The Fabulous World of Visas - India

Hello peeps!

Second installment of the serie.
 
Remember how border crossing in the Maldives was easy peasy?Well, let me introduce to visa procedure, Indian style!


All the official info is available here: http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/

If you have a passport from Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand or Singapore then lucky you little bugger - no need for advance procedure, you can get a 30 days visa with single entry on arrival in Delhi and Mumbai ONLY.
 
The rest of us will need to get a tourist visa before entering the country. Usually a 3 to 6 months visa with single, double or multiple entries, no extension possible.

You will need for the application:

• Passport valid for a minimum of 180 days with at least two blank pages.
• 2 recent 50*50 size photographs. Check they are the correct size!
• The online application form with signed declaration.
• For the double entry visa you will also need to submit a tentative travel itinerary

That's only the start.

If you are like me a non UK passport holder you will also need the following:  

- If you have been in the UK more than 2yrs, you will need to provide:

•  A stamp of indefinite stay OR
• A utility bill for the current month and for at least 2yrs back. Only landline phone, gas, electricity, water, council tax and tenancy agreement are accepted - no bank statements and no mix and match of the utility bills.

- If you have been in the UK for less than two years there is a form to fill in and processing time will be minimum 10-15 working days in this case.

The application form is filled in online, then you print it with all the forms and document check lists required. Make sure everything is signed where needs to be.

Either post everything including your passport to the Hayes mission or book an appointment and drop the paperwork at your local application centre. The appointment time is issued when you do the online application but can be modified after.

It takes about 1wk to process the application. You can choose the delivery option for your passport when you do the online application.

Happy days :)

Lost and found

Hello peeps!

Long time no posted, I know.I was a bit lost in the land of broken hearts, but I saw the light, brothers and sisters, and I am back!

Back for more, (slimmer), better, stronger :)

A few things have happened since my last post:

1. I am confident I will be able to survive India.
Laugh as you might, but I was actually thinking maybe I could just skip this part of the trip... Fear of the unknown and all - all cleared up with a bit research and planning.

2. I have found a travel buddy for my first stop in the Maldives
On some forum, jetting off with a new found travel buddy is compared to getting married after one blind date... and thus, should be avoided at all cost! However, for someone who has never even been on holidays on my own, going on the road for a year on my own was a little (a lot) daunting (blooming freaking me out!).
So I decided to take a transitional step between "never been on holidays on my own" and "yeah baby, bring it on" and meet up in the Maldives with a random girl I meet on lonely planet!

3. I looked for a backpack - and gave up... for now :(
I have been looking for a backpack and a wash bag this week. Who would have known there were so many brands/colours/sizes/fits to choose from?? Well I didn't so I have parked this one until later!

4. Couchsurfing seems to work
I have posted - and received invites from a few people in Bangalore and Goa. The best bit - not all of them look like they would chop me up and have me for aperitif!

5. I am resilient and things WILL get better
This one is more related to the broken heart stuff, but also applies to my travels. I am been going back and forth between come back and f*ck off, but this is it. I am taking back control of my life. How can I expect to go off for 12months and come back in one piece if I cannot even decide what is good for myself?
It hurts, but it is for the best - for myself :)

That's it for now lovely people.

More to follow on my new buddy... Let's see if she passes the Angela Test!

Travel safe.

Itinerary

Hello there!

I have done some progress on my planning since last time. Now I have pretty much defined when I will go - end Feb 2013 – which countries I will visit and roughly how long I will stay.

0- I will go back home to the Caribbean see the family in December and January then come back to London early February, get all my stuff together then hop on a plan again!

1- From London, my first stop will be the Maldives.  I will stay for a couple of weeks, relaxing on the beach and slowly melting away my stressed self. Like a holiday at the beginning of the trip.

2- From there, I will fly out to India where I will stay for about a couple of months, traveling around.

3- Next: Hong Kong for about 2-3 weeks for some shopping and a short overland trip to China.

4- After filling up on dim sums, I will be heading down south to Thailand. This will be the main part of the trip. I intend to stay for about 3 months, alternating between hostelling and work-for-keep.

5- Leaving Thailand, I will end up in Bali/Lombok for a few weeks for my second “holiday”.

6- After recharging my batteries, still heading south, I will then reach New Zealand. There also  I will alternate between hostelling and work-for-keep for a couple of months.

7- Next is Fiji where I want to be there for my birthday end of October. I am planning to stay at least 2-3 weeks, soaking up the sun and visiting around.

8- Now the next leg of the trip is still TBC. There are two options: either heading to Patagonia then head up to Brazil or Brazil straight away from Fiji. Both are equally appealing, and I quite like the idea of Patagonia, but first I need to see if I can get a flight or overland transfer from Buenos Aires. Staying in Brazil for a couple of months sounds good too!

9- Whatever the option I will choose in 8, Brazil will be my last stop before flying back to London.

I just need to get a good deal on the ticket then I can start putting some meat around the bones of this trip with things I will do/see. It will not be a day by day type of planning, more like a very loose short list of the main things and activities that will add some spice to the plan.

Catch up soon!