Tajik Visa!
After going back to Ankara and two more visits to the Tajikistan consulate, we finally got the Tajik visa! Then 10 hours of bus to get to Trabzon and apply for the Iranian visa.
After the interesting video conference with the students of Centre d'Estudis Prat in Barcelona where they proposed the first challenges to be done, we took a bus back to Ankara, where we arrived after 5 hours. Turkish long distance buses are really cool. They have comfy and wide seats, wifi, a screen on every seat where you can charge your phone, watch TV, play games, etc. and they also have a catering service and you are getting food and drinks every now and then. Exactly the same as Spanish buses :P
In Ankara we stayed again at Mutlu's place. He was quite surprised: "you're like a boomerang, you go and you come back". Yes, exactly like a boomerang thanks to the Tajik embassy. We finally spent 3 nights in Ankara when it was not even in the plan stopping there.
In Ankara we stayed again at Mutlu's place. He was quite surprised: "you're like a boomerang, you go and you come back". Yes, exactly like a boomerang thanks to the Tajik embassy. We finally spent 3 nights in Ankara when it was not even in the plan stopping there.
The Tajikistan embassy in Ankara. It feels like a second home...
Anyway, after some sleep we woke up early morning to be at the embassy by 11am. Once there, the consul was surprisingly waiting for us and he told us we had to go to a bank and pay 54USD for the visa, then go back to the embassy with the receipt from the bank and at 4pm we could go back there again and finally pick up the visa. It was not that bad, finally we would have the visa but now we had 4 hours to spend in the embassy area, which besides embassies, the only thing you have there is a big shopping mall called Panora. So there we went to kill the time. Panora is the typical huge shopping mall full of shops, places to eat and stuff. A curious thing about it, and about Turkey in general, is that they have like 10 ATMs from different banks lined up together in the same place.
Back at the embassy for the 6th time, we finally had the passport with a beautiful Tajik visa waiting for us there. It was the end of going to the embassy! Happily we returned to Mutlu's place, we ate some kebab and then to the bus station. Next destination: Trabzon. There we should apply for the Iranian visa, as it is the easiest place in the world (toghether with Batumi, in Georgia) to get it.
Early morning in Trabzon
We took a night bus which was supposed to arrive in Trabzon after 12 hours, but surprisingly after 10 hours we were there. Were we flying or what? Rushed to the hotel, leave the stuff there and then to the Iranian consulate to see if we were lucky. This time it was really easy to find but of course there had to be some problem. The consulate was closed until the following day, Don't ask me why, but it was closed, so another day lost thanks to the consulates/embassies.
With anything better to do, we decided to sightsee a bit Trabzon, and it ended up being a really nice city. The center is Ataturk Square, nothing special, but from there 3 main streets start. One is a pedestrian commercial street like the ones you have in all big cities. Another one is a big and busy street and the last one a beautiful street leading to the old town and the Bazar. It was the National Turkish day so the city and the Bazar were fully crowded.
With anything better to do, we decided to sightsee a bit Trabzon, and it ended up being a really nice city. The center is Ataturk Square, nothing special, but from there 3 main streets start. One is a pedestrian commercial street like the ones you have in all big cities. Another one is a big and busy street and the last one a beautiful street leading to the old town and the Bazar. It was the National Turkish day so the city and the Bazar were fully crowded.
Filling in Iranian visa application
Trabzon Bazar Anyway, it is a really nice walk through the Bazar, passing by a mosque and ending by the Black Sea, where people go on the shore to fish or to just relax a bit. As later we didn't have anything to do, we decided to go to a hamam, a Turkish bath. It lasted one hour and it was really enjoyable, with sauna, scrub and massage all included. The hamam itself was really nice, in the middle of Trabzon but you feel away from everything lying on the marble bed and looking at the domed ceiling while being massaged. Beer after hamam, some food and back to the hotel.
Next morning it was time to try our luck for the second time at the Iranian consulate. They open at 9am, so we decided to show up at 8:30 just in case. There were already 3 more travellers waiting in front of the door, so it looked like today they should open. A few more people came before 9 and some of them said that they were trying to get the visa for one week (in Batumi they took 5 days, in Trabzon it was closed, etc). Finally at 9 the doors opened, we got inside, were checked passports, were given an application form to fill in, asked for 2 pictures and done! Now we just had to go to a bank to pay the visa fee and hopefully the following day at 4:30pm we should have our Iranian visa stamped in the passport. We will see if it's that easy!
Just one reccomendation: make sure you are at the consulate when they open. We were 9 people waiting there, we got inside and at 9:50 one guy showed up and the consul told him to come back tomorrow, today it's full. They are supposed to open until 12pm, so it was stupid to tell that guy it was full for today! What's more, the consulate will open tomorrow and then close for 5 days, so the guy will have to wait at least 6 days for his visa.
On the next post there will hopefully be a picture of the Iranian visa!
See you on the road!
Next morning it was time to try our luck for the second time at the Iranian consulate. They open at 9am, so we decided to show up at 8:30 just in case. There were already 3 more travellers waiting in front of the door, so it looked like today they should open. A few more people came before 9 and some of them said that they were trying to get the visa for one week (in Batumi they took 5 days, in Trabzon it was closed, etc). Finally at 9 the doors opened, we got inside, were checked passports, were given an application form to fill in, asked for 2 pictures and done! Now we just had to go to a bank to pay the visa fee and hopefully the following day at 4:30pm we should have our Iranian visa stamped in the passport. We will see if it's that easy!
Just one reccomendation: make sure you are at the consulate when they open. We were 9 people waiting there, we got inside and at 9:50 one guy showed up and the consul told him to come back tomorrow, today it's full. They are supposed to open until 12pm, so it was stupid to tell that guy it was full for today! What's more, the consulate will open tomorrow and then close for 5 days, so the guy will have to wait at least 6 days for his visa.
On the next post there will hopefully be a picture of the Iranian visa!
See you on the road!
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