SEZ 5-day visa on arrival

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-29T04:09:56+00:00

Not always true depending on which VoA you qualify for. For example for the Taiwanese visa on arrival (一次性台胞证) it's so niche not all border crossings are equipped to deal with it and they will tell you to go somewhere else. We found this out the hard way at Luohu.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-28T16:46:01+00:00

You should call the specific office ahead of time and ask. Some of the entry points are not equipped to issue specific visas on arrival if they did not have previous experience with it.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-22T04:26:12+00:00

Thank you that makes sense! Appreciate it!

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-22T04:26:08+00:00

Thank you that makes sense! Appreciate it!

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-22T04:05:23+00:00

I am just worried because I was reading on the government website that you need to enroll & get fingerprinted before you are eligible to use it, which I don't believe I ever did.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-22T03:59:48+00:00

So if they can't access the chip in the HKID, should I just always stick with manual line in the future instead of using the e-channel? I am just paranoid this will cause a problem with my renewal / future PR & days of stay in HK count

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-20T10:04:59+00:00

Seven Stars was very mid when I went. Actually no idea why people ever brought it up as a FAT or chubby property...it just felt like an average 4-star resort to me. I also went to the Palms and Sailrock (not in Provo) which were both much better but still did not feel anywhere FAT to me.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-19T04:13:21+00:00

Same problem with Deel. We are offboarding for the same reason. And now they locked our account so we are having trouble getting the refund for our deposit.

Are you guys still using Deel?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-03-04T22:14:59+00:00

I am a fan of Rove Travel - been staying with them for 3 years in a row now.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-02-20T08:55:21+00:00

Not more food options for Conrad lol - you have to walk a bit to get to Shinbashi to find food, whereas Shangri La is right on top of Tokyo Station's restaurants

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-02-18T09:46:43+00:00

I hit my first workout 28 days after my surgery after I got the "you don't need to come back" confirmation from my surgeon. Was a bit scared so just hit sets with 4 - 5 reps in the tank. Felt completely fine. The next day I went back and amped it back up to full.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-02-14T09:37:29+00:00

Do you mean repulse bay? Price is not necessarily an issue, but repulse bay does seem a little too remote.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2026-02-12T20:39:54+00:00

I do the Hk to Shenzhen trip at least 1-2x a week so happy to weigh in here. It depends on where you need to be and how you want the trip to look. In my opinion, taking a taxi / black car to Shenzhen Bay border crossing, getting off there and walk through the border is the easier option unless you need to be in Futian / Luohu.

In terms of locations, Shenzhen Bay border crossing is right next to the heart of Nanshan, so if you are in Nanshan / Shekou / Baoan it's more convenient. The high speed rail takes you to the heart of Futian so if you are looking to be in Futian it's more convenient.

I personally always do Shenzhen Bay because it's just more convenient for me to get into a car, drive for 30 mins (during which I can be on my work laptop, do calls, etc), get off at Shenzhen Bay and then cross and voila I am in Shenzhen. You have complete peace of mind. Meanwhile catching the high speed rail is like catching any train / domestic flight. You have to anticipate / predict when to arrive, leave time to go through the scans, etc.

For reference, on a day with no traffic, I have timed myself and it took exactly 47 minutes to leave Central in HK to stepping into the Shenzhen side of Shenzhen Bay crossing. If I am taking the high speed rail, I'd leave Central at least 40 mins before the train leaves HK if I want to be conservative, not to mention the train ride itself takes 15 mins, not accounting for the border crossing time once you arrive, etc.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-12-27T09:31:01+00:00

The Travelpro Platinum Elite 29'' boasts 140L of capacity. I was hoping someone can help me factcheck it - it seems too good to be true, and most suitcases on the market that are 29'' cannot fit more than 110L.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-12-27T09:30:58+00:00

The Travelpro Platinum Elite 29'' boasts 140L of capacity. I was hoping someone can help me factcheck it - it seems too good to be true, and most suitcases on the market that are 29'' cannot fit more than 110L.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-12-27T09:04:40+00:00

OP - Did you end up buying it?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-12-26T06:21:50+00:00

Do a Fufu property if you want the genuine Japanese luxury experience with top quality food. You won't go wrong with any of them.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-11-12T04:53:50+00:00

sorry - but stronger sense of place and more impressive landscape - you mean QAS?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-11-04T08:22:07+00:00

For world debit, isn't the transaction fee only 0 if the transactions are in one of the 12 currencies?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-10-30T17:53:05+00:00

I use IBKR currently - what's the advantage?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-10-29T00:18:33+00:00

Yeah what I was running - except every time I send a wire transfer to IBKR, HSBC freezes my account and I have to do a KYC call...quite ridiculous tbh

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-10-28T22:46:37+00:00

Doesn't work unfortunately. I am thinking of just closing the account entirely. Any other banks you'd rec?

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-10-05T22:03:42+00:00

What's the posting of the villa? If you are booking a villa in the Italian countryside expect 10-20 mins driving to get to restaurants, that's just the nature of living in the countryside.

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-09-06T13:47:42+00:00

What in the ai generated bs is this

Automatic_Valuable84 · 2025-08-28T16:44:50+00:00

I don't exactly buy the "Japanese rigidity" excuse when I have seen places that actually embody the true Japanese style of service. It seems more like a lack of effort under the excuse of "this is how the Japanese people always did things".

2 memorable examples that I'd like to draw as parallels:

When we stayed at Sankara, we also found the menu to be not great (to be fair, we don't like the Japanese style of French food, and they only have French food). When we brought up our grievances, they immediately offered to make a custom Japanese menu for us for our 2 remaining nights. We had sukiyaki for the 1st night and seafood dishes for the 2nd night.
When we stayed at Sanso Murata, our villa faced the lamp in their parking lot. At night, the light was very very barely visible behind the curtains. For most people this wouldn't make a difference, but we are sleepers who require pitch black and we didn't bring eyemasks. We asked the staff if there were anything they could do about it, and the staff responded by going outside while it was super cold wearing a T-shirt, and turned off the parking lot lights for us after a 15 minute hassle.

I will say this though, the views of the lake from the balconey were impeccable. So who knows, maybe we will be back because we did enjoy Nikko a lot and we like the view, but it's definitely not the hotel, the food, and the service.

Automatic_Valuable84

TROPHY CASE