OOOOOPSIE ! (Are you saying I need a Visa to go to Vietnam?)

I was all excited when I got to the downtown airline check-in counter. Until the friendly woman at the Hong Kong Air counter asked me for my Visa for Vietnam.
Two people at the Hong Kong Air counter and their neighbour at the United counter immediately went into a frantic helpful mood, providing me with the address of the Vietnamese Consulate, pointing out that taking a taxi would be smart (too used to walking I am by now ;-), and even writing something in Chinese on the address paper slip. For the taxi driver?
Guess that was not enough: The first taxi driver dropped me in Wan Chai at the Inland Revenue Department.  Here the receptionist engaged 2 of her colleagues to find the proper address.  These people are amazing, and my mentioning that I would sing the praises of the Inland Revenue Department all over the world produced quite a few giggles behind mouth-covering hands.  But truly: These people are SOOO helpful!

Do Jej Saai, Inland Revenue Department! (or should that be Mh Goi Saai?)

I like these kind of Tax slips

Twenty minutes later, being instructed by my Notice from the Inland Revenue Department, the second taxi dropped me in a tiny street in front of a not very impressive looking building (nothing like a Great Smart Tower ;-), awakening fears of being dropped somewhere wrong again, but this time without the forces of help at my disposal.
Not so: The military-looking people with the red shoulder flaps there just pointed at the sign that said CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY, 22 of April.  Since I am leaving for Vancouver on the 28th, I accepted my losses, and grabbed another taxi back to the hotel, where I checked out 3 hours ago and where I am now writing this Blog from my old room, where I have already been half an hour.  That's another thing: can you imagine completing all of the above tasks in 2.5 hours in Vancouver? Good Luck!

Given all of the above and the loss of some spent travel funds (I don't believe in Trip Cancellation Insurance), I am in immensely good spirits. So far, Hong Kong is my favourite city in the world, so if I say "I am not allowed to leave here" it should be interpreted in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

What am I going to do with 9 extra days in Hong Kong?   I have no plans, but the ideas just keep popping into my mind:  Free Tai Chi classes in front of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Re-visit the Buddha on Lantau Island. Complete the hike across Lamma Island. Take a cruise to Guangzhou in China. Expand my vocabulary of Cantonese words beyond 2 (actually, the 'saai' above is # 3 already ;-). Eat food in a restaurant on a very high floor of the IFC, or of the ICC, or of the Bank of China building, or most likely all three of them. Try my unfailing gambling system (never tried in practice) in Macau.  Eat Salada de Polvo there! etc etc etc.



You and I will find out shortly. But look at the view from my hotel room: 
If I get bored here, I might as well shoot myself ;-)





And it's not all bad!  I will only realize this once I take the Star Ferry to Kowloon Pier (center height, right side of picture) after posting the first draft of this:  The dreaded US SHIP is gone!   (It would be visible in the pic just to the left of the right edge if it was still there!)

Final thought:  Too bad I don't need a visa to go back to Vancouver ;-)