Souvenir

Passport fees will be higher effective Monday, 10 March, so hubby and I decided to take advantage of the old price by applying for new ones today. According to the news, the new passports may be more expensive but will be valid for 10 years instead of 5. Unfortunately, the new machines will not be delivered to and installed in the Town Hall till this coming weekend, if we want the 10-year arrangement. We still have the option of sticking to the 5-year passport, but the idea of saving money took precedence. Uncertain on whether or not we would be allowed to keep the old passports as souvenirs, I decided to take shots of all the visas and stamps, just in case. They assured us, though, that we would be allowed to take back the old ones as soon as the new ones were ready and the old ones would just be perforated and made invalid.

And so today's blip is my Mongolian visa. Even knowing I most likely won't be visiting the country again, I can still say it was one of the most eye-opening trips I have ever made -- the Gobi Desert, the vast empty plains, the horses, the colourful clothing and architecture, the immensely rich history, and, last but not least, the oh so friendly and hospitable people.