Mongolian Embassy

I had some really strange luck today, so I just wanted to share.

First of all, the Mongolian Embassy is located in Seoul and only open from 9-12 weekdays for visas. So, the original plan was to wake up at 7:00 and then head over to the subway station nearest to the embassy (following the directions provided to me by my Korean friend) and acquire this visa. That way I could get back to Incheon to attend class at 12:00.

That's when things went all wrong. First of all, my alarm never went off; the battery died overnight! So, I woke up at 9:00, thinking "Oh shit!". So, I hurried off to Seoul with the intention of getting there right under the wire and missing class. So, I get to the subway station around 11:10, hop in a taxi and give the driver the directions. He doesn't know where this place is (joy!). So, he makes some phone calls and finally finds the place. So we drive and drive and drive. Guess what? My buddy gave me the subway station for the Chinese embassy, so we weren't nearly as close as we were supposed to be (still, the 20 minute ride only cost 7$, so big deal!). So, at the embassy at 11:30, the is a short lineup, but all is well since I have already printed and filled-out the application. I get to the desk and the lady informs me that they don't take cash (even though the website says that they only accept USD) and she gives me a form for a direct bank transfer. Great!

So, off I go to the bank (there was one near, so that was good at least). I enter the Hana bank (my bank), and the clerk asks me how much I wanted to transfer, in Won. Since the only rates that I knew of were in USD (and obviously outdated now) I just left the bank. So, I resolved myself to return another day. While standing in front of the bank putting away my papers away, a girl asks me if I was trying to apply for a Mongolian visa. I said yes. So, we talked, and she knew the exact rates since she had done it recently. Furthermore, she also suggested that I cross the street to use the other bank, as they don't charge for bank transfers of this type!

Wonderful! So, after thanking her profusely for her help, I quickly went to the bank across the street, transfered the money and ran back to the embassy. Only two people waiting in line (great!). So, I got to the desk, gave in my application and receipt of transfer and finito! 11:58!

To make things even sweeter, I exited the embassy and asked the Koreans standing outside whether they knew where the nearest subway station was. On guy told me to go to the main road and walk right. So, I went to the main street, and started walking. However, the same guy drives up and asks me if I want a ride, which was just so cool of him!

So, happy ending for this story!