A wriggle-hole in the visa net

I couldn't believe my eyes. I rubbed them vigorously and looked again at the screen. There it was, the list of citizenships requiring a visa for entrance into Bermuda.

And India was not on the list.

If you're American or European, the adventure of travel visas is probably not something you've had to deal with much, and perhaps you take unfettered travel for granted.

If you're Indian, you know that visas are the bane of your existence. You need a visa to go everywhere. In fact I'm surprised when I don't need a visa to travel from one state to the next in the US.

So I read the list of countries again. "Citizens of the following countries require visas to enter Bermuda:" it said. There was a long list of countries. I skipped straight to the 'I' portion of the list, scanning for India. It wasn't there. Unbelievable. Oddly suspicious, even. I scanned the rest of the list, just incase the country had been mis-spelled to start with a different letter. Nope, it simply wasn't there.

It might seem trite to you, but I feel compelled to repeat it again (and again, and again): Indians do not require a visa to enter Bermuda.

I'd love to say this is the triumphant bastion of Indian consular achievement. More likely, it's just a legacy remnant of the ex-commonwealth. But far be it from me to wallow in thoughts of lowly cynicism today. No, today is the day to celebrate the fact that there actually exists a country in the world where Indian tourists do not require a visa.

Which means, of course, that when we take the Bermuda cruise for Billy and Anneliese's wedding next summer, I won't be stuck alone on the cruise while everyone else attends the wedding in Bermuda.