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Published: July 20th 2006
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Hello thought it best to start at the begining as this seems the most logical place to start with.
I depart from home and arrive at manchester airport for my transfer flight to Heathrow and so far so good, i check my bag in and recieve my boarding ticket where the woman tells me that when i get to Heathrow they will give my boarding ticket there, 'sounds easy enough' i think. So i stroll around the airport for an hour or so and wait for the plane. And to my surprise there is no delay, the plane turns up and everyone gets on board. However just as we get on the tarmac and are about to set off flying a passenger at the back of the plane decides he will have breathing problems and alerts the crew. So back we turn and as most people on the plane were on it to be transfered to another plane when we arrived at Heathrow people started to get slightly worried about missing there next plane. An hour later we set off again and i show my travel information to the air steward and he says i will be fine (unlike some
The weary travellers
One look at these two and i questioned the decision to leave home of the other people on the flight who would have just ten minutes to get off the plane and to the other plane, whereas i would have an hour and abit. So we land at Heathrow and i am completely relaxed everything i going fine, plenty of time to get to my gate of departure, however when i arrive at the gate they tell me they have given my ticket away. At this point i start to laugh as it seemed slightly rediculous that they would give away someones ticket even though there was still and hour and a half to go before take off. So away they sent me to the Qantas desk to get me sorted for another flight. I arrive there and they ask why i wasnt booked all the way through so that my ticket was already assigned to me in Heathrow, slightly annoyed at this moment in time i just shrug my shoulders. Then they tell me the next flight wont be until the same time tomorow and i am lucky as it was the last ticket left and so i would have had to wait even longer. O yes i thought i am really lucky that you gave away my ticket and dont fly out till a day later.
Well at least they put me up in the Hilton Heathrow and had free dinner, breakfast and lunch.
Well at least thats the worst of it over i thought and went to sleep in my Kingsize luxury bed in the hilton. I awaken the next day and spend the day watching the news and flicking through the channels in the hotel room and awaited my flight. I was amazed at the fact that when i got to the check in desk my ticket was reserved for me and that i would be on my way to bangkok. However i hand over my ticket for my luggage and she starts to frantically type in to the computer and look very worried. After a few minutes of this i ask if there was something wrong, to which she replied my bag may not make it on the plane but it should be ok, i just had to ask at the gate when i was boarding if it had made it on. When i get to the gate the woman scans my luggage ticket and tells me there is no sign of my bag as of yet but i should be okay as they were still mloading the luggage on the plane. So on i get slightly annoyed but nut completely unsurprised at the events that had unfolded this was just the sort of luck that has followed me around my whole life so it was probably just to be expected.
Surprise surprise i arrive at the airport and wait for ages at the baggage claim and there is no sign of it. I go to the baggage area and they take down my information etc etc etc etc etc and then ask me how long i will be in bangkok my answer being not very long maybe two days, she looks a bit puzzled and then asks when i will be back in bangkok to which i reply not sure. She then asks where is the next airport i fly off from and when, my answer being singapore in a month or so. I could tell by the luck on her face that i was to expect my bag when i get to singapore and not to keep my hopes up for that outcome either. She writes out a reciept on a bit of paper and directs me to the offices at the airport and tells me i should go there and show them this paper and i will be given 2,000 baht to buy some clothes with.
Hmmm this doesnt sound bad i thought at least i will be able to get some food and clothes. I make it to the gate where my friends Paul and Laura are waiting for me and i tell them how fantastic the start of my travel had been. Then i tell them enthusiastically that at least i get 2,000 baht out of it (not knowing how much in english money this is) and they t5ell me that they are giving me 25 pounds give or take. Well better than nothing i suppose, however when i get to the offices they tell me they have run out of money and should come back in three days. Brilliant my luck is so excepetionally awfull that i wait for what other bad luck will come my way, dissentry maybe,malaria broken spine, who knows i certainly wouldnt put money on what else would come my way in the form of luck.
Anyway off we go to the hotel which Paul and Laura had sorted. On the way they tell me how horrible the area is, i really didnt care at this point what sort of hell hole we were in i just wanted to get away from the airport and drown my sorrows. About 40 minutes lkater we arrive near our hotel and my first impression of Bangkok was how it was more like a 18-30's get away in the mediteranian. Not the nicest place on earth but it certainly could have been worse, but i still hadnt seen the hotel.........................it was actually not bad considering i had air con and a TV and even the luxury of hot water.
A few coconut shakes later and off i trotted to bed to await what other misfortunes would come my way and if i would ever see my bag again?
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