Clare vs Visas

I think I’ve been lucky, but so far (and its fingers crossed here, because I’m waiting for my passport to return to me safely from the Russians...) getting all my visas hasn’t been the trauma-fest I was anticipating. Ok, it has cost me a pretty penny in train fares to London because I need three visas for getting the Trans-Siberian Express and time has been of the essence, but that has been the worst of it.

I found the Chinese visa centre in London (it’s on Holborn Viaduct – I walked from St Pauls’ in the rain) easily enough, although I did almost walk past the building. For those of you wondering, or who’ve done this by post, inside it’s a bit like a post office crossed with Argos;  a big room with lots of numbered windows and a numbered ticket system. I was forty-five minutes early for my appointment time (rain – umbrella = speed walking) but I was just given a ticket and waved at some airport style waiting seats by the most bored looking receptionist I have ever met. It was quite quiet on Monday afternoon so I was only waiting about twenty minutes. I handed the visa form, photo, my passport and my timed ticket to an intimidatingly efficient lady behind the window, was told to come back on Thursday and that was that. No Ferrero Roche required. I did get a call later in the day saying they could only grant me a 90day visa, rather than the 180 days I’d requested. I OK’d that, assuming that it could be extended in Beijing and getting into the country is the most important bit anyhow. Looking at the emails from i-to-i and TTC, I think it’s all good.

I picked up the only leaflets that they had in English, which were about Sichuan and Jiangsu provinces, so I’m starting to compile a list of ‘Places and Things to See in China’ – the Leshan Giant Buddha and the Colour Pools and waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Parks (both Sichuan province) are high on the list.

I went back on Thursday to pick up my passport from the Chinese visa centre and drop it off at the Mongolian embassy. I had to go to two different windows this time – firstly to pay, it cost £65.25 = £30visa fee + £30admin +£5.25 VAT; then to collect my passport, so it was a longer and more boring wait this time. They did have complimentary fans on reception because it was both busy and muggy in there, but I didn’t grab one.

I headed to Kensington to the Mongolian embassy after that, which couldn’t be more of a contrast to the Chinese centre! It’s a smart red-brick terraced house just off Kensington Road keeping dignified company with a few other embassies around the square (the Iranian embassy has a police officer outside all the time as far as I could tell). The visa section is in the basement with one lady behind a window, a few squashy leather sofas and pictures of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from ‘Long Way Round’ on the walls which were presented to the Embassy in thanks for their assistance. This visa cost me £55 because I went for an express service transit visa as I’m just passing through. Ordinarily it’d be £35, but I was in a rush. My collection receipt was a raffle ticket; I like Mongolia already!

Cut past a weekend where I put all my triathlon events together for the first time and said goodbye to various friends and relations, come Monday morning I was back at the Mongolian Embassy to collect my passport, after which came the Russian Visa Centre (Islington – I walked from Barbican). Cue the descent of black clouds upon my enterprise. The centre is like the Chinese one, except that all the staff glare at you. I waited twenty minutes to be told my form was filled in wrong, and then I waited nearly an hour for a computer to be able to change it, because the Russian online application form website is DREADFUL. It’s dense, it is disdainful of punctuation, it re-loads itself without warning, it wants to know everywhere you’ve been in the last ten years, and it threatens to lock you out after half an hour. Nightmare. Eventually I got everything handed in to a glaring lady (who did actually crack a smile at the end) and paid for it to be delivered home because that’s less than another train fare. The Russian visa cost me £73.25 = £40 visa fee + £25.85 admin + £7.40 postage. Then I got ripped off for lunch at Pret-a-Manger (£6.25 for a sandwich and a cup of tea... oh the delicious expense) and came home thoroughly exhausted by the whole process.

Just insurance, my transfer across Moscow, packing and a million last minute things to go now! And TWO WEEKS TODAY to do them in. Oh...my...

I hope everyone’s getting on OK with everything?