French / In France? Getting a visa during the strikes / Votre visa pendant les grèves

brownboy66

well I'll make sure to remind you tomorrow then! You should be fine re the cell phone. European GSM is the same band as here - so all you need to do is ensure the phone isn't sim locked to your network in France. Purchase a sim on arrival (BSNL have a foreign visitor package I think which pretty much takes care of everything - and has good coverage as well).

are you excited yet?

roofr

Interesting information on getting a visa in Paris - thanks Khandoma. I was thinking of getting mine by post. Not going to India until Feb 2008. Do you know if this works?
I hope you have a great trip. I also plan like crazy before travelling - part of the fun. I read as many of the posts and topics on IM, but do not post much as most of my questions are already asked and answered by others - thanks to all.

Lakshmi66

Ah, beauty parlours....I remember spending hours being pampered at mine in Dellhi and paying something like 300 rupees for it all (shampoo, haircut, manicure, pedicure)...plus chai and friendly chat. Sigh! Only ever go to the coiffeur on a "need to" basis in France and only to get a quick haircut. OK this is getting really off-topic but: I really miss having my eyebrows threaded! They don't do it here, at least not where I am. Can't wait to get to India end-Jan for some beauty parlour pampering.

Very impressed by your visa odyssey! I definitely recommend getting someone else to do it for you. My partner used Visa Express, paid 86 euros including postage and got his visa in less than a week. Exactly two months to go as of tomorrow.

Khandoma

Roofr : I really can't say for sure.
While I was standing in line at the Consulate, the Visa Express guys and other couriers were telling horror stories about people sending their passports via recommandé + A/R and the consulate losing their passports. Normally I would dismiss this as a sales pitch, something like "use our services - or else...". But with the strikes I wouldn't put a little disorganization past the consulate personnel.
On the other hand, two frequent Indian travellers in the line had done it before and it had worked fine - the stamped passport returned to them before the accusé de réception (receipt slip) did !
Honestly, as Lakshmi says, if you can afford the extra cost, I'd say go with one of those visa companies.
Also, depending on where you are from, you may need extra documents. I know that British citizens are to provide one extra paper, I don't know which. If that concerns you, forget about calling the consulate, they just never answer the phone, and the website is hopeless. Any visa company will give you the right info.
Enjoy your planning !

Lakshmi : I certainly don't mind the off-topic, after all it's my thread What I really missed was the manicure and the facial. And the chit-chai too, you're right. You're one brave traveller for enjoying having your eyebrows threaded. I thought it hurt like hell ! But then I'm about as hairy as the yeti's sister, so it was a lengthy process. This time I'm going to try the Mysore beauty parlours. If I find good places I'll post the addresses.

Brownboy : Yes, I did have the phone unlocked, thanks. That BSNL pack is about 5,800 Rs, right ? Not sure I want to spend that much money on a phone I'll use mostly, if not only, for high emergencies, a couple of room reconfirmations, and the occasionnal text message to the loved ones. Anyway, haven't made up my mind yet.
I'm so happy, really looking forward to my first day in India. 24 hours in the Mumbai - Bangalore train ! That should be fun.

__________________
Hungry ? Please visit the Image Gallery of my new book, Bon Appétit Mr. Bond !, on 007 and food.

brownboy66

96 hours.....ooooooo!

So you're almost at that stage now where if its hasn't been done - its too late! (just in case you needed reminding).

did you remember to pack a torch? Plasters - do you have plasters?

roofr

Khandoma, thanks for the reply. I did not know about Visa Express, sounds good. I think if I send my passport and french working permit it should be OK. I am british btw. This is what I did for my chinese visa two years ago.
I hope you have a lovely trip.

Khandoma

Roofr : Please do check with Visa Express before sending any papers, and make sure to tell them you are British. I was specifically told British citizens needed one more document (on top of working permit) for India. And thanks for your good wishes !

