bw333 Posted February 12, 2011 #26 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Has anyone had any issues flying into Istanbul and purchasing Visas? Is there ever a long line? After such a long flight, I would rather not spend time in a long line on arrival. However, for a $60 savings a 5 minute stop would be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Rosebery Posted February 12, 2011 #27 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Has anyone had any issues flying into Istanbul and purchasing Visas?Is there ever a long line? After such a long flight, I would rather not spend time in a long line on arrival. However, for a $60 savings a 5 minute stop would be ok. It's a normal passport control line. maybe 5-10 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted February 13, 2011 #28 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Has anyone had any issues flying into Istanbul and purchasing Visas?Is there ever a long line? After such a long flight, I would rather not spend time in a long line on arrival. However, for a $60 savings a 5 minute stop would be ok. It's not a long line, as a rule. They don't want anything else but your money at the visa counter (and your passport) - it moves quickly. There could be a short questionnaire that can fill out as you wait. The passport control line could be longer, depending on how many planes arrived at or near the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billie5 Posted February 14, 2011 #29 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Paul, Rather long story. What saved me in the end were two things. First, for some reason they did not want to put their hands on me, i.e., to drag me off the train physically, which presented a problem when I refused to get up. The second was that the train was ancient, the kind where you picked up the bench you (and 3 or 4 others) were sitting on to plant your luggage in a bin under the bench, and when you sat down again, no one could get to the luggage. As soon as the police arrived, all the other passengers scurried away, but as long as I refused to stand up, the police could not get to my luggage. It also helped that I had 3 different documents (my passport with 48 pages they had to check out, my Russian visa which comes in its own booklet, and my 3-language letter) which I kept handing them in the true spirit of the three Stooges: doc 1, then 2, then 3, then 1 again, then 2 again, etc. etc., as they kept assembling higher and higher officers. It ended again in true Stooges style, with the police having to jump off the train as it suddenly lurched for the bridge over the river and back into Uzbekistan again. I really haven't had a great deal of luck with trains: questioned for 8 hours as a spy on the Orient Express leaving Romania, and even once questioned by the Swiss police. I mean, who in the world gets questioned by the Swiss??:confused: Of course, one does accumulate some mighty strange stories to tell. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted February 14, 2011 #30 Share Posted February 14, 2011 Bill, Thanks for posting that. I don't know how you had the courage not to get up for the police - otherwise you might have been put off the train. I hope one day to meet you on a cruise (hopefully on a TA, with lots of "down" time) so I can hear ALL you train (and other assorted) stories, 007. In the meantime - maybe you should avoid any more train trips? :D Paul PS I am not so sure I want to take that trip to the Stans anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.