Labyrinths of Lahrah

Showing posts with label South Africa. Show all posts

2016 was the year of getting my ass out of the comfort zone
2017 is the year of stretching myself and stretch myself I did all through the year.

2017 has been a crazy, good and great year.

Instead of using the word "bad", I choose to use the word "Crazy", because to be honest, the year was not as bad as I expected.

I did some pretty stupid things, that I am even ashamed to talk about and then I went on to do great things I am proud of.

First up, I had my postgraduate degree graduation in January and my graduation gift to myself was the trip to South Africa and Kenya. I only showed up at the venue because my mum insisted on coming and wanted to take pictures with me. She was trying to make up for missing my undergraduate graduation. No form of studying happened this year and that was intentional.

Friendship: I am a sucker for friendship, people who know me well know how I go through the highs and lows for anyone I call a friend. Respect and loyalty are key for me. I got a rude awakening this year and had to define the relationship with most of the people I call friends. One key lesson is that you can only be friends with people who see you as their friends.

Don't go making an acquaintance a friend.

With friendship, I learned forgiveness. I relearned the value to beautiful friendships both old and new.

Travel took the focal point of the year. My first post of the year highlighted my 2017 travel goals. In the post, I mentioned plans to go on a West African adventure, visit some states in Nigeria and ring in the new year in the New York.

Lake Kivu, Rwanda

I got to visit 5 out of all 11 destinations I listed.

I can't complain because even though I listed 11 destinations, I ended up visiting 19 destinations in total. If I count Ile-Ife and Nairobi which I visited twice within the same year then that sums up 21 destinations. Switched the West African adventure for the East African experience.

I got to explore 4 new countries (South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) and visited 6 in total ( revisited Benin Republic and Togo). Locally I visited, Osun state (Ile-Ife, Osogbo), Ogun state (Abeokuta), Bauchi state (Bauchi, Yankari), Plateau state (Jos) and Kwara (Offa, Owa-Kajola (Owu Waterfall).

Away from Travel, I finally launched my travel and HR Consultancy businesses so I would say this year was the testing phase. The HR Consultancy suffered the most because at some point I was unable to find a balance between both opposing businesses and my 9-5. I joined an entrepreneurship support group and I would say that has been one of my best decisions in 2017. My biggest business shock was realizing the fact that some friends will not support the business or should I use the word patronize your business. They are used to having it for free and would rather pay someone else than pay you for the services.

Books: I did read quite a number of books but I, unfortunately, was unable to read as much as I wanted. I am currently in some sort of reading rut, I can't seem to pay enough attention to complete a book.

I was able to save enough money this year but I spent a lot of it on travel. I am not even sad about it nor regret spending money on any of the experience. I will be spending more next year.

December has been a pretty hectic month. I returned from my trip on the 19th of November and dived straight into work. Right now I am suffering the worst burnout ever in my life and I am physically and mentally exhausted.

I made the decision to spend the holiday with family. All I have been doing in the past days is sleep, eat and sleep again.

I didn't get the year that I planned but I got the best year life had to give me

Away from 2017 and on to what I want from 2018.

So the goal for 2018 is intentional and productive living.
There has been a lot of introspection and plannings.

I will be picking up the books and hopefully get my HR certifications. My certifications come at a cost so it will affect how much I will spend on travel.

I will cut back on personal international travels and do more of domestic travels. The plan is to visit at least 3 new countries.

My travel plans, for now, are Côte d'Ivoire (no fixed date) and Tanzania (April 24 to May 1, 2018) for my birthday.

Zanzibar

Europe is also on my bucket list for the year. Belguim, France, Sweden and Lithuania are top on the list.

Locally, I plan to explore the Eastern part of the country starting from Enugu.

Arinta waterfall in Ekiti is top on my list for 2018. I also plan to visit my mum in Abuja. New York is also on my radar, this is majorly dependent on when I get the US Visa.

Where do you plan to visit in 2018?
What are your goals for 2018?

♥Lara

I hate visa applications.
But unfortunately, due to the diplomatic relationship of our beloved country with other nations, we have no choice but to apply for visas to plenty countries.

Visa applications can be so exhausting especially with some of the ridiculous demands and worse despite all the troubles, the application will now be rejected.

I know how I was discouraged from applying for the South Africa visa, I was told there were more cases of visa rejection than approvals. South Africa visa application from Nigeria doesn’t have to be a hustle if you follow the instructions and honestly provide all required information.

