Friday, June 5, 2009

The Forbidden Country

I remember many many years ago when our passports weren't valid for travel to a few countries. 

Now it's only one country : Israel. For reasons we all know (and won't discuss here) :)

I don't think it is impossible to go there though, since I've seen some Holy Land pilgrimage tour packages on offer. I can imagine that getting an Israeli visa would be a tedious process, one which requires us to go to either Singapore or Bangkok since there's no embassy here. I read that there's an interview process involved, with no guarantees for approval and takes about 30 days of processing.

The visa and Immigration stamps will be on a piece of paper, not on your passport. They won't stamp anything on your passport. Apparently if there is an Israeli stamp, the passport will be deemed  invalid, and confiscated upon your return. Next time I'm at the Immigration office I'll ask whether this is true. 

Going with church-organised groups is apparently the best way, compared to individual travel.

Hmm. 

I wonder if and when the World can truly be without borders.

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