The Indian visa, end of the story

Celebrations!

The envelope was waiting, patiently, in the mailbox, right next to the door. The priority mail could mean just one thing. The Indian visa!

So my passport came back, with the Indian visa in it, in the imparted time. Only problem : it will have cost me twice the price and two trips to Ottawa instead of one. Other problem, since I now have a journalist visa in my passport, I won't be able to stay vague about my job when I'll cross borders everywhere else. Lesson learned.

Other lesson : double check every information before sending the visa request.

Buying the flight

Before I change my mind, I bought the flight that will have me landing in New Delhi on January 5th.

For that, I noticed the price of the flight was 400 $ higher in just one month. 100 $ more than the week before. And that is for the cheapest one. Not necessarily the one I wanted.

I searched on flights comparators I didn't know about, like momondo.com and google.com/flights (no, I hadn't realized  Google had started comparing flights). I also tried on the usual websites like Expedia.ca or priceline.com.

Results were not convincing for the length of the flights, the number of stops or the arrival time. I was about to give up when I took a last chance. I've already written it, flight comparators are not all comparing the price for the same companies. That is when I found a flight on Emirates, a company well known for the quality of service. A company I didn't get the chance to fly on yet.

Before booking, I checked on Emirates website itself... where the same flight was cheaper. Economies : 120 $.

Other than the website problems which delayed my booking for 24 hours, I was done with the problems. At least I hope so. Direction India as soon as the new year starts : visa and flight in hand.

The Indian visa saga

The ones who are used to my blog already know I don't like to ask for visas. Always complicated, lots of forms to fill, always that feeling I gave the wrong answers.

Yes, I understand why. It's only that I don't have any other intention than visiting, than feeling the countries culture. If everybody was planning on doing the same, we wouldn't need a visa.

I stressed to get the Chinese visa. I almost had urticaria for the Brazilian visa. I had to work hard to get the Cuban visa.

And the adventures keep on coming for the Indian visa. Because I decided to leave for a month in January, I wanted to get a lead to be one step ahead. The flights are cheaper when bought several months ahead. But to book a flight, one must be sure they will be able to leave.

So I went for a tourist visa. I filled the form online, checked each information at least three times and drove to Ottawa to hand my application directly. If there is a problem, they will tell me.

At BLS office, the agency that will take care of the application, one can only pay cash or with debit. It will take seven to ten days, I'm told, before the visa is ready.

"If I wrote I'm a journalist, will there be any problem?" I ask.

Stop. Smarter people will say I should avoid talking about my job. I chose honesty... Just to see. End of the pause.

"No problem. Since you're asking for a tourist visa, there will be no problem" I'm told.

Loud buzzer telling me it's wrong!

Got a call, two weeks later, telling me my request was denied. Tourist or not, I need a journalist visa. The difference? The price, higher, and the length of stay, shorter.

The call center being unable to answer all my questions, I went back to Ottawa to hand a second request, which is still in treatment.

They gave me excuses, but no discount. I had to pay again, even if I had asked all the questions the first time and they gave me the wrong answers. I told them they should put the right information on their website. They said they would make the corrections. Nothing has changed to this day.

In the mean time, I hear a lot of bad stories from visa applicants... I prefer having faith. The decision should come before the end of the week.

But if India doesn't want me, I'll go somewhere else...

Where to go next?

I'm still far from done on telling my stories about Turkey. Still have all the Netherlands to tell about. Procrastination, when you lead us... But fear nothing, it's not stopping me from dreaming and from planning the next trip.

There will be a first adventure this fall. Still have to choose where. Peru and Bolivia have a head start. I'll have to make a decision between the two, or change my mind just before booking, like I often do. Since it'll be winter in the northern hemisphere, I'm pretty sure I'll get close to the equator anyway.

The biggest step ahead, nonetheless, will come in January. I've been talking about that for more than a year. I started working on it... Everything points out at a landing in New Delhi around January 6. India! Yes, it brings a little vertigo. But I need to push myself. That's where I need to go.

