It's not how much you have

So remember how i was talking about the Blue Ribbon and the back door?? Well, Christmas has passed and i have not opened my gift yet. But i have started removing some of the Blue Ribbon.

Here is the story:
It all comes down to the point that i need to extend my visa for another month before i can apply for my next visa, which will give me the magical powers to stay in China for a year or so! I know, complicated, but this is the task at hand. It becomes even more interesting with all the Red Tape! It is truly an art to extend your visa, this should only be done by the greatest of artists. But, i have the crayons and the clay out and decided to start working on this masterpiece.

First we need to go to the bank to open a bank account. Mmm.. i am almost dreading this after my last experience transferring some money. Unfortunately it is proof of funds that i need to show for the extention. They want to make sure i don't become a charity case in this country.
Proof of funds..... this might be another problem!! Funds?? That was my plane ticket!! I can see this is going to be an adventurous experience. It is almost like running for a train in London. You can hear the commotion of the train approaching. The only problem is that you are about 200meters away, fighting people down the escalator. You hear the train stop at the platform... you run faster!! Now the people exiting the train starts blocking the way!! You shove and push yourself through the smallest gaps that you can find, forcing your body into postions it was never created to be in. Then you hear the most dreadful sound over the train speakers "Please mind the doors". With the doors closing in your face all you can do is sit down and wait for the next train. But you see, sometimes someone within the train will keep the door jammed with a foot or hand, just to wait for you to enter. This will be a case of jamming the doors, only question is... who is the person inside the train?

My great help and friend Lifei once again assists me into the streets of Linfen. Today we have the biggest task at hand yet. Opening a bank account with a tourist visa, with money that i don't have!! We enter the first bank and there is a ray of hope. We start queing in a line of 10 people. Service in these banks are not the best. Eventually we get to the front. After some strong Chinese words being spoken by my friend Lifei, we realise how difficult this will be. To open a bank account you need a Chinese ID, which they give to foreigners if they have work permits. We set off to the next bank only to get shot down once again. Running between the banks and the office, brainstorming every single option, someone somewhere saw these guys running for the train and decided to jam the door open.

With some people knowing some people, that know some people, i managed to open a bank account with about 20 000Yuan. This is a miracle all by itself. You will understand this when i say that to open a bank account in this country, you need more than just a travel visa and a pretty face. My passport was admired by the bank staff. I think they made extra copies of my photo to take home, just to have proof that they helped a white man!! I would not have been able to do this without some great influential people around me.

Tomorrow we will face the giants in the police station who will eventually be the people that decide if i stay... or go.

(Linfen, Shanxi Province, China)