At the border crossing Veitnam to China, we realise it was going to be different from here on.
Tone passes throught the security check - no worries, but the young army guy checking passports wants a closer look at mine. He got magnifying glasses, used UV lights and then called in his superiors to check me out... meanwhile the line behind me is growing... I'm asked to step into an office, and don't know what's going on, because they can't explain it.
After half an hour, I'm still in there, Tone is waiting with no idea where I am, and another army guy brings a scrap of paper and asks me to sign it. I think 'Eh?' but figure they must not be convinced by the shrunken scrawl of a signature on the passport! I motion for a pen, and he pulls out a calligraphy pen, which of course is difficult to write with if you're not used to, my hand is shaking, and even on a good day my writing is terrible... anyway! I get a ball pen, do that, and admittedly, all my signatures look different. Never done two the same in my life! What, are they meant to be the same, or something? Just to prove my laughability i pull out all my cards that have signatures, and none of them match up. By then I was laughing at myself, and so was the rest of China. They patted me on the back, motioned me through the gate, so I was welcomed to China. It seems literacy is not a requirement for a tourist visa :)
