Visas!

Before I even begin our story about travelling to Mexico for the total solar eclipse on the 8th April, I had to endure the US visa experience. 

Innocently, we had decided to fly through San Francisco.  For this, just to transit, you need a visa.  I am no longer eligible for the visa waiver programme because we went to Iran in 2017.  So I have to apply for a full-on visa.  My previous one had expired, and I thought it would the easy process that it had been in 2017.

But no.  Beginning in December, it took me two weeks to sort through the many glitches in the website as well as try to upload a photo, which was rejected.  You had two websites to deal with - one for  filling in information and another for scheduling an interview.

Then I found that I had to wait two and a half months for an interview.  It had been something like 2 weeks in 2017.   I had an appointment 13 days before we were due to leave.  I will spare you the story of my attempts to get an earlier appointment.

On the day, I arrived an hour before the interview time.  There were already 40 or so lined up on the footpath outside the Embassy in North Sydney.  I got to the door at  the right time.  So that was one hour. I did have a chance to chat to some others in the queue.  Was pleased when a much younger lady said to me "Wasn't their website terrible!" 

Once inside you had to declare any laptops or tablets, and phone had to be OFF.  Security meant everything had to be scanned - I do not recall ever being asked to remove my watch for scanning.  Then you go through this huge, thick  door to the entrance to the lift and up to the appropriate floor.  

More queuing - for fingerprinting, and recording of the photo that is now apparently acceptable.  

Another queue for the interview.   Why do you want to go to the US?  What did you do in Iran?  Have you been to North Korea or Cuba?  She was able to give me a tourist rather than just a transit visa, and told me to renew my visa by email next time.      

My parting words to her were that I had been on my feet for 2 hours and 5 minutes.  There was no  chair anywhere.  I had drunk all my water and just couldn't get out of that building quickly enough.

Down the road was a lovely French bakery where I got a coffee and quiche for lunch.  

Which country has the best PR?!