First Post

[Capstone]

Hello Everyone,

Allow me to introduce myself to all of you. I am a 40 year old man who was previously married to an AW for about 7 years and have been divorced for almost 3 years. Since my divorce I have not had any problems dating other American women however I have pretty much come to conclusion that I do not want to marry another one. I honestly do not have anything against AW and have no reason to speak bad of them but I have experienced too much of 'its all about ME syndrome' with them.

I had never really considered looking for a foreign woman to pursue a relationship with but have kind of stumbled into it so to speak.  About 6 months ago I joined an Asian travel site because I had previously lived in Japan for 3 years and was interested in chatting with some Japanese posters in order to learn more about current events, etc.  But as it turned out in addition to chatting with a number of Japanese posters I also started chatting with a lady from China as well. She and I initially began chatting about travel, Chinese & American culture, etc but then soon began discussing personal topics and things progressed from there.

We have been corresponding via messenger, email and phone for about 5 months now and everything seems to be going quite well as we share many of the same interests, values, likes/dislikes, etc. She is a highly intelligent & educated lady who is also well traveled. She is a high school English teacher, so communication has never been an issue with us at all.

She is currently on summer break from school and I have a brief window of free time at work so I have decided to take a trip to see her, as I know this is the only way to know if it is indeed a relationship worth pursuing. It was kind of a spur of the moment trip and I do not really have time to get a Chinese visa so we are going to meet in Hong Kong for 8 days at the end of this month instead of the Mainland.

I am hoping that things work out between us and we decide to pursue the relationship further but if not at least I have made I new friend and I will also have experienced a nice vacation - so either way I can not lose. I will post a trip report upon my return and let everyone know how things turned out.

Thanks for reading my first post and I looking forward to sharing experiences with all of you in the future.   

[Dave H]

Hi Capstone,

Welcome to P-L! I agree, that until you meet in person, it is hard to tell if things should go to the next level. Take lots of pictures together, which will be needed later should things work out well and you petition her. Save your emails and any records of communication between you.

Good Luck!

Dave

[Ray]

Hi Cap!

Sounds like a great 8-day adventure. Have fun at Disneyland... 

[leather neck]

Hello Capstone,

Welcome to the board...


Leatherneck

[Jeff S]

Hi Cap and welcome. Too bad you can't make it to the mainland. China is a great place to visit. You can get a visa the next day if you need it at a Chinese consulate. I did it in LA earlier this year. You can also probably get one in Hong Kong, and it would be worth a short jaunt into the country, if even for a few days. 

I suspect that if you lived in Japan, you'll be kind of surprised at the differences between Japanese and Chinese cultures, attitudes, and lifestyles, though Hong Kong, as Ray alluded to is Disneyland. I'm eager to hear your impressions when you get back.

- Jeff

[Capstone]

Thanks for all the kind words and support guys, I really appreciate it.

Jeff - Unfortunately my trip is butting heads with the Olympic games in Beijing which start in several weeks and as a result the Chinese consulate is currently inundated with visa applications, so I did not want to run the risk of buying an airline ticket to the mainland only to not being issued a visa in time. Also from what I understand the issuance of visas in HK has been suspended until after the Olympics are over. Oh well, if everything goes well between us I expect to make a follow up trip to the mainland sometime in October.

I will definitely let everyone know how my trip went upon my return. Thanks again.

[Bear]

Welcome to the board!

I like the way you met.  Takes some of the pressure off having to find out if she is a scammer.  One of my biggest worries when I started, after reading these bullitin board posts, was that I get hooked up with some user, not being aware of the different schemes they used.  So I decided I'd only look for people not looking for me, meaning girls not looking for a guy living in America for marriage.  I'd chat with others (lots and lots)but I tried to make the first contact.   Ended up marrying a girl who started the first contact but she had absolutely no interest in marriage when we first started chatting, like you.

After that I'm not much help on China.  Jeff, Bob and a few others know the ropes though.

The Bear Family

[Ray]

...though Hong Kong, as Ray alluded to is Disneyland.

LOL! Well, that's not exactly what I meant Jeff, although I had some great "E-Ticket" rides in Hong Kong many moons ago. 

I was actually referring to the new Disneyland Park in Hong Kong. OMG, I guess it's been about 25 years since I was last in Hong Kong.

Ray

[Marshall K]

Welcome, Cap.
My first trip to China was through Hong Kong.  Too rich for my humble lifestyle.  What city is she from?
The Olympics have made Chinese visas a pain in the arse.  They want to know your itinerary, hotels you will be staying in, etc.  You can use a visa service to get your visa for you.  You can find them online, easily.  Download the application from the Chinese consulate website, fill it out carefully, enclose two passport type photos, and Fedex overnight to the agency.  They will walk it over to the consulate.  Do the express application and they will have it back to you in just a couple of days.
I think you will have a great time no matter if you are in China or Hong Kong.  Gourmet magazine rates Hong Kong as the #1 city in the world for food, beating Paris.  Have fun!

