Well~ after a rocky start, everything seems to finally be coming together. Had a very dodgy touch-and-go episode with the Russian visa during my last week in Tokyo. After filling in all the forms and getting all the photos, and lining up for two and half hours, the embassy turned it down because the voucher that Intrepid sent me from the tour agent in Russia did not have enough information on it.... he reckons they needed the whole intinery for getting in and out of Russia - just to get one little stamp! (actually, they are not that little - why is it that all the Asian visa's take up a whole page in your passport?...mad). So anyway, raced home from the embassy and called Intrepid straight away with the first of what will likely be a long list of near misses and and life-threatening dramas that seem to happen to me on a regular basis. So Intrepid tell me `but that voucher works for all the other Russian consulates around the world!`... and I`m like, `ok, but help me pleeeaaaase`. It was very touch-and-go as to whether I would have enough time to get the visa... but they pulled out all the stops and the Russian tour agent faxed them an updated copy of the voucher Thursday morning, which they faxed to Bea. I went into work with Bea on Tuesday morning to get the fax and was lining up outside the embassy by 9.15 am (in the pouring rain). This time they didn't turn it down - major Phew.
I was nearly in tears about the whole thing as Intrepid told me I wouldn't have been able to get any money back on the trip at this late stage. It turns out that Intrepid knew about this system from someone who did the same trip from Tokyo last year.. so quite frankly I was pretty annoyed at them. They kept saying to me that it's ok with all the other consulates around the world and that the Japanese Russia embassy staff were just being tossers... (hmm - not he~~lping...) ... the fact that they've had it before but still expected it to work this time around was pretty dense - Embassies don't change and they truly could care less whether you go to Russia or not.
Was so sad and depressing saying goodbye to my friends in Tokyo - they are the absolute best - I love them all.
Posting this from Yahoo cafe at Narita (gotta love Terminal 2). but have to go now as they are boarding in 20 minutes and I have to find the gate. Don`t worry Ikuyo - I learnt my lesson last time!!
Stay tuned for the next installment - Mongolia!!