To get there, one needs a visa before taking off. Usually valid for six months, it's validity starts right at the moment you get it. So you need to calculate your time wisely.

My picture has already been taken and I filled the form on the website at this address
: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/

There you'll find an answer to all your questions.

What will my itinerary be? Don't know. Will certainly have the time to tell you more about that. Adventure is just starting.

The Cuban Visa

Last (I hope) saga about a visa.

Two weeks and some days away from going home, it is time to think about the stopover I planned in Cuba. Because yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, we need a visa to visit Castro's country. At least, that's what one can read on the canadian governement website.

In fact, it is necessary to get a "visitor's card". Most Canadians get one when they book through a travel agency. It means they often ignore they need it because they didn't have to ask for it. But for a nomad like me, who booked online, it is necessary to go to the consulate to get the piece of paper.

Informations are contradictory online. In some places, they'll say it is possible to pay to get the card at the airport in Habana. Others say you'll need the card at check-in or you'll be denied boarding.

No need to take chances. I found the correct list of documents I needed. Passport, a copy of my ticket, proof of stay... Form filled (impossible to find it online), proof of insurance and other papers also appear on some lists online. Hard to find your way.

Same for the time needed to get the card. Mystery.

I asked people at my hostel to phone the consulate in Sao Paulo (yo no hablo el portuguese) to ask. They said with my documents, I would get the visa the same day.

Took my courage (and patience) in both my hands and headed to the consulate. Got there 40 minutes before it closed. Was the last one in.

I thought it would be harder. But the visa guy was really nice, understood I didn't speak portuguese. With a half filled form, because I didn't know what to write in most of the spaces to fill, and a signature, the man was happy. I needed a copy of my ticket, a copy of my passport and a proof of stay in a hostel.

Couple of minutes later, he printed my card. I can get in Cuba without any problem.

Was easy.

A night in the desert

Wadi Rum

I'm a little late telling my stories. If I took one week to post this message, I have to admit I'm 20 days late in my personnal journal where I should usually write down the details I might be  forgetting sooner or later. Anyway!

So here I am. Made my way to Jordan after a flight of about nine hours from Bangkok airport.

To get the visa? Nothing easier. No questions, no signature needed. Only 20 $JD. And a picture or your iris.

The experience started the wrong way since the taxi I was waiting for at the airport didn't show up. The driver I hired then wanted to bring me directly from Amman to Petra. No! I said more than once. And he finally listened.

When I got in the hostel, at around 6:45 in the morning, I signed up for a visit, the same day, at the Dead Sea. Must enjoy it while we can.


A driver brought us to Mount Nebo, where Moise was seen for the last time, before leaving us at the touristic beach of the Dead Sea. They don't call it touristic without a reason. It costs 16 $JD to get in. (Note that the jordanian dinar is a stronger currency than the canadian dollar)

We all know the Dead Sea is full of salt. But it is better not to have any wound when you get in the water. Because it burns. A lot. More than you can imagine. And let's just say that my recent visit at a doctor's office left me with a lot of reasons for my skin to burn. That is why one needs to take a shower after leaving the sea area. Because the sun and the salt, mixed together, equal pain. 

Desert

The next day, I left for Petra, where I immediately booked one day and one night in the desert with the campany 7 Pillars. I didn't want to get there alone, but I met a Hungarian girl in the hostel who decided to come with me.

At 6:30 in the morning, we left for the desert. It was a hot day. At least 45 degrees. And don't tell me " at least, in the desert, it's dry". It was a hot day.

I bought a scarf to protect my head and live the jordanian experience to the fullest. I was shown how to put it as a turban.

The experience was mindblowing. The rocks and the sand everywhere around made me so calm, made me think... and sweat, of course.

The most memorable moments were the sunset and that part of the night where I looked at the shooting stars without any light from any city. 

I started a conversation with a 32 years old American who fought in Irak. His time in the Middle East was a way to seek forgiveness, to make sure the arab world is not holding a grudge against him personally. Unforgettable.

