Visa run

Five short weeks after sitting on the plane from Qatar to Abu Dhabi and exclaiming "I'm never setting foot in that country again as long as I live!" I was back in Qatar again yesterday on a visa run.

I had to do a visa run because N still doesn't have a visa, and I can't get a visa until he gets a visa. My marriage certificate, which I sent to the UK to be attested three weeks ago, is also required before I can get a visa, but that's unfortunately missing in action. Perhaps it's
gone on a cruise with my missing freight that should have arrived from Qatar four weeks ago? Who knows? Not the freight company*, that's for sure...

So my 30 day visitor visa had run out and I needed a new one. That involves flying out and back in again. I could have gone to Oman or some other nice place, but I have Qatar Airways air miles to burn. Plus it was a good excuse to meet my lovely former work colleagues for lunch. I kidded myself that I was 'just flying in for lunch' - made me feel posh.

Problem with Qatar Airways is that they are totally militant about pregnant women flying - it's very tiresome. Despite going to my doctor and getting a note that stated 'A delivery on board is not expected.' (reassuring words if ever I heard them) they were not reassured. Every ten paces i'd be stopped by some soured faced member of staff asking me to wait 'for security reasons' while they fussed and fretted and 'checked policy'. It's a one hour flight for heavens sake! What do you think this baby is? A vaseline coated rocket?

Luckily they saw sense in the end and allowed me on - but I think I can safely say that that's the last visa run i'll be able to do. And this time I mean it - I'm NEVER going back there again.


*Agape International - dreadful.