Delhi: hot, damn hot. I mean it was over 40 degrees plus every day. All that and we stayed 2 weeks-why: we needed to collect our onward visas, that’s why. Sightseeing (for what it was worth in that heat) was limited to Saturdays and
Sundays. Weekdays were like work-every day we made the rather arduous trip to the diplomatic enclaves of Delhi and back.
デリーではとうとう気温が40度を超えた。そんな灼熱のデリーに2週間も滞在したのは、これから行く国のビザを取得するため。デリー滞在中、観光は大使館が休みの土日だけ。平日はまるで仕事のように毎日大使館の集まるエリアに通った。
The first challenge was the visa for the next country on our itinerary: Pakistan. Challenge because if you are applying in a country other than your home country, the Pakistan embassy in Delhi requires a letter from your home embassy that essentially confirms your identity for the Pakistan embassy. Sounds easy enough, right? Why wouldn’t your embassy gladly issue this letter-that’s their job, no? Well, the Japan embassy had different ideas. First, the embassy there wants a whole itinerary from you as to where you are going and what hotel you are going to stay at, etc. More, if your itinerary includes areas that the Japanese embassy considers “dangerous” (based on who knows what), then no letter will be issued. What to do? Well, we just told them what they wanted to hear and finally got the letter. Senseless rigamarole, but on the other hand they did issue the letter gratis. As an aside, we heard that the Japanese embassy in Nepal is issuing such letters with no such requirements, so it might pay to get your Pakistani visa in Nepal (Pakistan gives you 3 months to enter the country, so you could still do a good trip to India). By contrast the Canadian embassy is a breeze: they just confirmed that the applicant is aware of the Canadian government’s position on travel in Pakistan (against it), and that travel is a personal choice (duh). Only problem: it costs over 3000 Rupees (like 70-80 bucks) for this one paragraph piece of paper. Oh well, what can you do?
まずはインドの次の国、パキスタンのビザ取得から。自分の国以外でパキスタンのビザを申請する場合は自国の大使館から発行された「添え状」なるものを提出する必要がある。デリーの日本大使館では、添え状を発行してもらうには、パキスタンの詳しい旅程やホテルの名前や連絡先まで記入しなければならない。また旅程の中に、日本政府が「危険」とする場所が含まれていると、添え状は出してもらえない。窓口の人からも旅程について色々と聞かれる。このような条件を満たして初めて添え状を発行してもらえるのだ（料金は無料）。ちなみに、あとから聞いた話だと、ネパールのカトマンドゥにある日本大使館では、旅程などの情報は一切聞かれずに添え状を発行してくれるそうだ。デリーの日本大使館は非常に厳しいし神経質すぎる気がする。一方、カナダ大使館では旅程は一切聞かれず、政府のサイトにあるパキスタンの安全情報を読んで理解したか、安全確保は個人の責任だと理解しているか、といったことを口頭で確認しただけで、あっさりと即時発行してもらえた。ただ料金が約3000ルピー（約8000円）と高いので、財布的には痛いが、こればかりは仕方がない。
Since embassies conveniently perform consular services in the morning only, we went the next day to Pakistan’s eye-catching Mosque-like embassy to apply for the visa. Can’t do it same day though because in addition to a completed application form, two photos, and your embassy letter, you must attach a deposit receipt proving payment of the visa fee into an embassy account, which is naturally at a bank that is inconveniently located outside of the diplomatic enclave (although the fee is waived for Japanese nationals). Also, the embassy requires a typed
application, but no worries because out on the sidewalk by the application window are arranged a few desks sitting behind which are older gentlemen who type your application (watch out for mistakes) for 50 Rupees, and beyond them is a young guy whose sole business is to glue your photos and staple you application for 10 Rupees. Strange, but somehow fitting in India. Since we had to deposit the visa fee in the indicated bank, we missed a day and went the next day to apply only to find the embassy closed for a holiday. Nice. The next day was Friday and we were finally able to lodge the application. We were told to come back Monday for an “interview” and to receive the visa. We were a little concerned about the purpose of the “interview”, but that was over within a few minutes and we were able to collect the visa that Monday afternoon.
