India Visa – California Academy of Sciences – Steinhart Aquarium

Monday January 27th

We started our day off at BLS International to try to get our India visas all sorted out. I had booked both of us 9:00 appointments, had all of the paperwork completed and signed, and with passports in hand we arrived early at 8:40.

There was already a line down the block!

Once we did get inside, however the process moved a little faster and we were given a number. Sitting patiently we waited our turn and proceeded to submit our documents for consideration. According to the web site, walk-in customers arriving before 10:30 could get their passports/visa back the same day. A large sign on the door informed us that due to technical difficulties that would not be possible.

We ended up paying an addition $100 per person for an expedited processing and are supposed to pick up our visas and passports on Tuesday late afternoon. The good news is that we get to spend one more day in San Francisco!

Time for some more site-seeing.

Located inside Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is a section of museums and gardens. The California Academy of Sciences can consume an entire day all by itself. We went on a Monday which was ideal. There were numerous families and a school group, but it did not feel crowded like the weekend might.

California Academy of Sciences

We spent the first part of our visit in the multi-tiered Rain Forest section. Many of the exhibits were of brilliantly colored frogs, lizards with suction pads on their feet, a variety of birds, enormous or beautifully patterned snakes, a variety of butterflies and fist sized spiders that can be found in a rain forest. What I found most interesting was how well camouflaged many of them were. It often took a few minutes to spot the elusive critters.

They frowned on photography in that section.

From the rain forest you are delivered via elevator down to the lower level which houses Steinhart Aquarium.

By far my favorite part of any aquarium is looking at jelly fish displays. They seem to magically float by in a poof. I could watch them all day.