what doesn't kills you makes you stronger!
16 December 2016 | India, Mahipalpur Extension
First on the list: Sri lanka, getting to know the most crazy girl from Hungary and reunite with my sister and cuttle her spous!
After that I catchet up with Jorrit again and we travelled some remoted area?s of north east india. Seeing tea gardens, beautiful mountains couldn?t compensate whit my 1 real day of homesickness. But I survived, thanks to a phonecall to my very best always saviour in bad times Gian. After an incredible stay in Varenasi (the most sacred place for hindu people, they burry there bodies here and throw the ashes in the Ganges) we were hitting to Nepal.
Big trouble at the boarder: I by accident didn?t had a official and proper registration of my working visum, which is indeed needed.Lleaving and entering via Calcutta earlier gave some struggle, but this was serious trouble. I wasn?t allowed to leave the country. No good network connection to look things up, the Dutch embassy not willing to help me because I was not arrested or in a live threatening situation (I was seriously considering to get the first option done), the police officer that registered us (by only giving a stemp in the passport) only made it worse by telling the boarder officer that I didn?t want the registration (and how could I have known that I needed some kind of number with it). Well, it ended up all good when the next day there was a reasonable lad who fixed it al.
We survived an incredible Annapurna base camp trekking on newly bought fake Chinese brand shoes. Have seen the most freezing but beautiful sky full of stars (and I have some on my list already) surrounded by snowy mountaintops on 4.2 km height, totally regretting that Jorrit and I didn?t fell in love ;P! And finished our stay with 10 days travelling with the famous ?Scampies?, my long lost twin sister Katja and her sometimes a bit stubborn but o so sweet sister Maria.
Concerning al the trouble at the boarder I wisely took a Tourist visum for re-entering India. Missed the second flight due to lost luggage but ended up in Punjab. A total different india, because this is home of the Sick region. Everywhere bearded guys in turbans with a small manchetty. It sounds like Alibaba and the 40 thieves, but it is an incredible generous religion and nowadays very peacefull (but in 16 th century everybody was making war). And it is home of a great Kitchen, resulting in both gaining some kg?s again.
Then Peter, aka professor tika masala Click joined us. One of Jorrits very best friends. It was time to visit our Indian generous friend Rish (we sometimes call him Prins Rish, he didn?t knew that till now?.) and discover mumbay. After that we had again a great yourney. We made plenty of miles by plenty of different ways of mostly hot and dirty public transport. We chitchatted with lots of Indian families and had great fun. Crossed half of the country seeing ruins, missing out tigers and some more cities we ended up in deceptional ( I know this is not an official word but you guys get the point) Goa. It was not yet high season, but we had great fund and finally some chillexing time.
Saying goodbye to Jorrit through the window at the airport (he wasn?t allowed on the airport yet, and I wasn?t allowed to go back outside again) was strange. 9 months on eachothers lips is not nothing. But after some crazy funny day and nights in Malaysia with some crazy auzies/dutchies/belgiums I knew I would survive pretty well on my own. Even after a half attempt to rape on a empty beach in my surfing town in Malaysia I still felt that way (no worries, I was more angry than upset and I am only quoting this because everybody always tend to keep those stories to themselves, but hey, shit like this just happens you know?and yes, my mother did always tell me not to go by yourself on an empty beach, but I kind of didn?t realize it). After a very chill time with the o so friendly locals in Cherating, and some (not to many unfortunately) waves I headed to the Phillipines.
Oh my god, it is so pretty there. And the best thing, Monika, cool girl I met in Sri Lanka, flew in for a holiday. It started with the typical ? one cocktail?-night the first night (something with half naked Spanish boys) and ended with crazy dancemove with lots of locals (in between there was a lot of beach, some karaoke, brown rum great food and incredible Diving). And then to end my trip, I went to Siargoa: aka surfvalhalla in the philipinnes. I stayed in the most incredible amazing crazy cool family feeling hostel named The Smiling Pig. Hunter, I have never felt in love with somebody so fast (of course that is a lie, I can fall in love with anybody a minute #bitchymoment)! And was really in love with my perfect live over there. Attemps to surf resulted in a foot full of cuts at the last sunrise surf, but that couldn?t kill the last partynight with partner in crime Raphael Marie Mevel. Ofcourse the burden came the day after when my way back home started.
