Day 8 - Cancelled

Today I spent all day negotiating my hotel registration form, needed to extend my visa. In China, without this form you cannot process your visa extension. But my hotel was not playing ball.

 

First, I had a meeting at 10 am. With the director of the hotel. That did not go well. He said that because I was not studying at his school, he could not issue me a registration form. Total bullshit.

So I went to the Shaolin police station, about 30 minute walk towards Dengfeng. I took a cab.

I was at the station about three hours, before one policewoman in uniform decided she could write English. Before that, the police man in charge brought as a translator the young man from the hotel who hates me. I refused to deal with him. I called the emergency number 110 dozens of times, but no one was able to help me. Incredible. Imagine if you have a real emergency! I saw a piece of paper on the desk in the office with my telephone number and hotel room number on it. My initial calls from the hotel went to that office. 

 

In any case, once the policewoman started writing English things began to move. She got on the phone and talked with the hotel, who exactly I don’t know. But the first deal was I could get a refund and move out the same day. But I wanted to stay until Sunday. Then the hotel said I could have a registration form. (Just like I said, total bullshit). I told the police officer I wanted to leave on Sunday and get a refund. 

 

And that is what happened. But for the time I lost, I won. You really never know what direction things will move in until you try.