Day 15 - Indian Embassy

I was permitted into the Indian Embassy today with ease.  I walked inside and saw a huge crowd of Indians inside waiting in various lines.  I'm not sure what all the lines were for, but I grabbed a ticket and sat down.  45 seconds later my number was called and I skipped the lines.  Maybe no one else saw the numbers?  Maybe they were just trying to stay cool?

I walked into the Visa Interview room.

Consular Official: So, why exactly are you applying for refugee status in India?
Me: I think I'm in the wrong place.
CO: I'm just kidding.  What can I help you with?
Me: I need an Indian visa.  I have a flight to India in five days.
CO: Can I see your passport?
Me: (hands passport)
CO: Wow, you have traveled to many countries.
Me: Yes, I am traveling around the world.  I would like to add India to the list.
CO: Can I see your flight confirmations?
Me: (hands flight confirmations)
CO: I see.  Business Class.  That must be nice.
Me: Yes, it is.  I highly recommend it.
CO: Have your ever been deported from a country before?
Me: No, but I don't want India to be my first.
CO: Let me make a phone call.
Me: (waits during call)
CO: Sorry, I can't help you.
Me: What am I supposed to do?  I cannot change my flight routing.
CO: Just don't try to go through immigration.
Me: So camp out in the international terminal at the airport?
CO: Yes.
Me: Isn't that against the rules?  Don't I need a visa to stay in the airport more than 24 hours?
CO: Yes, but who is going to check?
Me: I don't want to break the law in India.  Won't your country throw me in airport prison or something?
CO: Don't try to exit the terminal and no one will even know you're in India.
Me: Can I have that in writing just in case?
CO: No.  Officially, you should not go to India.
Me: OK, I guess I will live in the British Airways lounge for a while.
CO: Great, now that we have that worked out, can you tell me about your trip?
Me: (gives summary of trip)
CO: I want to go to Malaysia.  How did you book your trains?
Me: (gives him the web site, phone number and booking instructions)
CO: Great.  How much did it cost?
Me: (show my receipts)
CO: Can you recommend a hotel?
Me: (Shows my hostel reservation in Kuala Lumpur)
CO: Thanks so much.  I hope you enjoy your stay in the Mumbai Airport.  It is freshly renovated.
Me: What do I do if someone reports me for hanging out in the airport without a boarding pass or visa?
CO: Bring lots of US dollars, but I didn't say that.
Me: OK.  I'll have to get USD in Bangkok before I fly.  Thanks for the advice.

Even though it was against the rules, I took a picture of the embassy gate for the memories.



Thanks for the memories, Indian Embassy.

Now I understand why people were standing around everywhere.  The embassy staff are more concerned with chatting than doing work.  It worked out great for me and he was super friendly.  Still, if I waited in line for hours at the US Embassy while the officers swapped stories with tourists, I might be more than a little annoyed.  Maybe it's a cultural difference.

I'm glad the guy was honest.  He can't help me officially, but told me what to do.  At least I can make plans now.  I'll have to cancel my hotel reservation at the JW Marriott (awwww...) and try to rebook my flight to arrive in Israel sooner.  I'm sure I can use the extra days in Israel pretty easily.  I may even be able to see more than Tel Aviv and Jerusalem now.  We'll see what AA can do for me.  I really don't want to live at the airport for 4 days.