Adventures at the Indian Embassy
Friday, July 27th, 2007Why, you might ask, would I devote an entire blog entry to the Indian Embassy? Well, considering the amount of time, energy and patience I expended there, it deserves an entire chapter. Let this be a lesson to those of you who wish to obtain an Indian visa at the embassy in Katmandu (or, I have a sneaking suspicion, any Indian embassy) – do not underestimate the power of mindless bureaucracy to reduce even the most even-tempered individuals to raging lunatics. After our experience at the embassy in Katmandu, I’m starting to believe that the Indian government has a secret conspiracy to keep tourists out of their country by making it next to impossible and utterly distasteful to get a visa. A few words of advice:
1. Before attempting to obtain your Indian visa, take a large dose of Prozac for at least two weeks (it’s widely available over-the-counter at most pharmacies in Nepal);
2. Plan to do nothing else for at least two of the next three days;
3. Paste a bland smile on your face and resolve to keep it there no matter what;
4. Bring along a good book (preferably a joke book);
5. Set your expectations low so you won’t be disappointed – plan for anything and everything to go wrong;
6. Set aside any preconceived notions you may have about customer service and remember that these are government officials you are dealing with – it’s not their job to serve you; they are there to confuse, frustrate and exasperate you while acting as if they are doing you a favour. [read on]
tambour