OK, so this is just getting weirder by the embassy. Last I wrote, I was issued a visa to enter into Turkey, a country US citizens were told very publicly by Turkey they would not issue a visa, Iran still had its ban on US citizens, and Pakistan was going to allow me in with open arms, and now the update.
I spoke with the Iranian Embassy, and they informed me of a way to enter into the country on a technicality, I can join a guided tour, even a one-man tour (before anyone gets annoyed at my use of "man" instead of "person," this is Iran). I wrote to several Iranian travel agencies and they will offer a one-man tour (a guy following me in a car) across the country for $1,500, which is very doable. So it appears Iran is now in the safe column.
I spoke with the Pakistani Embassy, the country that was going to allow me into the country with open arms (i.e. no travel ban on US citizens), and they refused to issue a visa. No reason given, just a refusal. I requested a meeting with the Ambassador, and I was informed that the refusal was his decision, and that it will not be overturned. As a result, Pakistan moves from the "safe" column past the "probably not" column and right into the "whaaa" column.
I am not defeated yet. After much research, it turns out that I can take a ferry from Iran to UAE, then catch a Dhow from Dubai Creek to Mumbai. The Dhow will take six uncomfortable days, but the service is available. There is one issue, according to the news articles that I have read on the subject, these boats are old and have a tendency to sink or be overrun by pirates, so they are not the safest form of transportation. That being said, I am going to guess that they are safer than riding through Pakistan, so all is good and the safety level went up one notch.
In summary, even though all three countries individually flip-flopped from their original positions, I still have a path to India, just a very different path than I had imagined. As a result, my planning map now looks like this:
...a Dhow looks like this:
... I look like this:
and thankfully, Greta still looks like this:
