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Note - this blog title should be read in the style of the Big Brother voiceover, such is the monotony and drudgery of officialdom in the Russian Consulate/Embassy. The picture is of the drive to Bishkek - kind of rubs salt in the wound of what we're missing!
Plan C, or was it D, was going well... until we got to the visa counter... so in hindsight perhaps we were overconfident. We collected our Letters of Invitation from Celestial Mountain Tours and went around the corner to the Russian Consulate office. There is no signage or flag as you would expect from an official building... it actually seems like the entrance is around the back and you sort of buzz yourself in.
Anyway, the first problem on the first day - Fintan's LoI didn't have his correct passport number, slight issue there then! Back to the tour company who issued another and we recieved that on Thursday... back to the Russians, another problem - we do not have a 90 day visa for Kyrgyzstan (which is apparently a requirement, although we seem to be the first people who've been held up on it)...
Off we went to the OVIR office (immigration police). A few more forms and 1500 Kyrgyz soms later, we had reciepts and a letter saying it was all fine, but no new visa and no official stamps... mmmmm...Guess how that went down in the Russian Consulate...
Well, no need to guess - it wasn't accepted. I tried to explain that the requirements for Irish and British citizens to enter Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days had been lifted, but she wasn't having any of it...
In the mix of all this bureaucracy we did have a fantastic visit to a Toyota service station, and a mechanics heaven of a car parts and accessories bazaar (at least Fintan had a good time). I also had another run in with some dodgy police trying to claim I was drunk driving at 11am (! Really?! Who do they catch out with that?? And why is it always when I'm driving??)
So what to do... as we see it we have 2 options:
1) Get the Kazakh visa and go to Astana to try for the Russia visa, we both feel this would be putting more pressure on us adding km's to the already long distance to get to Erenhot (we'd only get a transit visa - 10 days to drive 6000kms)... and we may not be successful there either!
2)Send our passports back to London/Dublin for the Russian visas... this basically means the China leg is impossible.
Writing off China does mean we have some more freedom in our planning, although it is a huge disappointment after all this time, and the SE Asia beaches we were dreaming of will probably not be visited this time around. We are looking at going into Kazakhstan, into Russia, possibly still driving into Mongolia and back into Russia, get to Vladivosotok and then ferry to Japan...
But who knows, it could all change again!
- comments
Glenn 4WD... What about sneaking over the border? :
mum oh, bloody hell. Well, I'm sure you will come up with something. Let us know how you are getting on. Thinking of you two. xx
Jenny Hope you manage to sort something out soon! Thinking of you! Love Jen and Dad x x x
Mike Richards Hi Shonny and Fintan. Just got into my room after a Lumwana Saturday night BBQ, you know the vibe. I can see from your last few blogs things have got a bit toughbut hang in there Whatever you manage to see is new and what you dont well thats for the next trip. Missing you both. Cheers Mike