First Hurdle

We went to the Consulat of the Cote d'Ivoire in Marseille yesterday!

We've got our visas, & are thrilled. 'Madame' a lovely lady from the Antilles eventually issued them an hour and a half after we arrived. Despite my phone calls to the consulate to check what was needed she threw a couple of spanners in the works.

A few months ago a 'letter of invitation' was needed; they've done away with this thank goodness but asked for an address. I gave her an address of someone I know through someone else who lives in Abidjan & works in cocoa. It didn't work, I didn't have the post box number; wasn't thinking quickly enough to tell her any old number! So I said to put us down as staying in one of the chain hotels ... she looked a bit dubious and wrote it in!

She's marked Dani as travelling with her 'mother' with a little comment about 'not waking the sleeping man in Paris'. She didn't want to see all the parental letters I had from her mother to allow her to come on this trip with me!

We had our yellow fever certificates, all well & good, but she hadn't mentioned that we need our tickets; Dani's isn't' paid for so I don't have it anyway. After a bit of pleading she let me ring my travel agent who duly faxed the details through ... without even looking at it she told me I should hang onto the piece of paper & always have my ticket on me ...?!!? What was that lesson all about???