The bittersweet Embassy

After hours of research online and hassling fellow travellers, today was the day I attempted to beat the system and obtain my visa for China.

Up to this point I had already been in touch with the embassy of which they told me all visa applications need to go through CVASC (China Visa Application Service Centre) which costs an additional £36.

After reading numerous travel forums rumour had it that you could obtain a visa directly from the embassy for £30 (without the CVASC fee).

Having queued up for the best part of an hour outside the Chinese Embassy, I was greeted with "all visas are processed at the CVASC centre".

Morale of the story, don't believe everything you read on the internet and just accept that people rip you off at any given opportunity.

So this message goes out to any fellow travellers who intend to visit China, you can no longer obtain a regular tourist visa directly from the embassy if you are a British passport holder.

Fortunately our Australian friends are more welcoming. In a matter of minutes I had filled out my eVisitor application and had it accepted within the hour, free of cost SIMPLES!!

The preparations continue...