Finding our EMS package

So around 3.30 p.m., Yangchen called us at the hotel to ask if we had
received the letter with the permits yet. When we told her we hadn't,
she went to the post office to check with them. They said that the
package had reached Chengdu last night and that it would be possible
for us to trace it and get it from the EMS dispatch center.
So the very kind staff of the Mix Hostel called the information line
of EMS China, got a number for the Chengdu branch, then got another
number for the local dispatch center. They called there and got their
address. They point me a place on the map in the vicinity of
Chengdu's train station about two kilometers from here. They also
gave me a piece of paper with what I suppose was the address in
Chinese and a phone number.

Since it was not my lucky day for taxi I had to go there on running
and taking the bus for one stop. I was afraid I would arrive after
the opening hours. The indications I got from the Mix Hostel staff
about the location were not totally exact. Of course nobody talks
English here and I just walked around looking for a post office.
Finally, somebody pointed me in the good direction and I found the
place. It was not a post office at all. It was a distribution center
with trucks everywhere and people working but not customer reception
center. I asked about five different people and at last someone took
me to the appropriate building on the appropriate floor.

I showed the reference number. They checked the packet location in
the computer then went to a big postal bag that they started to
search. After two minutes they got hold of our envelope. I then just
had to show my passport, sign a document and I had it in my hand.

I soon as I left the office, I checked what was inside. It was four
documents in Chinese with our names and red stamps. Yeah, it looked
like permits.

I then took the bus back to the hotel. These buses are so good here,
very well organized, you never wait more than 3 or 4 minutes to get one.

I stopped at the shop to grab a bottle of water, running in that heat
got me thirsty! I told the girls that I had the permits and I asked
Lara (a very kind and extremely efficient staff member) to arrange
for the earliest flight to Lhasa.

So we are flying tomorrow at 6.20 a.m. and should arrive at Lhasa's
airport about two hours later. Yangchen and one of her brother in law
will come to pick us there.

It was really time for us to get those permits. We were all tired and
bored of waiting.

Thank you to all of you who sent support message during these 7 long
days!