How to apply

Download the application form BI-84 for Short term/Visitor Visa only; for a long-term visa, you are to download the DHA-1738 Form 8.
Fill the form in CAPITAL letters and BLACK biro only completely without leaving blanks. Write N/A in fields which are not applicable to you.
The Checklist below details the required document you are to submit along with your application form.

Please note that only coloured photocopies are accepted.
If a friend is hosting/inviting you, he/she should also send you a Letter of invitation.
If self-employed, attach documents of ownership and a draft letter stating so.
If you are a student, ensure you attach a letter of introduction from your institution of study.
You do not have to make pre-paid hotel bookings, there are a number of hotels which allow you make a reservation without payment.

Where to Submit your application

Applicants are required to submit their Visa applications (form and all required documents) personally at the VFS South Africa Visa Application centres in Lagos (Plot 110, Admiral Ayinla Way, Opposite Treasure Garden Estate Third Roundabout, Lekki Phase I), Abuja (No. 38, Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2) or Port Harcourt (Vineyard Shopping Centre, 88 Woji Road, GRA). There is a limit to the number of applications accepted daily.

Visa Fee

I paid 28,700 Naira when I applied for my visa in December 2016 but a friend who applied recently paid the sum of 31,310 Naira in Lagos. Prices for Abuja and Port Harcourt are slightly different. Only 8,600 Naira goes to the embassy while the rest is the administrative fee for VFS. You can never be too sure of the exact amount until you get to the VFS centre. Visa application fee and services fee is paid at the bank teller counter situated inside the VFS Centre.

What next?

South Africa Visa processing turnaround time is a minimum of 5 working days from the submission date. I got my visa 15 working days after submission, but a friend got her passport back within 10 working days.

You can track your visa application online by entering your Reference Number and your Date of Birth here. I had to track mine because I never received any SMS from the VFS Centre meanwhile my passport was already with them for two days before I went there.

For collection, you will be required to come along with the pink copy of the receipt you were given when you submitted your application.

For more Information, you can visit the VFS Website

All the best with your application.
Bon voyage!

Related Posts:
72 Hours in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa
The road to South Africa

Until my next post.
♥Lara

Mall of Africa

So after all the entry drama, which I shared in my last post, the road to South Africa...I finally got my 72 hours in South Africa. How did I end up leaving Nigeria just to spend 72 hours in South Africa?

1) I paid for the ticket which I used in applying for my Kenyan E-Visa because flight fare had gone up by the time I was finally ready to pay.

2) Fear, let me just say it was only one person who I met on the Irin-ajo trip to Accra who assured me I had nothing to fear by visiting South Africa. Almost everyone else fueled the fire of fear in me, even those who currently live in the country. At some point, I almost canceled the South African part of the trip.

What I did/Saw:

Mall of Africa

Rhodes Park

Mandela House, Soweto

Soweto

Union Building, Pretoria

University of Pretoria, Hatfield

CBD, Johannesburg

Pretoria

Sandton City

Monte Casino

I pretty much realized how little time I had the moment I stepped into Johannesburg. I tried to see as much I could while there. The rain which fell the next morning after I arrived, did not help matters.

Luckily for me, my high school friend agreed to drive me down to Soweto. He has been living in South Africa for almost 5 years minus the 2 years he spent in South Korea and has never been to the Mandela house or any of the tourist destinations in the country.

I sadly did not get to see the Apartheid Musuem, Maboneng and Consititution Hill as I expected.

Accommodation:

So I rented a Orchid room in a Victorian House, the Kensington area of Johannesburg on airbnb. The neighborhood pretty much gave the European vibe and was pretty quiet. The main house is occuppied by 3 permanent housemates.

The two men (Anthony and Maku) were from the DRC and have been living in South Africa for a while. I enjoyed my night time conversations with them. We talked about everything, from religion to our varying culture and economy, finding love, Boko Haram, their experience living in South Africa. Maku runs a foundation and hopes to meet Tony Elumelu someday.

The third housemate is a white lady whose name I can't remember now. The first thing she said to me when we met was that she hope I did not come down to South Africa to settle down, for if I have come to settle, she would advise me to go back home. I kind of found that weird and over reaching, like what if I had actually relocated, that wasn't a nice thing to say to anyone at first meet.

