Destination Unknown

Things are rolling. I held the passport, the long awaited passport, for a few minutes yesterday. 9 weeks with the UK Home Office getting my visa renewed, a mere 9 weeks. Of course, it could have been 4 weeks, or even 12 weeks. There are even rumours that some were taking 14 weeks. Last week I majorly panicked and faxed them an urgent treatment request, help, see look, ferry booking to Norway on the 12th, must must have my passport back. Apparently those requests are either considered and taken seriously or used as tissue to blow their noses, depends on the case worker. But this one came through, hurray.

Yesterday was a frantic rush around town. First to get vaccinations, oops, should have done that weeks ago. Could have saved a bit of money too, Lambeth pays for the expensive malaria tablets through the NHS instead of having to pay privately, and I could have gotten some of the normal vaccines free through them. Damn, should have planned better. But when I call my surgery, I get the surly receptionist who laughed at me when I said I wanted to get in in the next week or so.

So, I generally nearly pass out with needles, but the payment at the end was a bigger shocker. For that price, I think I should totally be wallowing in Japanese B encephalitis in order to get my money's worth. A touch of rabies too maybe?

A rush over to the travel agents to finish filling out the visa applications for China and Russia. Thank you America for making your visa applications such a pain so the Russians have to follow suit, bureaucratic pissing matches. Please list every academic institution you have ever attended, please list every country you have ever visited, your last three jobs, blah blah blah.

And then the call. I have been waiting for months. I'm so tired of telling people, no, the passport isn't back yet, not sure when we are leaving, it depends on the passport coming back. But it was there and I could have it back. Rush to another side of town to get it. Aack the Tube. I should have cycled, but I wasn't quite up to like 30 miles around town in the rain. I had to ride the Tube yesterday the most I probably have in about 2 years, 5 trips. How unbearable, how do you people ride that thing every day?

I finally got to meet the solicitor, almost a good friend after my frequent panicked phone calls, when is it coming back, help, make it come back please. I held it for a bit as I was running back to the travel agent. How I didn't appreciate it when I had it, it just sat in a drawer for months. My shiny new UK visa was there too. I checked to see if I had some free pages for new visas, ok, a few blank, I should be fine, then handed it off to send it to the Russians and Chinese. I should have it back in a few days and hopefully can get the Vietnam one in time too, or might have to do that one in China instead.

But so much to do now, packing, shipping things, figuring out what to take for 4-5 months, and saying goodbye to everybody in London.

Next stop, Bergen Norway. Hmm, better see about getting train tickets to Newcastle. Lists, they have overtaken my life.