Day #120 in lockdown Mumbai, India hotel…Confusing India visa extension…

We stopped along a beach to enjoy the views in Madeira, Portugal.

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Today’s photos are from July 21, 2014, while in Campanario, Madeira, Portugal. See the link here for more photos.

I don’t know where to begin. It’s all so confusing. I wrote to India’s visa department, explicitly asking the following question in an email:

We are US citizens that arrived in India on January 31, 2020, for a two-month tour of the country.

Close up of flower at the beach.
Since lockdown started, we’ve been in a hotel in Mumbai near the airport, observing all safety requirements.
 
Our India visa stamp states November 19, 2020. Does this date apply to us, or will our visas expire on July 28, 2020, 180 days after entry?
 
Do we apply now for an extension, or do we wait until the international airport fully opens?
Most beaches are rocky in Madeira. Wooden planks are provided for sunbathers to avoid sitting on the rocks. On many beaches, these thatched umbrellas are also provided. 
We will not be returning to the US and will fly to some other country once the international flights are fully open and…when a country will accept us with US passports with recent time spent in India.”
 
Several hours later, I received the following form response, exactly as written:
 
“Hello Dear,
Thank you for your email. All foreign visitors can extend their visas through the FRRO/FRO services website / Mobile app. It is an entirely online process, and you don’t need to visit FRRO/FRO office unless you get a call from FRRO/FRO for some specific reason. For more information, please see here
https://indiaevisas.org/Extension-On-Indian-eVisa-due-to-COVID-19
Many roads along the cliffs were wet from water running down the mountains.
None of this answered our specific questions, leaving us totally in the dark. This morning after 9:00 am, I called no less than five phone numbers indicated on their site, none of which had an answer or voice mail message.
 
Suppose we apply for an extension, a complicated and time-consuming process, including attaching numerous documents. In that case, it’s only suitable for 30 days to fly by in a flash, and still, international flights won’t be available. Will we have to continue with the laborious process every 30 days until we finally leave?
From what we could determine, this small one-lane rock tunnel was ancient.
Fortunately, there are no fees to file based on COVID-19. There are no specific references on any of their sites as to how to handle this situation. This morning, after the phoning efforts, we both started the process when even the registration process to file was a confusing and cumbersome operation.
 
We kept receiving messages that the process didn’t accept the one-time OPT (one-time password) we received by email, nor did it take the “captcha” letters and numbers we tried to enter, doing it carefully each time. 
A bridge over a ravine.
Finally, I was registered, but Tom’s registration seemed impossible. With years of online experience, usually, a process like this would be a piece of cake. Oh, not now. We’ll try again later after I complete my application after uploading this post.
 
In the middle of all this, I had to do my walking, which I’ve beefed up further to 8500 steps a day. Also, I had to go downstairs to pay our bill, which we do every 11 days since we cannot book the hotel for more than 11 days at a time. We tried booking for 14, 21, 25, 28 days, etc., to no avail. 
A fast-running small creek in the ravine.
Thus, we have to go downstairs every 11 days to pay the bill (and for meals), which is annoying when there may be more germs in the elevators and down there. I scrubbed everything, including myself, upon return. Thank goodness I’ve already taken care of this today.
 
Amid all of this, I kept thinking that my mind would be more at ease if I uploaded today’s post. As a result, I am rushing through with this visa thing on my mind.
A fountain in the center of a round-about.
Yes, even in lockdown with few obligations, we can still get caught up in the responsibilities of daily life. And yes, we feel frustrated and annoyed at times due to such responsibilities, especially when we run into difficulties, as has transpired today.
 
May your day be safe and uncomplicated!

Photo from one year ago today, July 21, 2019:

Clouds reflecting on a body of water in Connemara, Ireland. For more photos, please click here.

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