AD left on a quick turnaround to Hong Kong two days ago. She went to grab a quickie 3-month visa from one of the train station visa companies. In her case (the prices vary by nationality – capturing all the consumer surplus they can with creative price strategy), it cost around 420 HKD for a new one-entry tourist visa. Easy, painless process – drop off with them one day before (Sunday ok) and pick up the next day after noon.
The reason she even needs to do this is because our visa expiry dates don’t exactly coincide. In fact, as a spouse, she is only issued a tourist “L” visa under the pretense of “visiting relatives”. Heck, visiting? Something like a permanent visit! But, that’s their solution. Important thing to us is that she has multiple entries to China – otherwise traveling is a pain. So, this L visa is only issued for 5 months. Though I study under a student visa good for 6 months, she is shorted one month. Don’t get it. But, that’s why she ran off for a quick visa only days before I register for courses and submit my passport to the Guangzhou PSB. I’ll try to sweet talk them this year to match my visa schedule.
In other news, the persistent GZ Hack is back! Not sure what this malady is but every few months after jogging outside or in this case, just returning to GZ after a long vacation, a strange tickle slides down the back of the throat. Feels like a cold coming on but really just makes the throat uncomfortably scratchy for several days – messes a bit with the nose too. Maybe I need to find herbal medicine for this – classmates drink flower tea so that might be a workaround. According to our friends over at Eating China, the Chinese New Year tree spotted everywhere may be an answer – the kumquat. It’s a small orange-looking fruit that adorns countless shops and public places during the new year (something like a Christmas tree) apparently representing good fortune. Simply by throwing a few already-squeezed kumquat halves in a pot of boiling water, you can make a quick remedy for what a lot of Guangzhou people appear to already be suffering from – excess phlegm (evidenced by the frequent and urgent need to spit it out). Here’s what they say about the under-appreciated fruit (that apparently isn’t even a citrus despite its appearance):
Health-wise, kumquats house a good measure of vitamin C, plus potassium, and beta-carotene. And because the fruit is usually eaten whole, there is an extra nutritional boost from the peel and seeds. According to traditional Chinese medicine, kumquat helps eliminate phlegm and is a good remedy for a sore throat or a nagging cough. Last week I happened to be down with a cold myself, and the two or three pots of kumquat tea I drank did seem helpful. Chinese pharmacies sell a traditional throat lozenge made of dried kumquat peel.
A quick check with AD confirms that she has both the herbal tea variety AND a tastier fermented alcoholic version. We’ll save the kumquat booze for later…