I am not really sure where she said she was from, I assumed she was Polish or German but I think she is a white South African or has always lived in South Africa all her life. She moved into the house 3 days before I visited. We chatted briefly whenever we met but nothing deep. I could tell she preferred to always be alone and I never went beyond the cordial hello, hi, how was your day compliment. She was nice enough to borrow me her umbrella when I visited Rhodes Park and gave me advise to be really careful at the park.

What I ate:

So when my friend asked me if I would like to try South African food, I gladly said yes.

We went to a "buka" behind the complex his shop was located in the CBD area.

Let's just say I could not wrap my head around eating this "semo" like food with coleslaw and all the other things inside this plate. I tried my best and swallowed a few wraps. I just told them to pack it for me, because the meat was too good to throw away.

A post shared by Lara A' (@lhararom) on Jan 30, 2017 at 12:33pm PST

Asides from this attempt, I pretty much stayed off their food food.
I had burger and chips on my first day. Had chips and fish fillet, the chip was quite soggy sha when I visited Pretoria.

Asides from these, I survived on Fanta, biscuit and the "minimie" chinchin which followed me from Nigeria.

How I moved around:

I took the Gautrain from the CBD to get to Pretoria and Sandton City. My airbnb housemate gave me his card which saved me a few rands. Asides from the confusion when we had to change trains because the one we got in from CBD developed a fault, it was pretty much a good ride. But it was annoying having to change platforms like 3 times, watch trains stop and zoom off without picking up any passenger and finally getting a train and having to stand because it was full.

The train was pretty much a good ride and way cheaper than taking a taxi. It reminds me of the trains in Germany. Foods and drinks are not allowed on the platform and on the train. It was one lady that called my attention to this while I was obliviously eating my chips on the platform.

My friend's sister and her husband picked me up from the airport. My friend also drove me to Soweto. I took the bus to the CBD from my airbnb apartment on my way to Pretoria. The public transport (bus) is not so easy to assess, I had to take a long walk before I found the bus station.

Taxify was also my go to app for movement around the city. I used it to get from the Pretoria Gautrain station to the union buildings. Also from the CBD to my airbnb apartment when I lost my way trying to find my friend's shop. It was also my ride to the airport on my way out of Johannesburg. I say never underestimate the power of these apps.

The weather:

So before I left Nigeria, I asked two of my friends living in South Africa about the weather and all I heard was that it is very hot, summer hot in short. So I really did not pay attention to the weather forecast. Alas, my second day in Johannesburg and there was rain. The weather was pretty much cool all through my time there, and I had to buy a sweater at some point.

So someone forgot to tell me to prepare for the rain. #Johannesburg

A post shared by Lara A' (@lhararom) on Jan 29, 2017 at 10:56pm PST

With the recent renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa, I would most likely have cancelled my trip. Because it was one of the fears I had that what if I got caught in the midst of it all. Yeah I found South Africa to be beautiful and way more organized and I can understand the reason why our people would rather be there than be back home in Nigeria. Their system works, they have good roads and there is stable electricity. They only have to worry about creating more employment opportunities and conducive business environment for entrepreneurs.

But I am not sure I want to live in an environment where I will always have to sleep with one eye, always watch my back and might lose everything I worked hard for because some citizens feel threatened by my presence in their country.

What do you think of South Africa?

Have you been to South Africa? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it?

Stay tuned to more posts on my adventures.

♥Lara

So the conversation to visit South Africa began in November 2016 with my friend Mosun. My initial plan was a West African road trip to Benin Republic-Togo-Ghana all the way to Ivory Coast. She suggested South Africa or Rwanda, finally we settled for South Africa. We started gathering visa application information, a travel agent was charging 160 thousand for visa alone and could not guarantee a visa.

I reached out to Amara of Travel with a Pen who directed me to her post on South African visa application and who was available to answer all my questions regarding the visa application process.

I got all required documents and submitted my visa application on the 18th of November, 2016 at the VFS Centre in Lekki. I picked my visa from the VFS centre 15 working days later (8 December, 2016). By this time, my friend Mosun has already decided she would no longer be going on the trip.

