 RMB (12 EUR). #budgetravel #travelcheap

The officer is fun. We had a fascinating conversation about China’s safety, European cars, cars in general, smartphones and girlfriends. He was hooked when I told him I was going to buy a Xioami as my next phone. He became my best friend when I told him I was driving a Wuling back in Jakarta. A German driving a Chinese car in Indonesia! Oh, and his Bali trip last year was marvellous.

Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make me feel important”. Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.

Mary Kay Ash

The officer is holding my passport. I am tired as fuck. I can’t wait to be back on the airplane.

Tourist or Terrorist?

It’s 2.00 pm. I am sat in a bluebird taxi, back in Jakarta. I feel irritated after all. What the fuck was that. Back in Pudong Airport, the officer gave my passport to the flight attendant in charge. She escorted me to my seat.

Right before landing in Kuala Lumpur for a stopover, she announced my name through the speakers telling me to come to see her in the front of the aircraft. 200 eyes were following my every step. Slow-motion. She asked me to sit in the front seats so that she could hand me over to the ground staff. Ok?

I felt like a criminal when I landed in Kuala Lumpur. The Air Asia ground staff, (btw the Air Asia staff was always polite and respectful!), escorted me to the Transit Counter. They handed my passport over to the woman in charge. Transit Counter is located next to the little safety check before entering the Transit Area. The area with all the restaurants, the cinema, the shops and the waiting lounges.

The security staff would not let me pass to get inside the transit area, because they believed I shouldn’t be granted entry without a passport. Man, I was getting hungry and moody.

After 1.5 hours of waiting, I was granted entrance to the magical transit area! I was being escorted to my gate, obviously without any detours. So I boarded my next flight to Jakarta. Transit counter staff passed my passport on to the next flight attendant. Oh, did I order a large meal on that second flight? I was devastated that I wasn’t allowed to go grab a bite from the food stalls in KL airport. They’re class.

Back in Jakarta

The next flight was brief. Back on Indonesian ground I still wasn’t allowed to get hold of my passport. Air Asia staff escorted me to a small office where an evil looking immigration official was discussing visas of two guys from India. He squeezed me in and stamped my passport in an instant. On god was I happy that this went by easily. I was expecting trouble!

And there it was. The Air Asia flight attendant took a last photo of the stamped passport and gave it back to me.

Meanwhile, my luggage was already on the belt. I jumped in the next taxi.

3 weeks later

As I write this, I have been rejected another normal Tourist Visa for China. The flight encounter is already 3 weeks back. Looking back at this trip I am still angry that I wasn’t allowed to enter the transit area in KL. I told the story already to a couple of friends. They were thrilled.

Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.

Paulo Coelho

Why Not Today

I am glad that Air Asia was helpful throughout the whole thing. I don’t want to imagine the trouble they got into because they let me even board my flights to China. Surely somebody must have gotten a lot of shit. I am sorry for being too stupid to read visa requirements!

Sometimes you just get rejected.

I am sure Covid-19 has messed up many visas in the last few weeks. I am rooting for you that you will soon be able to book flights to countries on the other side of the world.

Why not start today to prepare for an adventure! If prepared well, I’ll promise you will be allowed entrance into the country.

Behind the immigration there lies the unknown. Get ready to explore. Why not today.

Why not today look into travel destinations?

xx

D