So much has happened in the last two months...

Yeah yeah, I know, I haven't updated in forever. And the last post really wasn't about my trip, I have been properly chastised.

Ok, I admit it. I was avoiding updating because for a while there my pre-trip excitement was dampened somewhat. Let me explain. As you all know (from previous posts and non-stop India chatter) my plan was to meet Judy at the Bangalore airport at 2 am where she was going to take me under her now India-experienced wing. She will have been in India approx 6 weeks at that point. But then, sometime in early December, Judy got some bad news on the medical front. After discussions with her doctor etc, she decided she just couldn't go to India. She let me know as soon as she had made her decision (at an Indian charity event for those of you who like irony).

Of course, I was upset for Judy. She had really been looking forward to her trip and she might have bad stuff going on. However, I will admit that thoughts of my own plight did enter my mind not too long after my thoughts of Judy's plight. I never said I was perfect.

I was going to be landing in Bangalore in the middle of the flippin night!! Alone!!Priscilla was not too keen to meet me so I was going to be on my own. Now, I have travelled alone before and survived, I knew that it would be alright. I would just have to find a place to stay ahead of time, get a cab, and get some sleep and I would be good to go in a day or two. But, maybe I am getting old, I was having a hard time readjusting my idea of what my trip was going to be like without Judy there. And, because we are all friends here, maybe I was a little (I will only admit to a little) scared.

I hit up a few of my friends who had mildly expressed interest/jealousy about the trip. None of them could come. That is when I stopped posting updates. I wasn't sure if I could be excited and, even harder, sound excited. Thus, the lack of blog.

But wait, there is still a happy ending to this sad tale. After a few weeks, some doctor discussions, some soul searching, Judy decided to ignore the medical issues until after her trip. So, drum rolllllll, she called me up and announced that she was going. Yeaaaahhhh. She said she may not be able to travel around as much as she had hoped and was going to treat the trip as a form of relaxation, hanging out at spas, ashrams and retreats. She wasn't sure about the side trips so I may be on my own for those. But she would still meet me at the airport. Yeaaahhh. For some reason, the idea of that airport was too much for me to handle mentally.

So, back on track. Judy, who I would like to note, is a worse procrastinator than me, had to fast track her passport (which she hadn't ordered because she wasn't going). Then, once that was done, she needed an Indian entrance visa. So did I but I had more time. Judy was leaving on Dec 16th (or so) and only had a week to get the visa. So she called me up on Thursday afternoon at work (I had plans that evening so no time to get ready - I filled out the application at work and got my visa photo on my lunch hour and my registered envelope on the way to my event) to see if I wanted to come to Vancouver with her to hand the visa application in in person on Friday (which happened to be a day off for me). The Indian Consulate is in downtown Vancouver. She and I had different forms. Mine said we had to be there by noon or they wouldn't accept it until the next day. Judy's form said 2:30. Just to be safe (heaven forbid that either of us call them to confirm) we caught the 9am ferry. We drove to town and parked under some mall at exactly 11:53. We ran, Judy's GPS on overdrive because neither of us had any sense of where we were in relation to the Consulate. we still went the wrong way but our looks of confusion solicited a kindly stranger to point us in the right direction. We made it, my time stamp was 11:58, Judy's 11:59. HA! Of course, because we made it, the big sign in the waiting area said the cut off time was 2:30 but I still felt victorious.

Judy at the Indian Consulate

Me at the Consulate - note the submission deadline of 2:30

We had to bring a filled out application, our passport, two passport sized visa photos, and a registered envelope so they could send the visaed passport back to me (Judy opted to go back to the Consulate to pick hers up - time constraints and all). As soon as you get in the door, a very stern looking guard checks your stuff (and your paperwork too - hahaha, I crack me up). As I mentioned, Judy and I had different forms because I was using some old site that was being maintained by who know who - not the Indian Consulate. So the stern but nice guard cut my pictures to the proper size, stapled them in place, there was tape involved too but I can't remember why...


Amusing story about this photo. I had brought my big camera with me but I could tell that wasn't going to fly in the waiting room so I got Judy to take this picture and the next one with her cell phone. There was a big huge sign that said "NO CELL PHONES" right there on the wall. But being a goer, Judy took the picture. Just as she did, someone else's phone beeped and guard looked at the group and bellowed "No Cell Phones!!!" I thought Judy was going to pee herself. I laughed like a hyena though so it was all worth it.

We had to wait over an hour to be called to the counter for our check over. I could tell from the wait that Judy was going to be awesome to travel with. She and I were chit chatting with pretty much everyone in our vicinity. We got some interesting tips (none of which I remember) and met other tourists, people who go every year, a guy who was an Indian/Nepalese who gave Judy his doctor-sister's phone number, one blow-hard who was ignored as best as possible, and one girl who was trying to get a business visa (unsuccessfully in the end).

Number 923 please, 923. ARGGGGG.

Eventually we made it up to the front to speak to the nice gentleman who looked at the 9 dollar registered envelope I brought and said it just wouldn't do. I mentioned that the website I was checking (this is where I learned it was being maintained by monkeys) said this would be sufficient. And by the way, did I mention it cost 9 bucks! He took it but he had a look like 'don't blame me if your passport never arrives, stupid white girl'.

Lunch and Ikea and then back on the ferry to end a very full and fun day. Judy went back the following Thursday to pick hers up and mine arrived in my mailbox (crappy envelope - ha!) the very same day (I'm sure, much to Judy's chagrin).

I will stop there. One wants to leave the audience with something to anticipate. I will follow up later with the story of the Indian Charity Event and my stolen philosophy for my trip. Oh yeah, there is another Air Canada story too.