As our departure date looms ever closer, Michelle and I have been trying to tie up all loose ends. We decided to get some tourist visas before we leave the U.S. so we don't have to get them all at the borders, which is a good idea but unfortunately we waited until now to go to the embassies in DC to apply, which is not a good idea but resulted in many super fun, albeit occasionally stressful, moments!
Our fist stop was the Zambian embassy, since Zambia is the first country we will arrive in that requires a visa. We parked the car on a side street and walked down Massachusetts Avenue, but when we arrived at the Zambian embassy there was a piece of paper taped to the door that said the embassy was closed today because of the funeral for Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa. Feeling ashamed by the fact that I hadn't even known the Zambian president had died, we none the less cursed the embassy for inconveniencing us and having other obligations besides expediting our visa applications that we had waited until the last minute to get. I mean, come on, the funeral of your highly respected president? I wanna bungee jump into Victoria Falls! (actually, no I don't.)
But not to fear, we had a plan B, which was to go to the Tanzanian embassy, since Tanzania is the second country we will arrive in that requires a visa. So we found the embassy and gave our passports and supporting documents to the Indian (or Sri Lankan?) receptionist. But wait, Michelle didn't know that besides providing proof of onward travel, we also needed to provide an itinerary for our flight into Africa... Thwarted yet again? NO! Sylvia to the rescue, I just happened to have an extra copy of our flight itinerary from DC to Johannesburg, with Michelle's name on it! So everything worked out, Michelle acknowledged my superior preparedness and pledged her undying love for me, and we walked out of the Tanzanian embassy, triumphant.
Next was the issue of our Indian visa. When we called the Indian embassy last week to confirm that we would be able to get our tourist visa somewhere in Africa, we got very contradictory answers. So in the end we opted to play it safe and get a tourist visa in DC valid for one year, rather than risking being denied a less expensive 6-month visa at an Indian consulate in Kenya or Ethiopia.
Funny thing about the Embassy of India, they now outsource their visa applications to a company in DC called Travisa. Sign of the times? Fortunately, Travisa makes the visa application process very easy, and you can even pay with credit card rather than having to get a money order or certified check. We expedited our visas and opted to receive a text message when it was ready for pick-up the following day.
The next day, I ran errands, spent way too much money on more travel supplies, and eagerly awaited the text message from Travisa. I waited and waited, but no text came. Finally, around 5:40pm I decide to go over to Michelle's to do some work, and on my way the text message arrived! It said "Visa ready for pick-up, please come between 4:30 and 6:00 pm." Well, that's fine and dandy, except it was about 5:45 and the Indian Embassy is about a 20 minute drive away. But I call Michelle and tell her WE CAN DO IT! So I swing by her house and she jumps in the car and we race off into DC. I'm weaving in and out of traffic, we're both screaming at the infuriatingly slow DC drivers, the hispanic guy in the truck next to us is laughing at us, Michelle is on the phone with Travisa trying to stall them so they don't leave the office, and then when we're almost there, the Travisa building is in sight, at 6:05pm, we get stopped at a red light. I'm still in frantic running-late mode, so instead of waiting at the light like a sane person, I decide it's a better idea to turn right on red and make a U-turn. However, there is no where to make a U-turn, and more and more traffic is piling up, and Michelle and I are screaming "We have to make it, they have to give us our visas today!!!!" When all seems lost, Michelle heroically jumps out of the car and starts running towards Travisa, almost tripping in her sandals and baggy pants. I am finally able to make a U-turn, and I make it to the building after Michelle has already gotten inside. My parking karma kicks in and I parallel park right in front of the Travisa building, then grab my bag and run inside. In the building, the office is closing down but Michelle is talking to one of the receptionists, explaining that she doesn't have an ID on her because her passport is her ID, and THEY have it! Once again, always-prepared Sylvia comes to the rescue, I present my Maryland drivers license, and they give us our visa-ed passports. Success! We leave Travisa feeling like queens of the world, "Hell yea, we can do anything!"
The next day we applied for our Zambian visas, which went off without a hitch, although we did pay the extra $40 on top of the already hefty $135 to have it expedited...and then later when we get home we read the fine print of our tour dossier where is says we are eligible for a visa waiver for Zambia. $175 down the drain...sucks. But maybe I'll just look at it as the price we pay for procrastinating...