後日、添え状を手に、青いモスク風の建物が目を引くパキスタン大使館へ。ビザ申請には申請書、添え状、パスポートサイズの証明写真2枚が必要。料金は指定口座に振り込み、その領収書も提出しなければならない。ちなみに日本人の場合、パキスタンビザは無料なので、もちろん領収書は不要。申請書は手書きではダメで、青空の下、窓口近くで机を並べているオジサンにタイプライターで打ってもらうシステムになっていた。ミスタイプの多いオジサンに支払うタイプ代は1人50ルピー。タイプが終わると、写真の貼り付けは、その近くに糊を持って待っている若者にやってもらえという。こちらは写真を張り付けて書類をホッチキスで留めるだけで10ルピー。なんともインドらしいあやしいシステムだ。申請窓口は午前11：30に閉まってしまうので、この日は時間切れで申請できず、指定された銀行に料金を振り込むだけで終了。翌日申請に行くとなんと大使館はお休み…。結局、翌々日（金曜日）にやっと申請して1週目が終了。次の週の月曜日、午前中にパキスタン大使館内で簡単な面接があり、同日の午後4時に無事ビザを発給してもらえた。
Next on our list was the country after Pakistan: China. Whether it’s the Tibet problem or the upcoming Olympics or whatever, getting a Chinese visa has become quite the headache. For just a 30-day, single-entry, tourist visa the embassy requires (and actually demands seeing) confirmed hotel reservations for your itinerary, confirmed return air tickets, and the kicker for persons applying not in their home country, an original bank statement. The requirements for business visas appear even more strict, with all sorts of letters required. In this way it was quite interesting to see what happens when you get the very “forward” Indian (unstoppable force) crash up against the lemon-lipped Chinese bureaucrat (immovable object). We spent the weekend compiling the appropriate (or at least appropriate looking) documents and with not a little luck were able to get our visas the day after submission at 2200 Rupees a pop for rush service (interestingly, American applicants are singled out such that no rush service of any kind is available and the fee is an exorbitant 5600 Rupees). With the Chinese visa in hand, the next visa we needed to get was one of the countries of Central Asia, and we picked Kyrgyzstan. Once again here Japanese nationals get 30 day visas for free whilst Canadian are bilked for 3050 Rupees for express, next day service. What gives? Anyway, by 2 weeks we had our visas.
次に中国のビザ申請のために中国大使館へ。チベット問題やオリンピック開催の影響か、中国のビザ取得は非常に難しくなっていた。30日間のシングルビザでさえ、ホテル予約情報、往復航空券、さらに銀行の残高明細書まで要求されるのだ。ビジネスビザは色々なレターが必要らしく、さらに大変そうだった。窓口では、ビザを得るのに必
死のインド人と、中国人スタッフの攻防が繰り広げられていておもしろかった。我々も週末中に書類をかき集め、2度目にやっと受理され、翌日に30日のシングルビザを獲得。費用は、翌日発給の特急サービスで1人2200ルピーだった（ちなみにアメリカ人だけは特急・超特急サービスも適用されず、料金も5600ルピーと超高い）。中国ビザを取得したその足で次はキルギスタン大使館へ。日本人は30日間までならビザが不要なので、ダンだけ30日間シングルビザを申請し、特急サービスで翌日取得出来た（料金3050ルピー）。これで2週目が終了。
Well traveled route to the embassies/毎日通った大使館街への道
Over those 2 weeks we changed hotels a couple of times, but we found the so-called “Royal Guest House” in the Main Bazaar most convenient. Beyond being in the Main Bazaar, good sundries and tea shops are close at hand. Compared to other cheapies in the area it is a little more expensive, but being clean and with satellite TV, all in all it’s the better deal.
2週間の滞在の間、ホテルも何度か変わったが、最後に泊まったロイヤルゲストハウスはとても便利で居心地の良いホテルだった。ニューデリー駅前のメインバザールの中にあり、近くに雑貨屋もあればお茶屋さんもある。安宿の類にしては少し高めだが、部屋も清潔で衛星放送のテレビもあってなかなか快適だった。
One thing about Delhi: you can see the air. With the pollution and the dust, it can be unbearable at times. Dan hasn’t had an Asthma attack for over 10 years, but in Delhi he needed an inhaler every few hours! Though he did take the opportunity to quit smoking (let’s see how long it lasts). Take the crappy air and add to it the plus 40 heat
and the relentless touts and you will be saying enough is enough with India. We were anyway, and looking forward to getting to the Indo-Pak border.
デリーは、排気ガスと埃で空気汚染がひどい。百メートル先がかすんで見えるほどだ。ダンは10年ぶりに喘息の症状がでてしまい、数時間ごとに吸引が必要になる始末。これを機にタバコを辞めた（というか吸えなくなった）のはよかったのかも。空気汚染に加えて40度を超える暑さとしつこい客引きたち。デリーの街中で「もうインドは十分！！」と何度心の中で叫んだことか…。
When it’s this hot…./「暑くてやってられねーよ」の図
All that said, there were a few sites we visited in Old Delhi that were worth dealing with the heat.
とは言っても、オールドデリーの観光名所はなかなかのものだった。
Red Fort/赤い要塞
India’s largest mosque “Jama Masjid”/インド最大のモスク「ジャマー・マスジッド」