That is without mentionning the visit of the ancient town of Petra itself, where I could confirm I will never be an acrobat. When we got lost on the high rocks and we needed to find a way down, the abrupt slopes were not too inviting. It's a miracle I didn't break anything.

The tiring way up to the monastery, on top of a hill, was probably the best moment.

From there, I went back to Amman, where my plane will fly me to a surprise destination : Athens.

To be continued...

Vietnam visa

Hanoi

Since I got in Hanoi, Vietnam, I can confirm the electronic process to get the Vietnam visa works. But it is possible you encounter some problems on the way.

First, you need to register on www.myvietnamvisa.com. With a credit card or a PayPal account, you pay the fees. It is not the amount for the visa itself, but the service fees.

Two or three days later, by e-mail, you receive an acceptation letter and a list of the people who are part of your "group". Because the company makes requests for groups. So don't be surprised to see so many names on your acceptation letter.

You need to print the documents and two copies of a form you need to fill. You also need a passport picture.

That process is possible only if you get in the country in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City airport. Otherwise, you need to get help from a travel agency.

In Hanoi airport, the desk where you get the visa is clearly marked. You give all the papers, pay the 25 $US in cash. No ATM to be seen anywhere. So make sure you have the money. Afterwards, bingo, you get a visa for 30 days.

However, in Tokyo-Narita airport (where I was leaving from), the employee at the desk clearly had never heard about that procedure. Seeing no visa in my passport, she got worried. When I showed her the acceptation letter, she needed to talk to her boss. The boss looked as surprised as the employee.

She finally made photocopies and decided to let me go. I don't know why, I was getting worried too. Keep smiling! No panic. Deep breath.

Other anecdote : the flight to Hanoi had a stopover in China. Never as easy in China, since I needed to wear a sticker on my clothes to prove I needed to change plane. Instead of identifying the luggages so they get directly to our destination, like everywhere else in the world, we needed to fill a really small coupon with our name, final destination and a phone number to reach us.

Me : Euh... I don't have a phone.
A surprised woman : REALLY?
...
...
(Big silence)
A surprised woman : Put the number of your hotel then.

GET OVER IT! Some people still don't have a phone when they travel, even in 2012!

It is true the payphones are harder to find almost everywhere in the world and some hostels now reduce the time they have someone at the desk. They put a sign on the front door saying you can call 24 hours a day to get in. Like if you're stuck outside at night. That is them assuming everybody has a phone...

Tip

In Vietnam, like in China, Syria or United Arab Emirates, for example, Facebook is censored. It is necessary to install a proxy on your computer BEFORE you get in the country itself if you want to poke you friends while you're there. The most popular one seems to be Freegate. Other than a problem that lasted for a couple of days in China, the software worked well.

Adventures in Himeji

Hiroshima

The sky got grey. And it seems like it chose to rain everywhere I'm going. But I'll have to live with it.

Should have trusted my instinct, when I got in Hiroshima under the sun, and should have gone directly to Miyajima, where is the famous Floating Tori. From there, I wanted to climb a mountain, the Misen, to appreciate the view.

But I decided to push it back to the next day. One afternoon would be too short... But the next day, it was raining. I waited under a small roof, in front of the Floating Tori (covered for renovations), but it wouldn't stop. So I traveled back to Hiroshima.

One day later, I left for Himeji. The only directions I had to get to my hostel : from the train station, walk for 20 minutes.

So I took a taxi, hoping not to get lost. It was 9 PM. But the driver didn't know where was my hostel.

He decided to stop randomly in the middle of an alley. Rang one house door bell. The people living there got out and gave him directions. But it didn't look like he understood. So one woman got in the car with us and helped us get to the destination.

There, it wasn't really a hostel, but more of a guesthouse. A real japanese house, a 100 years old, where you sleep on the floor in the most traditionnal way. It looks like they are Japenese welcoming people in their house.

You know you're not in a commercial hostel when the owner hugs you before you go, and when he waits on the sidewalk, waving at you while you walk away.

Other than that, Himeji has nothing very special. Especially (that is my luck) since its castle, the real attraction there, is closed for renovations until 2015. Scaffolds again. Not allowed to walk in.

