I've been channeling my inner Bill Murray these days, specifically his character from Groundhog Day.
I submitted an application for a 10-year Indian tourist visa on September 21st, and since then have been matching wits daily with what is easily the toughest bureaucracy I've ever encountered. Coming from someone who used to write multi-million dollar contracts and navigate corporate procurement departments for a living, I know a thing or two about impenetrable bureaucracies and the Indians take the cake.
After spending an entire month emailing and calling their helpdesk every day, I finally had to bite the bullet and drove to Atlanta to sort it out. Within 5 minutes of walking in, they had my packet out and it hadn't even been opened, despite me being told it was in process for the past month. In fact, it turns out that they needed me to submit a new application due to a small technical error. The lady literally handed me my passport and said, "Ok, now you hand it back to me and I will include it in your new application," and did so with a straight face. This is complete insanity, but at least handling it in person seems to have moved things along. The issue is really that I'm completely at their mercy and while they are taking their sweet time, I don't have a passport and am burning through my savings.
Luckily, it's a beautiful time to be stuck in the Southland, so I have been camping out and enjoying the fall color. Below is a little taste of the views to be had around the South this time of year; this one is Linville Falls, NC.
