Bottom line: My failure to register with the proper authorities within two weeks of arrival. This was necessary since I was traveling on a student visa.
Constructive criticism for Indian bureaucrats: Tell a brotha he needs to register (and where).
The only notice I received from the Indian government was a half-legible, barely noticable stamp on my visa that said I needed to register.
I began my return journey in Kolkata (basically on the East Coast) then headed to Mumbai (West Coast) for my international connection to New Jersey, but didn't get any further than the customs counter. Well actually I sat in an office for a while that was slightly beyond that, ouch. They said try tomorrow to register at the address written here, ouch.
Stayed overnight with a friend of my teachers' which was pretty fun, not ouch. Was told the next day I had to go back to Kolkata to get the registration, OUCH. Returned the same day, $200 ticket, ouch. Found out the next day the earliest openning my airline had for a rescheduled flight was two weeks later, so I had to buy a new one-way back home, ouch (the ouches are clearly ahead at this point). Struggled to two days to arrange everything, was told I would get it the day after my new flight, OOUCh! I explained the problem, they said they could accommodate me, not ouch. Realize I lost my girlfriends camera in Mumbai, OUCH.
Well, the Ouches have a clear victory here. Nina's camera might be recoverable, so maybe a point will be deducted from the Ouch column.
My was great overall of course, the Not Ouches won handily in the overall competition. Hopefully I can arrange another trip before too long. Here are some more pictures from the trip:
Dustin inadvertently faces off with a Yak; Don and Mish in Sikkim; My room; My neighborhood in Kolkata; The elusive Babia Saha;