Writing all this, and reflecting to my own facebook post from a few days ago about how lucky we are that we are born in ?the west?, I do tend to feel sorry often. But I try to comfort my way out by thinking that at least I try to compensate my joy giving back my knowledge, time and energy which is way more needed in the rest of the world.
After a voluntary job, some months of travel and lots of expensive ways of entertainment I decided it would be a little bit better for my wallet if I kept the Delhi-amsterdam flight which I already booked in January (in order to get my Indian working visum) and just take a flight form philipines to Delhi. (Costs: 260 euro, instead of direct flight to Amsterdam for 500 something). Time wasn?t a problem at this moment.
So, after a taxi, a 3 h ferry, lots of waiting, a 12 h night ferry and a bus I arrived at the airport. Took a kind of shower in the toilet for disabled (A), felt good again. Some more waiting, some irritating euro exchange because this is I think the only airport in the world that all of a sudden wants a 15E terminal fee (but just finished al my money and the didn?t accept euro?s, for al the non travellers: yes you can also go to the cash machine but then the local bank is mostly charging you 4-5 euro?s per transaction, and also my bank charges me 4-5 euro in case of using a credit card, while the debit card is not always working).
First flight, I also discovered that by accident al my offline music was deleted, my laptop was not fully charged and I didn?t had any good books left on my e-reader. And ? I am not a particulary good sleeper in airplains. But who cares, I am going home!
Stopover at Singapore, get a stamp, get your bag, get a stamp again (useless?), took food at an Indian place I saw (well, I actually thought the menu was not so Indian but I was superhungry, and when I left the restaurant I saw that the indan was next door ? yes indeed, my haircolour became a little bit more blond this trip haha)
Next flight, up to Jaipur (india). Got some fruits en nuts from my Indian neighbour (they are feeders, always keeping on offering). Needed to collect my bag again (so nice with that painfull foot), so had to enter immigration. I actually wasn?t expecting that. Because I didn?t had a valid e tourist visa, I choose the other line. And asked if I could enter for only a transit. Apparently the officer looked at my makunda visit and when I showed my tickets to delhi and then to London, his neighbour decided it was fine. Stamp.
Some attempt to sleep at uncomfi chair at the airport, and up to Delhi. You litterly land and the aind of the takeoff. Transfer to the next terminal and check in again. The lovely lady at the desk promised me an empty row, or a handsome fellow traveller. And then it was over with the jokes. I walked to emigration, the guy looked a little bit worried, as they always do. But I was completely chilled and looking forward to my flight back home (they let me in and out 2 times already and this was only a transit of 9 hours). Asking his head officer, which was asking the next officer. Not one time they asked me the story. And I ended up in the office, still completely chilled. Trying to explain all the different stamps in my passport (and for somebody that has never been abroad this travel is kind of crazy ofcourse), do the story about the missing registration forms, tell them that it was no need to call that officer because he never registered us, trying to smile my way out of this. Because Hey, I am was trying to do something good for their people and now I am f*cking leaving this country! Please, not again.
But I get the stamp with REJECTED! Mental breakdown. I, ofcourse started crying at the British airways desk (at al desks in the immigration also actually), they gave me back my bag and the lovely girl told me she would make some notes to see if we could book a free of charge other flight!
I had 2,5 hours left. Maybe it was still possible so lets try. But ofcourse, I know india a little longer that today, it is crowded, busy and chaotic. This is not a 5 minute case.
The overprised taxidriver, gave me some tissues and drove me to the Foreign Regional Registration Office. Where there was a tremendous waiting line. I got to the desk, trying to explain I wanted to get my flight, but ofcourse was hssstt a couple of times. Oke, lets give up the flight. Lets just first arrange the papers.
Difficult difficult, because, my Makunda work visum was actually not valid any more, after taking a tourist visa (for the last part of my travel with Jorrit). Oke, but, how the hell should I have known that. And why did they let me in the country then in jaipur?!!!???!!!???!!!
