My second day of getting an export clearance was just as painful as yesterday. In the breaks while various clerks reread all the paperwork, my Malagasy Gemmologist, Rufin, set up a meeting with the director of gemstone exportation and the IGM school. I discussed my proposed tours and what a pain it would be for tourist to have to go through this procedure. But they are adamant if they buy over $500us they must have a customs clearance.
I next proposed that since I would have a business visa if bundle it all up and export it all under my name. They were happy with this until they asked how I was going to know what stones were whose. I told them all the smaller bags, in the larger bag, would have their name on it. No way, it all had to be in one bag so it could be tipped out on a scale and weighted all together. Even a suggestion that they could include the bags in the weight was vetoed, apparently it will throw their “production figures” out. I get the feeling that they really don’t care.
Rufin is going to talk to the minister, who is a friend of his, and as I found out today when I spoke to him on the phone, I bought some rough off his son, but it was actually the minister’s rough. I won’t write off having tours yet but I don’t really think people are going to want to spend the last two days of a tour being shuffled back and forward from one government office to another.
Today at lunch time I bought some of the best coloured aquamarine, true Santa Maria blue, and a parcel of bubblegum pink and mint coloured Tourmaline. It’s too late to include them in this clearance, so I’m going to get my partner to double the weight I bought today and add the spinels, green apatite and chrysoberyl coming from south, and then he will send them next week.
This will be my last entry from Madagascar as I fly out to Mauritius tomorrow, have a one day stop over and then fly to Perth on Saturday night arriving Sunday lunchtime. A day lay over there as I have to get the customs done on Monday morning and its home on Monday Night.
I may do some more photos and an entry in Mauritius as I’m planning on buying some gifts and a few new things for Sandra to play with. In one of the markets I found some guys making necklaces using a variety of natural coloured drilled sea urchin spines and they were really good and unusual. They were going to have a packet of various shapes and colours there Saturday morning for me, I hope they remember. If not they’ll have to go and get them as I already have the wife excited about them.
I will see club members on Wednesday at the club and I have to go now as all this typing is stopping me from getting my daily allowance of quinine from the tonic water. See you all soon.
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