Yesterday I called at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to apply for a business visa for forthcoming circus rescue trips and networking in India. I went with some degree of curiosity after reading Jeff Vize's experiences there:
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/04-12/escape-from-kathmandu-or-how-to-con-and-influence-apathetic-power-brokers-at-the-indian-embassy-kathmandu-nepal.html
I don't know if I met the same "balding" guy that he mentioned - the clerk I dealt with had a splendid red/brown toupee. He was also remarkably agreable. Perhaps this was because my worthy application stood out from the rest that'd he'd seen that morning or maybe it was just the contrast of my appearance with the rest of the applicants in the lengthy queue. There was a fair abundance of unsavoury-looking aged hippies who seemed to have little need of a toupee. The clerk did take issue with the letter of support from ChildLine India that I offered as being addressed "to whom it may concern"; he argued that this should have been addressed to the embassy which was the only authority to issue visas. I smiled sweetly at him and promised that if he issued me with a visa I would convey that observation to letter's signatory in person. Rather amazingly this comment coaxed a laugh out of him. Anyway, surprise, surprise I have to go and join the queue again on Wednesday as the embassy has to telex to UK to check my credentials, this being standard practice for all applicants.
My biggest enemy here is time and it will have taken the best part of a day in total to obtain this visa. There must be a better way of doing things in this day and age.
