Tuesday 23 June 2009

Bayshore Marina, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas

After more flight searching in the morning – some have gone up £150 overnight we head to Nassau to pick up our visas. We are less than amused to find that there is already a queue outside in the bus shelter area. Luckily though it is quickly moved along and we are inside within 15 minutes and through the two lots of security. Once inside it is clear that everyone has been given a time of 2.30pm for visa collection and we are in for a wait. We are directed to two chairs by security as the row two back from us is led up to the standing queue to wait for the one window where a lady is handing out the visas.

We are told to print our name and sign the cards we have been given. It then occurs to us we do not know which is which and as I am still travelling under my maiden name as I have been unable to change my passport, if we get it wrong we imagine trouble. Kevin reckons that his will be the first and signs. Conversation breaks out in the queue as pens are passed around and then the queue is made to move along the chairs, three at a time, when you reach the top of the row you have to go to the bottom of the next row. Everyone is quite amused by the musical chairs situation as about every 10minutes you have to get up and move along another 3 chairs! We start chatting to the South African beside us who works on one of the local cruise ships and is getting his work visa renewed. He is about the 20th person to ask us why when we are from England we have to get a visa to visit the USA, though we discuss how he now has to get one just to transit the UK on a plane connection, so it seems worldwide.

We eventually reach the top of the queue and have guessed right on signing our cards. We have now got US visas attached into our passports and can visit the US by sea! We return to the boat for a bit more back and forth with flights (trying to coordinate Alex to fly out with Sean and back with Donna and Mark).

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