Just had the meeting with the tour leaders - no progress on the China visas. The situation actually looks pretty bad and there is a real risk that the tour will end at the Chinese border. That would really suck.
It seems that China is being very strict with their visa issuing: you can only apply for a visa in your country of citizenship and you can only apply in person. After unsuccessfully applying in the US and mailing my passport back to Toronto, I can personally vouch for each of these.
The tour company is trying to speak with various government representatives from Canada and China, but so far there has been no progress.
The only option I can see is to fly back to Toronto during my 5 day break in Istanbul. I should be able to get a visa issued in Toronto, however, other Silk Route riders have applied for visas recently in Toronto and received visas that only allow them in the country for 30 days. We will be cycling in China for about 60 days or so, and we'll be in very remote areas, where it might be hard to extend a visa. Still, this is looking like the only option right now.
If anyone has any thoughts, or contacts within the Chinese embassy, I'd love to hear them.
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