Harry Holmquist and grandson Branden William Harry Holmquist are off to Africa starting Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. Yup, there's two of us! Besides all the shots for yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, and pills for malaria, we had to jump through the hoops for visas to 3 African countries, Kenya, Rwanda and Ugtanda.
Believe it or not, Rwanda has an online visa application that was processed and returned via PDF file within 2 days! Pay $30 each on arrival. We had a glitch for a day with the Uganda High Commission in Ottawa who required the Parental Letter of Consent to Travel with a minor to be notarized by a Commissioner of Oaths AND photocopies of each of the parents passports. First time for everything. In the past only signatures and a witness were all that was needed. Cost of U$50 each.
With that done, we waited for the ExpressPost package with our passports to arrive by Wednesday Oct.2 for a quick turnaround to the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa for that country's visas. They promise a turnaround within 7 days. However, Canada Post sent the package from Ottawa to Richmond to Kelowna. Upon calling Customer Service I was assured the package would be delivered as Kelowna was only 2 hours from Kamloops. Nope. Package went back to Richmond for re-routing to Kamloops and finally arrived in Logan Lake on Friday morning. Wow, that only took 8 days! The consolation apparently is a refund of the cost of Xpresspost from Ottawa to Logan Lake. Now we only have 5 business days left to get visas for Kenya!.
A call to the Ottawa-based Kenya High Commission to ask if there was any way to shorten the time frame for processing a visa. Is there an office in Vancouver that I could drive to rather than depend on the Postal Service? Yes!!! Call the Consul General of the Republic of Kenya in Abbottsford and see what can be done. Knock me over! The Consul General did not want me to make an extra trip, but we could stop in on our way to the Seattle Airport. "But Monday is the Thanksgiving Holiday." "No problem," he replied. "Make an appointment for Monday and I will be here and process your visas in 15 minutes!" Unbelievable service! So that little problem was solved without the help or interference of Canada Post.
Since we are allowed 51 lbs per bag and 2 bags each, we are Packing a lot of gifts for the children at orphanages and/or schools. Soccer balls, skipping ropes, school supplies, T-shirts, bouncy balls, ball pumps, and referee whistles. We are going to have FUN! We have also received cash contributions for buying goats and chickens to give away. We'll see how that goes, but it's part of the Adventure!
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