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BOUNCED FROM THE BORDER.  AGAIN.

18/8/2015

6 Comments

 
Due to certain sensitivities, and the fact that the Malaysian Government does not encourage its citizens to travel (or recognise) certain countries, I can only refer to this place as The Country Which Shall Not be Named. 

Complete the cryptic passage below for a subtle hint:

My name is Peter, her name __  Jane.  We hold hands when crossing the ____way tracks.

To narrow it down further, the country's people start with a J and rhymes with "dew".

Ok, I better stop before I make it too easy.


T plus 100 - not in you-know-where

I was supposed to celebrate my 100th day in The Country Which Shall Not be Named.  And I did everything the Internet told me to do - woke up early, caught the bus to the border, waited patiently in line for three hours to get past various security checkpoints.  And at the very last stage, I was told very politely, and very firmly that I had to turn back because I didn't have the required visa.  Even though the vast majority of tourists could apply for a visa on arrival.  This is what happens when diplomatic relations between two countries don't exist.

So I find myself back in Amman where I'm contemplating my next move.  Should I apply for a visa and risk a potentially long wait, or should I just give up and move on?

I'm leaning towards the former, because I've already missed out on Iraq due to the same issue.  And Jordan isn't such a bad place to chill out for a week or two I suppose.  The only concerns are 1. I'm wasting time and 2. I'm spending money on accommodation and food while wasting time.  This scenario doesn't jive well with my must-save-every-cent Penang Chinese mentality, but I shall try to suppress the voice in my head for now.

Update soon.
6 Comments
mel
20/8/2015 04:14:38 pm

maybe consider to apply visa and chill at else where instead of Jordan so that explore new place aint wasting time :) maybe got unexpected discovery :)

Reply
chong
21/8/2015 12:48:59 am

Better venture into new places rather than trying again at the border again as the channces are rather slim.

Reply
Neoh
21/8/2015 07:34:21 pm

Hi Mel and Chong,

Yeah, I think I'm gonna give this one final shot. I'm waiting for the embassy in Amman to open on Monday and I'll go for a formal interview for the visa. I've already submitted online. Should have an answer by Weds. If this fails, I'll move on lah.

Reply
mel
22/8/2015 11:44:01 am

yeahh at least already attempted. let's wait and hope for the very best! and good good luck for the interview aa!

Reply
chong
24/8/2015 12:47:30 am

Good that you are trying as l see this destination of yours is so important. God is with you and l am pretty sure you would pull through. Cheers!

Reply
Neoh
24/8/2015 05:10:51 pm

Thanks for the support guys! I just handed my papers to the embassy this morning. Fingers crossed within the next couple of days they'll let me know the result.

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