So for those of you who do not know I am actually working here in Taiwan in a not-so-legal state. You see I have a tourist visa, which technically does not allow me to work but since I am paid under the table it’s not really a problem.
My visa is a multiple-entry tourist visa for 60 days that is extendable to 180 days. Seeing that I am at the 60 day limit I figured I would go to immigration, fill out a few forms, hand over the passport, come back the next day, and miss a few hours of work as a bonus.
The first warning was when the extension forms said I needed some government authorized form to fill out. No big deal I thought, I made a few calls (including one to a cop I know here). Then the shit hit the fan. When talking with the immigration agency they asked why I was here in Taiwan (tourism I said). Well it turns out (I shit you not that I am not making this up) the only way you can extend a tourist visa is if you are a rock star or you have blood relatives here in Taiwan. I am none of the above.
That meant I had to get the hell out of this place since tomorrow is my 60 day limit (even though the fine for up to 10 days over is only NT 2000—this is about $60). Well I made some calls to my boss and we decided that I can go to Xiamen, China I have a visa for China and it is easy to enter through Xiamen then stay with my boss until Saturday at his place. The initial plan was for me to leave tomorrow morning by taking a flight from Taipei to Jinmen island then a ferry to Xiamen.
The problem here is that I am also very urgently needed in the office since I speak English and we are trying to work out some new specs for our largest customer and there is a 1.5 million piece order going out Monday. So that means if I left I was going to screw my coworkers hardcore then absolutely have to work my but off when I came back.
So in a terrible twist of fate I agreed to cut my visit to a foreign country short. I will go to Xiamen via Jinmen tomorrow, take some pictures from the ferry terminal, and then turn around and come straight back to Taiwan. Sort of a waste of a single entry Chinese visa if you ask me.
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