After, I got in Kyoto, where it should rain for two days. And like everywhere else, I was told I should visit the aquarium. They are obsessed with aquariums in here. 

Getting in Japon

Like in New Zealand, you need to have bought a ticket to get out of Japan to be allowed in. Having had trouble at the beggining of this trip, I had everything with me. But nobody asked for it.

Vietnam visa

A visa is necessary to get in Vietnam and you need to obtain it before arriving in the airport. So I used the website myvietnamvisa.com. Very efficient, for a small fee, you get a letter which confirms the visa was granted. You then need to exchange that letter against the visa itself once you get in the airport. Crossing my fingers for everything to work well.

Surviving Macao

Macao

Surviving Macao. In the sense of living after being in Macao. And in the sense of staying alive in Macao itself...

Not that it's a dangerous place. Especially since that part of China feels more like Europe or Las Vegas than Asia... in its more commercial way. With 28 degrees, 60 % humidity (weather forecast expert friends, what temperature does it make us feel?), with a very warm jean, a heatstroke can come fast.

Luckily, I survived (a little bit in spite of me) while going up a hill managing the few millilirtes of water I had left.

The worst part, let's say it like that, was to get lost in those neverending streets while darkness and smog were falling, in a city where each skyscrapper looks exactly like the other skyscrappers. Visual references don't exist. You forget the roman way to build streets, with parallel and perpendicular streets. Forget logic. Forget the street signs too, because they might send you in the wrong direction...

Simply put, you walk towards east, you take right... but you find yourself being completely up north. Where everything is grey. No tourists. Like a movie which takes place in the future where it's always grey. How come? Don't know. Will never know I think. But I didn't panic. Didn't take the risk of bording public transportation. I walked all the way across the peninsula, heading south. Got there way before the ferry going back to Hong Kong.

Visa

That said, I'm very happy to announce I got my visa for China. I'm under the impression it is easier than it looks to get it. Because they receive so many requests. It seems like they accept almost all of them. There goes a saga that wasn't one.

I'm taking a plane for Shanghai this Thursday and I'm thinking of spending around 20 days in the country. I already have my ticket for Japan. I will need to stop and plan a little bit because the countries ahead ask for visas...

The Chinese visa saga

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

Will get the visa? Won't get the visa? We'll see!

I thought it would be more simple to get the chinese visa in Hong Kong... Faster maybe, but simpler, I'm not sure.

I flew from Sydney to Taipei, then to Hong Kong. Long enough to lose the notion of time. I got in Hong Kong in the morning with the intention of getting my visa during the day.

After some verifications, the office which receive the resquests is close to the hostel. You can walk there (and be hot because of the humidity) in 25 minutes.

Note : the office is open between 2 and 5 PM. Closed on the week-ends (I didn't think of that and we're friday). Closed on April 4th because of a holiday. It doesn't leave me a lot of time since my flight for Shanghai (if I get the visa) leaves on April 5th... The three working days they need to process the visa are starting to scare me a little bit.

Note : we are in Hong Kong. Finding an address is not always easy. But I got there around 3 PM.

I start filling the forms, but oh, misfortune, I don't have the address of the hostel I booked in Shanghai. And I haven't booked anything in the other cities. But I must declare everything.

Got back to my hostel really fast. Booked hostels. Printed proofs. Back very fast to the office, getting lost on the way... Not being sure what I should have answered to some questions. But... those forms are now in the hands of the chinese authorities. Gave them away at 5 PM on the dot. They didn't ask for any photocopy. *sigh*

I'm now without my passport. I will get it on Monday, hopefully with a visa, because I asked for the express treatment. I'm crossing my fingers and every other parts of my body for luck.

Hell... (but not really)

That first day in Hong Kong wasn't a easy one. Because I needed to apply for the visa. But also because I need to adapt to this first country where I have a hard time making myself understood. Also because my brand new bottle of soap for my laundry exploded in my luggage on the way to Asia. But also because my razor broke down... while I was starting to shave my hair. Doesn't work anymore... Needed to search for a new one I could buy.

