The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

With 18 days to go, I'm currently wedged in a sandwich of the wonderful and the less wonderful.

Good
I've finished my Legal Practice Course, marking what's hopefully the end of seven years of third-level education (and moving me another notch along the way to being a qualified lawyer). Provided I've passed my final examinations (the results of which are released when I'm in deepest Siberia), that's a massive weight off my mind.



Which leads on to the second wonderful - I went to the doctor to have my travel vaccinations topped up yesterday, and found that the end of the LPC has also resulted in my blood pressure dropping by around 20%, putting it firmly in the normal category. Double hurrah!

Bad
I still don't have my Chinese visa. The embassy have been dragging their heels as a result of new requirements they introduced earlier this year requiring tourist visa holders to prove their journey in and out of China, and show proof of accommodation for each night that they're in China. All fine, except that I'm not booking my own tickets in - they're being provided by an intermediary ... so finding a form of words that is satisfactory to the embassy has been a little challenging.

I'm hoping this morning that the documentation I've sent off will be sufficient and tick all the relevant boxes - however, the delay in getting the visa means that I've had to update to a same day rush service so I can have my passport returned in time for a work trip next week. That, combined with the introduction of a new mandatory intermediary "Visa Application Company" by the embassy has increased my visa costs by a whopping £70-odd, making consular fees a lot more than I originally anticipated.

Add to that the additional £100 I may have to splash out to be vaccinated against Japanese B encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis (symptoms include swollen brain, swollen testicles and, erm, death!) and a happy bunny I am not at the moment.

Still, I'm hoping that these are all minor hurdles on the way to a marvellous holiday!

Ugly
Unfortunately, there has been some political unrest and violence in Mongolia this week following general elections. Here's hoping, for everyone's sakes, it calms down soon.