A New World

For all my worries about her safety, the cat made it to Shanghai before me. I guess it helped that she had her visa in order. Star (that’s her name) is a surprisingly well adapted travel-cat. If you’re ever shipping a pet to or from Hong Kong/China and looking for a good service, I highly recommend Ferndale Kennels. They handled the delivery with a high level of care and professionalism.

My own (me being stupid) visa situation was resolved with a quick visit to the Chinese Consulate in Hong Kong. US$120 and 2 hours later, I was once again official and on my way to the PRC.

Saying goodbye to Hong Kong was not painless. As excited as I am about my future life and business in Shanghai, there are aspects of living in China that simply cannot compete with the civility and quality of life to be found in a world-class city like Hong Kong. But that’s in the past now…

Stepping off the plane at Pudong is like walking into a forest fire. The smoky haze that engulfs most of China can be quaint at times. With a mild winter chill in the air, the smoke takes me back to autumn in Texas, when the woodsy scent of burning leaves reminded you that Christmas is just around the corner. Except in China I think they’re burning tires.

First day on the ground was productive. We think we might have found our new office space already. Thanks to some advance scouting by Xin we now have our eyes on a beautiful creative space in a renovated building near to the current Vyk offices. If all goes well we could be moved in by early-December. Adjusting for mah-fahn (that’s Chinese for “hassle”, one of the first words you learn – exactly why, you are reminded of every day) – we can actually expect to be in by Christmas. But as Xin likes to say, “There is no Christmas in China.” We’ll see.