Well, it took us TWO trips to San Francisco to get our visas for China, but fortunately on our way to Arizona to attend Allison’s graduation, we were able to pass through San Francisco both on the way down and on the way back. The Chinese Consulate requires that one submit one’s passport in person (oneself or one’s agent) and they offer to mail it back with the visa if you provide the stamped, self-addressed envelope. Problem is that when you select this option, you cannot pay the visa fee with your Visa card — (seems like you should be able to) — you have to pay the $130 x 2 in cash, which we didn’t have with us. Anyway, we now have passports with visas in hand.

Also, we have a draft of an itinerary the first leg of our trip in China, which we’ve posted on our Resources site. According to the countdown counter, we have just 53 days until we leave.