It took over an hour already, so I just got my big backpack out of the car. Paid the driver including his waiting time (basterd) in the 20 euro I had left. Got my change back in dollars and walked al the way back to the office again (this path turned out to be walked by me for a couple of 20 times more that day)
But hey, good news. They would sign an exit permit, I had to pay a fine (60 euro?s, not to bad) and done. Sound do-able right?! But actually this was when the real India experience started.
The paying machine at the FFRO was out of order since 2 days now. And I didn?t had any cash left exept for those 10 dollars (tip for every fellow traveller, really take some ?in case of emergency?- USD?s, and try not to use them before you actually reached home, because even in your last flight ?? ;))
Wet of Murpy?
Because a couple of weeks a go the president decided that he wants to get rid of all the fake 7 and 15 euro billets, there is a big money problem in India at the moment. There are just not enough new billets on the streets yet. Resulting in? empty ATM?s.
So I find the first ATM, empty, inside the bank they couldn?t help me because I didn?t had a account there.
No biggy, next one. Empty
Third one, a line of 100, oh no, the line is also inside the bank.. 150 then maybe? I did it the Indian way, as a girl, and definitely as I white one, they will not really tell to not go in front of the line. I passed it and tried. Maximum is 35 e nowadays (compared to 125 normally). But hey, I will just pay my fine a couple of more times. But it Errored. Something with currency exchange blabla. Credit card then? error.
Inside the bank, passed again 40-50 persons and went directly to the desk. Nope, no creditcard possible.
Walked back, told the FFRO guys that my bag would be there a little longer then an hour, because I couldn?t get any money.
To the next ATM. And with only 1 euro in roupies that I found somewhere left, I decided not to take a riksjaw but just to walk a few blocks. Then I had the perfect idea to just enter the supergood looking Hyat regency hotel. Maybe I could use my credit card there, and get some money back from them. At least I could try.
Explaining myself and my horrible situation at the desk didn?t bring me to any money. Maybe there was an Hollander in the house then? I could transfer money online and get some from him/her.
To bad, no dutchies. And when I then hoped I could get the wifi code so at least sort some things out with internet (my Indian simcard is still working but I didn?t?had any valid money on it anymore) I god my second (or maybe seventh) mental breakdown. I couldn?t stop crying. And not just cyring, hysterical crying.
They put me in a chair in the lobby, brought me internet, gave me an enormous amount of tea and biscuits and told me I could stay as long as I wanted! So super sweet. I contacted Holland,thinking of a different way to get some money, tried to fill in the forms (but you need a special size photo of only 50 kb so was not accepting any of the things I treid, or the ones my sister sended over).
Oke.. next step. Up to get some money. Exchanged the 10 dollars, so at least I could get somewhere. And went to find a more fancy bank than the Indian state bank. Again a no go. And again.
And then I skipped the line and entered the HDFC bank, I was ordered to go to a desk. After 9 months of india and another 2 months of asia, I actually did not see even on really pretty local guy. But this boy?.. oehlala;) so, as most of you guys know me, I blurred it out: wouw you have got pretty eyes! Even before I took a seat. Woeps! Totally hysterical messed up day, and I manage to say something about his eyes. Hahah! He looked a little bit away and thanked me. Not knowing that he and his collegue would become my true heroes! Yes, they could arrange some money for me. Just relax, drink a coffee, wait for an hour and it will be done! Ha-le-lu-a! They finished some jobs, I was indeed waiting for quiet some while (but time is having a totally different perspective in india, so no problem) and I could stare at the handsome boy all the time. It will all be fine in the end I told myself, it is only a waste of money.
So after a while they took me to some other ?office?. I showed my card, entered my pin, and had to wait again. in the same time my pretty eyed hero tried to charge some money on my phone, and I used his one to call Temjen (one of the doctors in Makunda who is working in Delhi at the moment) to meet me, I still had all those papers you know. Before handing back his phone, I secretly added myself on his facebook! Sometimes you have to help destiny a bit right?
I got the money, paid some fee, and rushed back to the office. I had some questions about the form. They sended me to the cybercaf
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16 December 2016 - 11:50
Annabel:
Goede cliffhanger! ;)
Hang on in there! Tot heel snel! Liefs -
16 December 2016 - 14:15
Sabine:
Wat een belevenis, ik ga gauw verder lezen...
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