I had tried to check in multiple times online in multiple ways (email link, app, real computer) all day and it hadn't let me. It was weird because I had verified my passport. Fortunately the airport desk was deserted. As the woman behind the counter was checking me in she asked for my visa to India. Wait. What?? I told her I had read I didn't need a visa as a US tourist headed to Delhi on some official website. She told me she couldn't check me in. No no no no no no.
I asked her to check again and read her official website in it's entirety, while explaining my sister lived where I was connecting. Just let me get to Philly. I have a place to stay while I work this out. She re-read and found the clause that I was talking about and gave me all 3 boarding passes (for this I owe her big time.) with some hesitation.
As I was walking away, the man beside her said "I think you need a visa and if I was you I would apply for one the second you get to the gate." I wasn't worried yet, but I was definitely already annoyed at myself for not double checking. When I got the gate the first thing I did was read the visa section in the Rough Guide. In Sum: Uh oh.
The second thing I did was google "expedited visas to India". It looked like I could get a visa in 8-12 hours 24/7 (not true and another example of: reading the headlines only will often fail you. Those are "business hours" and this was Friday night and India is 12.5 hours ahead). I picked the first link and started the application. It froze towards the end of the information part and would not let me choose my nationality. Oh boy. So I tried the second link and it was the same story. Ugh. Now I was boarding and I needed to get on the flight early because I definitely didn't want to part with my bag. Following planing (I mean de-planing is a word so why not) and a moderately panicked call later, I was saved via a 3rd visa link that was texted to me right before take off.
Thank goodness for plane WIFI. The next 90 min was filling out the third link. My sister later pointed out that I clicked on a link called "super urgent visa" and trusted it. If that is not sheer unadulterated #desperation I don't know what is. It was time to take a passport photo "against a white wall" that fit in their box without my face looking too distorted. This equaled taking repeated selfies with a flash at 1 am and took way longer than it should have (I really wanted to explain to all the people who were staring at me willing me to stop, but they didn't really look like they wanted to know, they just wanted me to stop using my flash). For the record, I have never been so happy that planes have white walls (taking a selfie against another passenger's white shirt would have been awkward. This was the farthest I had gotten in regards to the application process so I was encouraged. Next up payment and it was via PayPal (hooray). It wouldn't let me pay. The next hour equaled me repeatedly trying to pay with eventual unfulfilling success.
Immediately prior to the payment that went through an unsecure cyber attack website warning appeared. I started thinking "super urgent" was code for giving away a bunch of personal information and the answer to all of my security questions. I also didn't get a confirmation email. I was sincerely worried so I sent texts. I will never celebrate waking someone up in the middle of the night, but I will celebrate those people who you can do that to, who always come through. Telephone to India were made from the ground and I landed with a plan. If the company I had applied did not respond to my email or phone calls within 30 min I would cancel them and proceed with a 4th company. I talked to my company and she said I would have the visa by 9 PM (2 hours and 2 min too late). I called the second and she said it would be the same amount of time but probably 1-2 hours longer because I had to fill it out and pay. I stayed with the first.
I had been so worried and consumed with visa action that I had not noticed that it was FREEZING. It was time to layer it up. Two pairs of pants and four shirts later I was ready to get a Lyft to Morning Glory, the diner where I was going to meet my sister and brother-in-law. When I arrived, it wasn't open for another 40 min so I walked as fast as I could to Whole Foods and got some hot tea. Katie and Kevin were there not long after with gear (long down jacket, leather insulated gloves, purple hat with ear flaps and a Pom on top and Jumbo fuzzy scarf. An aside: I am going to take this moment to remember 55 is not really cold. That's right San Diego, I said it. Man up.). At breakfast my sister and I split a plate and I got a biscuit (I would like to blame this on emotional trauma, but I just like biscuits and they taste the most delicious on vacation. Other than seeing Katie and Kevin, I was preparing for the biscuit to be the highlight of my trip with visions of being sent home later this evening. It was wonderful and deserved to be immortalized on film).
After breakfast we walked to their house and I cleaned up and warmed up while Katie checked out the validity of my "super urgent visa" company. There was definitely more good reviews than bad ones but there was a sharp divide. People either got their visas or didn't.
We decided that since I was now appropriately dressed with the addition of snow boots, we would take a long walk and run some errands (popcorn store, Lush, picture framing etc). During our excursion I got a call from a random country asking me for payment for my visa. When I said I had already paid the woman on the phone was incredibly odd and hung up saying I would have the visa in 2 hours. I was baffled so I called the company that I had used and they didn't answer, then it was busy, then it sounded like it had been disconnected. This was not encouraging in the least and I began fixating on the fact I might have been scammed. Lunch was at Han Dynasty (Mmmm Dumplings and Bok Choy). Our main dish was a dry rubbed cumin lamb. It was capital CUMIN, so much that I suspect it will come out of our pores for weeks. Of note there is a reason there aren't cumin candles, lotions, or perfume. I probably need to extend a heartfelt apology to my flight mates.
Back at their place I showered and relaxed for a few minutes before heading to the airport via Lyft. Not to be outdone by the rest of the day the driver's app wasn't working so he had me cancel the ride and re-request. I was then assigned another driver so he told me I had to stand outside and wait now quite a ways away from the house in no cold weather gear. I paid him cash to take me to the airport.
I made it to the gate with an hour and a half to spare and continued to get more and more nervous as they called almost everyone on the full flight to the desk. Come on visa. I refreshed my email by the minute while trying to distract myself with social media. Finally we were boarding, then on the plane, then pushing back. I was off to London without wifi ( and thus without the ability to check on the visa until I landed).
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