Last night, I just arrived in Bukoba, Tanzania (Point E, here); however, I must update you on what happened last week in Nairobi:
As a privileged American who hadn't previously left the country, I forget about visa-related issues. As I travel more and more, the thought of having to pay money to any government to travel in any country (and spend money in that country) is next to egregious.
Those thoughts ripped through my head after being forced to visit the Nairobi immigration office when I realized I had made a drastic mistake.
I had entered Kenya on July 31st under the impression that my stay would last only three days, which qualified me for a three-day term transit visa ($10 US). After I decided to expand my desperately-needed urban stay in Nairobi, I was forced to ask the infamous $25-dollar question: Do I really need to purchase another visa to stay in Kenya for two more days? Will they give me that much more trouble at the border?
The blank stare of the officer compelled me to regretfully comply. $25 dollars and one whole passport page later, I left the office annoyed.
However, while walking down Kenyatta Avenue I realized that if I were a foreigner entering the US, the entry process would my much more complicated and expensive. A friend of mine in Russia wanted to visit her brother in the States. She had to travel several hours by train to Moscow for an interview at the American Embassy and pay $200 US to visit the USA. She had no choice. Before the interview, her entry visa was not guaranteed.
After putting things into perspective, I cooled down and continued to a swanky Nairobi cafe to enjoy a cup of joe and my novel.
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