Visa Problem in Argentina-Chile-Brazil-etc

Greetings all,

Im currently in El Calafate, Argentina and will be heading to Puerto Natales, Chile this afternoon. I am a dual citizen of the UK and the US and entered into Argentina on a US passport. Id like to switch to a UK passport to ensure that I dont have to pay the reciprocity fees of the US (which are quite ridiculous by the way). From what I have researched, I understand that there is NO visa fee for US citizens when entering into Chile overland, but that flying into Santiago international is when it costs $100.

My question is: when I do the border crossing in Chile, will they want to see a tourist visa from Argentina in my US passport or can I just hand them my UK and switch nationalities? Should I just hand them both passports or is this when it can get dicey? The reason why I would want to do this is for later on in the trip to not have to pay visa fees in th... more »

Train ticket in advance / Delhi - Haridwar - Delhi

Hi all,

I'll arrive in Delhi in the morning of 13th January, and I need to visit Kumbh Mela in Haridwar immediately. I'd like to know how to book train tickets in advance.

I need to get to Haridwar during 13th, then stay there for work 14-15, and return to Delhi on 16th (my flight to next destination is in the early morning of 17th Jan).

Can I book train tickets online, or through some travel agency in Delhi ? Because of the very limited time for Kumbh Mela, I'm not looking for the cheapest budget options but the most reliable way of getting there & back.

Thanks for any help !

Safety Situation in Togo , Getting Car in Lome

Anyone know the safety situation in Togo for crime? I was planning on maybe embarking on a trip through Ghana, Togo and Benin. Reading USA State Department reports are gruesome as usual and essentially make the place look forbiddable. However, I would still like to go and would like to know any safety issues people had when travelling in the country. Is it dangerous to travel at night? I would probably doing all travelling during the day. Anyone know of problems of carjackings, robberies, etc or areas to avoid; especially in Lome. My friends are Ewes from Ghana and would guide me and translate, as I don't speak French. I know in the past I heard of political unrest in Togo, but I think that most of that is not a major problem to tourists as of now. My goals are to travel to the remote villages and small towns and experience the richer culture of West Africa I thought was lack... more »

Can i use my Mastercard in Uganda and Rwanda (not my creditcard)?

Hi, i have a Mastercard debit-card (if that;s what you call it, it's not a creditcard),
and i'm heading of to Uganda and Rwanda within a month.
I've read a lot about this, but the info is either unclear, and/or very dated.

Does anyone have any recent information on the use of a Mastercard-debitcard in Rwanda and Uganda?

Thanks!

Everest Base Camp Trek (25th January - 8 February 2010)

Hi all,

Anyone interested in joining us?

We know it's going to be in the middle of winter but we have no other time to go and we would really love to do this. The only real worry would be a flight delay form Lukla-KTM.

Any tips from anyone regarding this trip would be extremely helpful. Especially those who have travelled in the Jan - Feb period, or have any information on possible flight delays.

Thanks a lot mates!

American control of Aliens.

From the respected British journalist, Gavin Esler, who recently arrived in America:

When I arrived from London two days ago I was stopped as usual by the immigration authorities. I handed over my passport, my completed immigration and customs forms, was fingerprinted and photographed.

"Why are you here?" the Homeland Security lady asked me.

"Because the president is scheduled to announce a big increase in US troop numbers in Afghanistan."

"Who do you work for?"

"The BBC."

"How do you spell that?"

Hmmm. A tricky one. How do you spell BBC?

"Er, B... B... C..."

The lady looked at me.

"Do you have any identification?"

"You are holding my passport," I said, with a smile.

I tell this story because, while I love America and lived here for many years, the ways of the US bureaucracy are often beyond weird. more »

JFK-Moscow Aeroflot in Late March

Hey, I'm thinking about flying to Moscow from JFk on Aeroflot in late March and I have a few questions. I've been hearing some pretty bad things about Aeroflot and I'm wondering if there's anything to these reviews, as most of them are at least a year or so old. So has anyone flow this route recently? How is Aeroflot? Thanks

I'm listening to,,,,,,,

I'm listening to the Bollywood song

" Aja main hawaon pay bitha kay lai chaloon Tu hi to meri dost hai,
Aja main khlaoan main utha kay lay chaloon tu hi to meri dost hai.

And you????