[Capstone]

Hi Marshall - thanks for your comments. She is from Xiamen and was planning on making a trip to HK this summer anyway so it will work out just fine. This way it will give both of us a chance to experience a vacation.

I will definitely try and hit some nice restaraunts while in HK - my girl has been to HK several times and so she should be familiar with some good places to eat.

At this point the only thing that I am not looking forward to is the long plane ride. Atlanta to Newark 2.5 hours (no big deal) - Newark to HK 16 hours (No fun!).

[Dave H]

At this point the only thing that I am not looking forward to is the long plane ride. Atlanta to Newark 2.5 hours (no big deal) - Newark to HK 16 hours (No fun!).

Hey Capstone,

You will get used to those long plane rides...until you have small children!    Good Luck!

Dave

[Bob_S]

You will get used to those long plane rides...until you have small children!    Good Luck!

And when they build up a resistance to Benedryl (the secret baby knock-out drug)?  Oh gawd.  And they're so over-stimulated, they do NOT sleep at their regular time.  LAX → Tokyo = 12 hours of baby-screaming hell.   

But I loved HK.  I could totally see living there long term for awhile.  I had a friend who lived in Discovery Bay and I had a chance to visit him in his high rise apartment with a view of Hong Kong across the bay.  Wow!

Let your lady show you around, but be sure to drop by Sam's Tailor for a custom suit for less than you'd pay for an off-the-rack suit at a discount shop here.

[Dave H]

Hey Bob,

My daughter was 2 (4 now) the last time we went to the Philippines (LAX-Manila = 14 hours if you don't stop in Honolulu).  The terrible 2's were in full swing. Fortunately, most Filipinas are very helpful! Filipinos seem to deal with noise a lot better than Americans. My daughter usually ends up with several "yayas" (nannies) among the passengers on the plane. One mestiza stewardess looked so much like my daughter, that she could have been her older sister or mother.  She would pick my daughter up, give her snacks and take her around the plane. We have had some problems with my daughter after arriving in the US, experiencing long delays and flight rescheduling (30+ hours total in airports and on planes, my longest trip was 40 hours) on our way to FTL (Fort Lauderdale). Benedryl has been a life saver during those times! My wife and I usually get the evil eye from American FemNazis even if our daughter behaves. 

Dave

[Marshall K]

Another good reason to live on the west coast.  I really like the Airbus that NW Airlines uses on its Portland to Tokyo flight.  Good leg room, and those bitchin personal movie sets on the back of the seat in front of you.  About 20 movies to choose from, you can totally control what you watch.  There were so many good movies to choose from last time I was coming home that I wasn't ready to land.  If you stopover in Tokyo, they have the world's best toilet---heated seat, and a variable pressure/temperature bidet.  Have fun!

[Staggo]

lol, Marshall, I got sick because of Tokyo on my trip.  bathrooms were ok in LAX, but caused me to miss my flight to Las Vegas.  I wanted to eat real food there and so I had sushi.  Made my life miserable, I had to buy a new ticket to las vegas lol.

[Capstone]

Tokyo is a nice place for a layover but Osaka (KIX) is actually nicer with many more amenities for transient passengers. No layover on this trip though - at least not scheduled, but of course you never know during typhoon season.

Ordinarily I would have tried to make a connection at LAX and fly Cathay Pacific from there to HK. Cathay really knows how to take care of their passengers - much better than any American carrier. But I had enough frequent flyer miles for a free flight on Continental, so I guess that I can not complain. But you guys are right, living on the West Coast would really help!!

[Jeff S]

Yup - I can go nonstop to Narita, Kansai, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong. Not only that but I don't need a heater nor an air conditioner. Life's a beach in surf city.

[leather neck]

Hey Marshall,

Good to hear from you...you been MIA for a spell.

Dave,

Whats wrong...no picture of that Japanese toilet Marshall spoke of! I know if there is one to be found, you can do it!

Leatherneck

[Dave H]

Dave,

Whats wrong...no picture of that Japanese toilet Marshall spoke of! I know if there is one to be found, you can do it!

Leatherneck

Hey Leatherneck,

Ray has a bunch of those toilet photos, but I have a couple. I think this is the perfect  time for Ray to tell his "Whaledog" story. How about it Ray?  ROFLMAOCUMLPASIMMFD!!!!!

Ahh Yes, here is a very nice one! You will have to ask the Japan experts, Jeff and Bob, what the small vase/earn/jar is for. I'm guessing to place the remains of your dead ancestor while you do your business or perhaps put some flowers in. 

Dave

[Dave H]

Hey Leatherneck,

Here are some Japanese toilet instructions for your reading pleasure. I'm not very good with those international signs, perhaps someone can translate them.  Personally, I would have prefered an old Hustler magazine. 

Dave