14th July Tana

I woke feeling very happy and it lasted until I was briefed by the customs broker on the new procedures. Under the old buyers card system "DSTM" you got receipts and went early to the airport on your day of departure, presented them and your card and they worked out your duty, 3% of your receipts, which you paid and that was it.
Under the new system, that takes two days:
1: you take your stones to the Institute of Gemmology and they verify what type of stones are in each parcel and start filling out the paperwork for customs. Its not free, it cost $15us per catagory on the form. For example if you buy a tourmaline specimen, some tourmaline rough and a cut tourmaline, as I did, thats 3 catagories or $45.
2: they then grade the stone, for size and clarity as its a different price for each stone. I thought that they were talking about duty, but no receipts are no longer required, they tell you what they believe they are worth and it has nothing to do with what you paid. Your not here but if you were you would have seen me get a little bit antsy about now. I had words to the gemmologist doing my stones, she is three years finished her FGA and went straight into teaching at the institute with no experience outside the classroom. She always picked the biggest stone to weight and that became the average weight, until I challenged her on it. "Not happy Jan"
3: Then its up to the Dept of Mines, "DOM" where they take her form and write in pencil the cost per carat or gram for each catagory. They have a book, only they have, which list all these prices and I don't know where they come from.
4: The last step for the day the broker goes away and prepares the form with all the cost per catagory based on the information the Institute and DOM give her. I go back to the hotel and try to drown my sorrows.
What I have to look forward to tomorrow!
5: I meet back with broker at the DOM at 9 o'clock where her form and figures are checked. If I'm happy, the stones are then taken off me and sealed in boxes, which I get at the airport when I leave. If I'm not happy I can lodge an appeal, yes and I'm sure they will get around to it by Friday when I leave! At least she has said I can lock them in my carry on bag. Still not happy about them being out of my sight for 24hrs.
6: After stamping the form, we then head to the bank which must raise an export invoice, after siting and getting copies of my passport, visa and return ticket.
7: its then back to the DOM, to a different person, as they only look after one aspect of the process, to get the invoice approved and stamped.
8: back to the bank where I pay the invoice, another stamp on the form and a receipt.
9: lastly back to the DOM to get the final clearance.

Now its hard enough going anywhere in Tana by car but this much back and forth is a joke. To top it all off government and big business shuts from 12 - 2pm for lunch.
New systems are supposed to streamline a process and in the case of a government usually means an increase of fees. This new system only meets one of those criteria.

I am doing this blog at the bar as it has the best wifi reception and they have just told me they have no more gin left, "shirly I haven't drunken that mush". What I have to put up with, vodka instead please!

I've also spoken to the Director general of mines today about bringing tours of lapidary and gemmology people here and the impact this will have. His only comment was that they will have to spend under the limit of $500us or go through this two day process. Now as I sit here tonight and think about all the people that have said they would like to come on a tour here, I could not think of anyone that would come all this way and spend less than that amount.

Unless I can come up with a solution tomorrow, with my broker, I might be confronting a tour killer. This will be a big loss as I spent the first couple of weeks going over routes, hotels, restaurants, mines etc and I have already sent my itinerary out to three tour companies for a per person quote for accommodation, transport, all meals, guides, drivers etc based on a 10 - 12 person tour.

I'm calling it a night as I have had enough of raving and I don't want to damage the laptop falling up the stairs plus I need my sleep as I have so much to look forward to tomorrow. Firts thing will be to make sure the bar gets another bottle of gin. I only drink it for the medicinal virtues of the quinine in the tonic!