Applying for Travel Documents for kid in Chinese Conculate in Ho

I just drove to Houston Consulate yesterday to apply for Travel Document for my child, here is the summary of the experiences:

1. Follow the instruction on consulate website. You can DIY the photo yourself (pls use photoshop to process and based on picture instruction on the consulate website)

2. Children do not need to go there, you can go alone without your spouse, but need a notarized Power of Attorney from your spouse, we did it at a UPS store). In this case, you can drive alone and more flexible on the trip.

3. Try to avoid Monday and Friday as the application volume is heavy

4. Prepare Money Order ($25/kid) at the post office, and buy a prepaid Express envolpe ($17 flat rate) at the post office. No Cash if you want it to be mailed it back to you. (don't know why)

5. I finished the application in 5 minutes and choosed express processing ($30 extra) to get it in 4 hours. But you have to drop in the application in the morning or you can only get it the next day. During the 4 hours in waiting, you can go to the the Ocean Place at Bellaire to enjoy a Chinese Seafood lunch or Dim Dum ....