Last night I bought my plane ticket to Egypt—although I have not bought a return ticket because it is not yet clear exactly where my trip will end. Thanks to Student Universe, a site that sells to students, faculty, and "youths," I got a great deal on at least this part of my plane fare. My travel buddy Dan and I will be taking a nonstop flight that leaves the US in the evening and lands in Cairo the next afternoon, and it only cost $410! If only we could be so fortunate when it comes to acquiring other plane tickets...but I'm not getting my hopes up.
My passport has not yet returned to me from the Syrian embassy, but theoretically it'll come any day now.
Edited to add: Speak of the devil! It's about 1:00 and Fedex just delivered my passport, complete with lovely Syrian visa! Bureaucracy WIN.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Syrian Visa
Once I start preparing for a trip, I know it's really going to happen. So, as of today, my summer trip is really going to happen, because I sent off my application for a Syrian visa. While Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey—my other summer destinations—will allow American tourists to purchase visas on arrival for a small fee, Syria will only grant entry to tourists who have acquired visas in their country of origin.
At least, that's the official line. Friends of mine have simply shown up at the Syrian border, paid $16 and about five hours of their time, and received a visa. It should be noted that a significant number of people who try this are turned away. Some travelers say they have managed to acquire visas at the Syrian embassies in Cairo or Istanbul, even though their official policy is that foreigners seeking visas there are SOL. Despite the up-front hassle and massive price difference—a Syrian visa granted by the DC Embassy costs $131—I decided to play it safe. Fedex is now in possession of my money and my passport. Let's hope the latter gets home safely! Now that everything is in the envelope and on the way, I'm not only paranoid about my passport, but worried that I've filled something out incorrectly and I'll have to go through the whole process all over again.
Allegedly the embassy's turnaround is only a week. Here's hoping!
At least, that's the official line. Friends of mine have simply shown up at the Syrian border, paid $16 and about five hours of their time, and received a visa. It should be noted that a significant number of people who try this are turned away. Some travelers say they have managed to acquire visas at the Syrian embassies in Cairo or Istanbul, even though their official policy is that foreigners seeking visas there are SOL. Despite the up-front hassle and massive price difference—a Syrian visa granted by the DC Embassy costs $131—I decided to play it safe. Fedex is now in possession of my money and my passport. Let's hope the latter gets home safely! Now that everything is in the envelope and on the way, I'm not only paranoid about my passport, but worried that I've filled something out incorrectly and I'll have to go through the whole process all over again.
Allegedly the embassy's turnaround is only a week. Here's hoping!
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