That also mean my new "permanent" and "irreversible" look was inevitable. No more hair. And I didn't get to visit anything on that first day.

Paradise... (but not really)

Karma came back for that second day. I went for touristic places to get use to the area. From the top of Victoria Peak, where Gilly is on the picture, I got a 360 degrees view of Hong Kong.

After a while, you become used to the crowd. You start finding your way. You find out how transportation works. And fears go away until you need them again.

For the second time in three years, I walked randomly on THE place in town where a giant pillow fight happened to celebrate the International pillow fight day. I saw the same thing in Krakow in 2009.

Tidbits

When, in the restaurant, the waitress ends up bringing you a fork and a spoon, that probably means you don't look like you can handle the chopsticks...

Saturday was the event "One hour for the Earth". So instead of seeing the light show they usually have on the skyscrappers at night, around 8:30, I saw Hong Kong getting darker. The only thing I didn't get was why they had a show with microphones and speakers to celebrate it... You know, when you tell people to use less energy... do the same with your show.

Temperature wise, under the neverending grey sky, it's around 22 to 28 degrees for now. That's hot.

For the language, I'm ok, even if I'm starting to feel a wall in front of me. Hong Kong is bilingual and almost everything can be read both in english and in cantonese.

Note to myself : stop ordering chicken. When they give you the meat with the bones and the only things you got are chopsticks, you need to work hard to be able to eat...

Health is expensive

About one month away from the departure time, bills continue to come in. Looks like nothing, but making sure you stay healthy, when you leave for a long time, is expensive.

First big "kaching!" : insurances. You need to shop them around. Really! The prices varie so much it can double from one place to the other for the exact same thing. Obviously, the longest the trip is, the highest the price rises.

Good idea, when looking for an offer, to see how much more it'll cost to take a cancellation/interruption policy or to be covered for lost luggages. In my case, it was only five dollars more.

Each time, I was told my trip would last 183 days and that I wouldn't be covered anymore by the public insurance. The RAMQ website is on the other hand very clear that you shouldn't count the first and the last day as part of your trip outside the province of Quebec. Need to validate. To be continued...

Also, if you plan to visit countries where you can get sick of malaria, it is advised you get prepared for another big "kaching!" for the cost of the medicine. In some cases, each pill cost 5-6 $. And you might need to take one a day for multiple weeks. Still have to see if my insurances cover those.

Another surprise is to figure out all the room that medicine will take in my bags, since they need to remain in their original wrapping, inside the hand luggage. Happy!

Budget wise, I made sure the money I am planning on spending will be available when I need to. In Quebec, with Desjardins, Acces D makes it easy to organize. Think of getting a procuration too. Easy, fast, that can save headaches if you need someone to take care of your money for you at some point.

Finally, in the emergencies department, I still have to fin someone to rent my appartement. And find a way to get that chinese visa. That's a challenge.

The countdown accelerates

I'

I'm moving forward. Fast, but not too fast. I'm now done with the details for the beggining of my trip. I'll leave from Burlignton, Vermont, mid-February, for San Diego. After that, I'll take a train that goes along the Pacific coast to reach Los Angeles. I was told I would get bored in that big grey city. I have one project or two to keep myself busy in Hollywood or Beverly Hills.

For this first stop, I chose to go for the the obvious choice : hostels. Couchsurfing and other flats adventures should begin the next week.

I know, you think I won't be able to leave Hollywood once I get there. The american most jet set city will probably see all my potential and will refuse to see me go. But my flight is booked for Auckland, New Zealand, with a stopover in Nadi Fidji. Stay calm, jealous crowd! I will only see the airport in Fidji. Nothing to be excited about. 

I will now try to get my visa for Mao's country at some point. But it is not that easy. They want to know the name and the occupation of your family members, all the countries visited in the last 12 months, with the dates and explanations, who pays for the trip, where you'll stay, who invited you, the number of your health insurance...

Two new links :
The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. 
You can also resign your car immatriculation on the SAAQ website.