Brownboy : my torchlight is in the mail, should arrive tomorrow. My beloved reading light (a gadget you clip on the book) is packed with extra batteries. Plasters - do you mean band-aids ? They are a thing of the past. I carry an antiseptic spray that turns into a "plaster" film when it dries, along with a few of those self-healing band-aids for foot blisters. I have Skype on my USB key along with my scanned passport and insurance. I have extra SD cards, a spare Li-ion battery and the USB cable for my camera. I am a walking encyclopedia of travel gizmos. Where in the name of Vishnu is my toothpaste ???

brownboy66

Um....just out of curiosity what are the security procedures out of France concerning liquids? I know that flts to and from the US, plus Australia, NZ, etc - liquids are restricted to 100 mls each I think and must be in a clear plastic bag? Your spray on bandage........is a liquid?

Also - I know some airlines ban aerosol cans outright. Not trying to yank your chain on this one. Its a real question this time.

Khandoma

Yeah - I mean, no - I mean, I understand it's a very valid question. This spray is going into my luggage, not my carry-on bag. As such, Swissair is OK with it. The restrictions you mention on liquids etc. are for carry-on bags. (My understanding of the logic behind this is : liquids and creams can either hide or downright be explosives, or stuffs used to hijack a plane. If they are in the cargo part of the plane, it makes it tough for the hijackers to get to them. )

Anyway, thanks much for asking. There will, eventually, be something on your list that I overlooked, so keep'em coming !

brownboy66

is it a pump bottle or a pressurised can? If its the latter you may need to declare it. Some airlines ban pressurised cans of any kind in the hold. Why? Because its a general policy designed to catch someone silly enough to try and put a really high pressure canister in their luggage without telling the airline (and having the canister de pressurise catastrophically).

Most aerosol cans are designed to withstand up to 180 psi - and the pressure difference inside an aircraft cabin at 35,000 feet is.....wait for it......5 psi!(how do I know this stuff - I'm a geek - abeit a rugby playing geek)! So aerosol cans are perfectly safe - but if its an airline policy then best not to annoy them!

Dilliwala

Sheesh, is there anything u don't know??
Methinks sometimes the reason u're really on IM is to cut loose - i.e., the family won't listen any more, so u go on a net-crawl at night, wearing a long coat with collar turned up, hat brim pulled low, looking for unsuspecting netizens to flash (with info, I mean).
Alright, don't beat me up, I know I'm exaggerating a bit. The family part I mean - surely the baby listens with keen interest?

U were not far off the mark in your first post about applying for visas here, BTW. Other than the DNA test bit - it's unbelievable the kind of cr.p we have to deal with at many foreign embassies (I have bitched about this elsewhere). Makes me seriously consider restricting my foreign travel to Nepal and Bhutan. A driving licence is sufficient to gain entry.

brownboy66

and I'm glad you clarified that last bit! The only "flashing" that goes on here is the occasional firmware upgrade (its too cold for anything else).

oh yes - I'm a mine of useless information - and occasionally the family duck for cover (not to mention being reluctant to let me play trivial pursuits, monopoly, scrabble, or pictionary) - but other than that its all good.

yeah - entry requirements everywhere are getting tougher. I think the UK is about to add a whole bunch of new requirements (and lets not even mention going to the US at the moment). I guess eventually increased use of face scanning technology, fully electronic passports, etc - will make it faster and easier but the big issue will be the amount of information each individual will have stored on them in various databases around the world! blah!

Khandoma

Well, you may call it a mine of useless information, but I had no idea why some airlines let you pack sprays and others didn't. Now I feel so much superior to the average traveller !

I did double-check with Swissair on the phone this morning. They do accept (pressurized) sprays in the luggage. Just in case some traveller might read this.

Don't get me started on travelling / immigration requirements. It's such a mess for foreigners to enter France that when one reaches the Passports line at Paris airports, people tend to change lines to avoid being next to Africans, Arabs, Asians... Just because their clearing process will take forever. If that is not encouraging racism I don't know what it is. (Okay, so I got myself started on the subject, all by my lonesome... )

Dilliwala

I deserved that one.
Somebody please kick me. I cud have easily used another word, but of course I HAD to say "flash" to a tech-geek!

Ok, now I'm really nitpicking, so apologies in advance.
It's Swiss (LX). Swissair (SR) went out of business at the turn of the century.

brownboy66

why thank you! At least you didn't call me a nerd! (and no - there will be no kicking today - your post ensured I started the morning with a good laugh so thank you).