February 22, Wednesday, February 23, Thursday, February 24, Friday

February 22, Wednesday    February 23, Thursday     February 24, Friday

Wednesday:   Had another leisurely morning since I can’t pick up my passport and visa until about 2:30 this afternoon.   Arranged to meet O’Seismus on the way to the downtown office and met some of his business colleagues and his sister.  She has just completed a program in hotel management and is now on a job hunt. 

On the way to the consulate we walked by the Parliament Buildings and went to visit the site of the August 7, 1998 bomb site attack on the American Embassy  (simultaneous attack on the American Embassy in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania).  No idea why I do not remember this incident in the news reports at the time. 

 Picture of a photo taken the day of the blast

Although the American Embassy (right, 6 stories high) and the tall building (left) were badly damaged and many people were hurt by shattered glass and falling debris, it is a small building that you to stand between them in the middle that bore the brunt of the bomb blast. It was completely destroyed and hundreds of innocent people were killed. The American Embassy was later torn down and they relocated to a different part of the city. The tall building on the left was completely restored. 

  Restored high rise

There is now a memorial park on the site where the smaller building was destroyed and where the USA Embassy once stood.

We arrived at the Indian Consulate at 2:30 only to find out that they would not accept a cash payment; I was expected to go to the Bank of India to pay the 5,000 shillings!   Unfortunately the bank closes at 2 each day!     No one had mentioned this requirement last week when I dropped off  my application and nothing was indicated on the paper I had been given.   The clerk advised us to return tomorrow afternoon after having paid the fees at the bank.   I explained that at 2:30 the next day, I needed to be at the International Airport for my flight to India.   She called her manager and he indicated that he would make an exception and let me pick up my visa in the morning instead of the afternoon.  (Normal procedure:  Morning = Drop off applications,  Afternoon = Pick up visas.)   More bureaucracy… so happy I’m not working anymore !

O’Seismus said we would meet the next morning and 8:30; we would go to the bank to pay the fees, then head to the Consulate to pick up my visa, before heading to the airport.    He has been one of my guardian angels on this trip.   Don’t know what I would have done without him.   I know I would have muddled through I know, but it was so reassuring to have him there throughout this process.   We parted company and I decided to explore a bit more.   

I returned to the Java Café for a very late lunch/very early dinner.  Decided to try their burritos.  Good decision:  delicious,  salsa, guacamole and sour cream !   The pulled beef was succulent, but had way too much salt.  I’ve noticed that all the beef here is heavily salted, regardless of what it comes in (samosas, hamburgers, burritos, etc).   Walked by a bakery on my way back to the hotel and treated myself to a croissant and a chocolate pastry !  

Back to the hotel for an early night.

Thursday, February 23:   As planned, I met O’Seismus on the way to the bank.  Everything worked out like clockwork !   Paid the fees, returned to the Consulate with the receipt, had to wait for the manager to return from somewhere, and got my passport and visa.   By 11 am, O’Seismus was heading to his office and I was returning to the hotel to finish packing and check-out.

At 12:30 O’Seismus and his driver arrived to take me to the airport.  It was 2 hours before I needed to be at the airport, but traffic here can be chaotic, so we weren’t taking any chances.   Luckily traffic was not too bad so I had quite a few hours waiting at the airport.   Said good bye to my guardian angel O’Seismus at a small café outside the airport and checked in for my flight.

We left about 15 minutes later than expected (a passenger arrived by ambulance and a special lift was used to bring the stretcher up to the back door of the plane and load him/her in).   The 6 hour flight went well and we landed earlier than expected.   Unfortunately it took about ½ an hour to taxi to the airport itself at around 2 am local time.  There appeared to be a lot of construction between the runways and taxi ways, so we had to wait for 4 or 5 planes to cross ahead of us and take off.  

Immigration process was very quick since you needed your visa prior to arriving;  waiting for the luggage however proved to be V E R Y   S L O W.    It took between 30 to 45 minutes for all the luggage to get on the carrousel and of course mine was among the last to be unloaded.   I was worried I would miss my ride because I was warned that they would only wait 45 minutes and then would leave, with or without me!   Luckily the travel agent who made the arrangements in Nairobi and given them a half hour fudge factor, which offset the delays, and I was very happy to see my name on one of the 30 odd signs that people were holding up.   

Friday February 24   -    3 am    Safely arrived in Mumbai India !        First day will be spent resting, reading up on tours in Mumbai, and connecting to the internet.