Before my South African visa was ready, I also already made a decision to add Kenya to my itinerary. The weekend before I got my visa, I visited a wakanow office in Lekki and I got a ticket for about 158 thousand Naira but because I wasn't sure I would get a visa due to all the gist of embassy denying visa applications, I decided not to pay for the ticket. I found out in the office that Kenya had an e-visa option and it was advised I get the E-visa to avoid entry issues.

I got in touch with the lady the moment I got my visa to get me a ticket for December and by the time she got back to me, price had gone up to 176 thousand. I checked with friends and was ready to make payment, I was on my way to the bank to make payment when I realized my trip in and out of Johannesburg was in the middle of the night. With all the gist about South Africa, I wasn't about to take any stupid risk and be moving around in the middle of the night. I called lady and requested for a change if possible, madam cancelled the ticket and was only getting tickets for over 200k, least was 199 thousand. I wasn't ready to part away with such amount for ticket (budget traveler alert), in short I more or less gave up on going on the trip. A week after,

I was talking to a friend who suggested I check January flight fares, the fares were looking reasonable. I then decided to apply for my Kenya E-visa which took another 3 days and made reservation on Kenya airways as it was a requirement for visa application. By the time my e-visa was approved, prices for my preferred dates were up to 199 thousand and above again.

The trip to Johannesburg was finally confirmed on the 19th of December when I paid for my flight fare.

I didn't want to stay in an hotel, this is largely due to the fact that I was travelling solo and all the stories about how tourists are followed from the airport to their hotels and mugged wasn't helping matters. I booked a room on Airbnb and was all set for my trip.

Fast forward to my departure date, I departed Lagos for Nairobi aboard the Kenya Airways flight to Nairobi. The flight was uneventful asides from the horrible landing by the pilot at the Cotonou airport and the struggle in-flight food. My seat partner is a Nigerian who has been travelling since 1997, he is currently based in Malawi, deported from Germany and has been to all West African countries. He was surprised I was only travelling for vacation, did not believe I was not going to meet a man or for business. The man next to him is Ghanaian who was living and working in Nairobi and has not been home in years.

I had an 11 hours over night stop-over in Nairobi. Java House's Iced Latte and Ngugi wa Thiog'o's A Grain of Wheat kept me company through the night.

Our flight for Johannesburg did not depart the next morning 1.30 mins after the scheduled departure time. We finally landed at the O. R. Tambo International Airport for 11 am (South African Time).

So drama started with my airbnb reservation, immigration officer started with the amount I paid for . accommodation. I paid $48 in total and dude has never heard of airbnb. He asked if accommodation was pre-paid or will be post paid, I replied in the former. He proceeds to call my host's number and when the number did not connect at first ring, he said he would have to refuse me entry. I told him, called the number from Nigeria before I was allowed to board the plane in Nigeria, so how come it is not going through in his own country.

The number finally connects and it is the house manager who picks up. So my host is a Belgian who once lived and bought a house in Johannesburg. The house is managed by a South African name Manesi who only gets name of guests and the days to be spent in the house. She has no idea how much was paid or my passport No (actually airbnb doesn't have this information). So immigration guy says he is going to have to deny me entry because Manesi does not have this information, She told him the room goes for 250 rand per night and according to Forex exchange rate for the day, that was not correct. He also raised an issue with the way my name was spelt on airbnb, I used Lara instead of Omolara as stated on my passport.

I spent over 10 mins explaining that the name is accurate and Lara is just a short form of "Omolara" and this long explanation on how airbnb works. Oga sha still insists on refusing me entry. He said he will issue me a refusal and also give me a 10 year ban. By this time, I was exhausted, hungry and tired. I called my friend's sister who was supposed to pick me up at the airport and explained the situation to her. I was already thinking in my head, how I will just go back to Kenya and see if I could enter on my visa which was valid from the 31st of January or worse get to pay for another visa.

She insisted on talking to him and told him to explain what exactly the problem was. He told his long story and she told him, he could not refuse me entry simply because of the the Rand to Dollars rate for the day does not correspond with the rate as at when I paid. She also told him that if he needed to confirm any more information about my accommodation, he is free to go to the address for further confirmation, After a lot of back and forth, 30 minutes after I landed, oga finally stamped me in and allowed me entry in the Sun City.

Until my next post.

♥ Lara

Pages

Search This Blog

Hello I am here!

Labyrinths of Lahrah'

Follow me

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

Let's be Facebook Friends

Let's connect on Twitter

Followers

Blogs I love

Contact Form

Instagram