I AM GOING TO JORDAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got a message at 11 AM this morning from Manna from the Jordan embassy that I got my approval. I ran all the way to the parking lot and continued to speed to the embassy. After ten minutes' wait, she came out and flashed my passport with a huge smile and said "here is your visa!" I jumped up and asked her if I could give her a hug. I gave her a heart-felt bear hug. She wished me a wonderful trip and I promised that I would appreciate Jordan. How could I not after eight and half weeks after I have given up hope?! Tonight I leave. I am still in shock - I just got my visa hours before my trip!

So here I come, Jordan.

Presenting Kelty

Today I finished packing my Kelty. It's slightly over 18 pounds with bare minimal clothing, sleeping bag, energy bars, sun hat, candies, and the backpack cover.

My day pack is now almost 20 pounds because all the toiletries, first aid, camera equipment, guidebook, journal, basic change clothes, converter, and most importantly, all travel documents are in there. I've learned my lesson from Morocco. In case my luggage gets lost in transit, I will be able to live off my day pack for two weeks this time.

No Jordan visa yet. I am calling them again next Monday. The visa lady would not tell me it's a "No". I will call them until Tuesday since she said she would give me the visa in the same day if she got the approval from Jordan.

I am still really psyched though. We are leaving Tue. night and I will see the Great Pyramid in no time!

My Alternative Plan after 7 Mortifying Weeks

Tue. I called the embassy again. It marked the seventh week of painstaking patience and constant anxiety. The same lady told me I did not get the approval. I demanded for a reason but she did not offer any. She said she would fax it back to Jordan and let me know if it came through.

Wed. I was back at the embassy. The man at the visa desk flipped through the binder but could not find my application. He assured me it'd been sent to Jordan (and not lost in the shuffle). He finally found it singled out at the shelf. My lonely papers did not have any stamp or writing on it. They looked the same as on the day I dropped them off. The visa lady finally showed up. My face-to-face plea with her did not yield any optimistic results. She again indicated she would fax it. The only hope I had was her looking at me in my eyes and promising me to fax it would actually be true this time. She asked me to call her next Friday. I negotiated it back to Wed. since I will need time to reschedule my flight.

On the way home, I realized that I might not be able to wait till that late. At night, I booked a one way ticket from Sharm el Sheikh back to US on day 12 of the trip. Good thing I did it because apart from the common sense that ticket price would go sky rocketing closer to departure date, I also learned that:

1. When airlines tell you you only need to pay a fixed fee to change your flight before departure, it may not be true. AF tried to charge me way beyond the change penalty, what they call the re-calculation fee, which was not explained to me previously upon booking. They also do not fly within Egypt.
2. I need 2-3 business days of UPS time to deliver me the paper tickets since they involve multiple international carriers.
2. It may not be a good idea at all to drop off my passport next week anytime later than Wed. to apply for the visa. If I don't get my passport in time, I won't be able to go to Egypt. The way this is going, the embassy may close down (1/30 for example, is Jordan King Abdullah's birthday and it's a national holiday). That's a minus one day for me.

So here is my new itinerary (description taken from Intrepid trip notes):

Pre-trip: Leave home on 1/30, arriving in Cairo on 1/31.

Days 2/1-2 Cairo
The thriving metropolis is renowned for its mysterious Sphinx and iconic Pyramids.

Days 2/3-5 Aswan
Savour the delights of a traditional lunch before heading into the desert on camelback. Later, a felucca ride on the Nile is topped off with a night under the stars.

Days 2/6-7 Luxor
Take a donkey ride to the Valley of the Kings and watch feluccas sail down the river at sunset.

Day 2/8 Cairo
On our return to Cairo, take the opportunity to delve deeper into the city's heritage by visiting the expansive Cairo Museum.

Day 2/9 Mt Sinai
Ascending the mystical mountain on camel back leads us to panoramic views of the desert landscape.

Days 2/10-11 Nuweiba
Golden sand and balmy beaches provide a refreshing interlude, as does our overnight stay in a simple beach hut.

I will actually be in Nuweiba for only one day. On 2/11, I plan to take a bus to go to the south since Sharm el Sheikh is the only city along the Red Sea that has an airport. The bus ride will take two and half hours. My flight leaves at 12 AM from Sharm el Sheikh, with a layover in Cairo for 9 hours, which means I will sleep at the airport until my 10 AM flight back to JFK then to IAD.

Here is what looks like I will miss (everything Jordan from this point on):

Day 12 Aqaba
Take a ferry across to Aqaba, the only spot in Jordan where sea-swimming is possible.
Day 13 Wadi Rum
We trace the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia across the desert valley and experience a memorable night with our Bedouin hosts.
Days 14-15 Petra
The rose-hued structures carved into the rock of the surrounding mountains make Petra a truly unique experience.
Day 16 Madaba
Travel the King's Highway to Madaba, where Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics evoke memories of lost empires.
Days 17-18 Madaba/Amman
White-stoned buildings pack Jordan's capital, with the Roman Theatre and King Abdullah I Mosque its standout attractions.

After the return ticket has been confirmed, I feel gratifyingly at ease. My heart that has been strung along for seven weeks comes back to where it should be.

Getting Close

It's been an uneventful six weeks since I dropped off my application for approval to obtain a Jordanian visa. I've had multiple nights dreaming that I was at the embassy again, this time, dropping off the visa application... When I wake up, reality hits. The impending departure date makes the uncertainty of gaining this stamp more unbearable.

This past Monday, I called the embassy again. It was the same woman who I talked to on the phone couple of times and met in person at the embassy. I explained that it had been six weeks and I needed to leave in about three weeks. She said "Don't worry. Don't worry. You have time." She told me she got a bunch of approvals, but she just did not have time to check... and when she checked and IF I were to get the approval, she would call me. She asked for my number and hung up.

I have some time but time is dwindling. I wish more than anything else that I AM in the bunch.

The lesson that I've learned though is to first check on visa requirements before I decide on going to any country. Wed. night, I have been quite enthusiastically checking the embassy websites of the countries that I am most interested in going next. For example, I now know that a Greek visa approval would need two years of W2, one year of bank statement and lots more other things than those required by a Schengen visa. UK only processes visa applications in LA, NYC and Chicago. Since I don't trust mailing my passport anywhere, I guess seeing London Bridge falling down would not be on my agenda soon.