RTFM

Welcome,

Not content with assailing you on facebook and by email I have taken the next step and will now be annoying to more people with less effort....BONUS!

Setting up a blog, it can’t be all that hard, there’s already 152million out there (thank you pingdom for that useless bit of information).

So were off on an adventure to Nepal, and, hopefully, to be a little bit of help.

Sometimes I really should read the boring details.

Preparation is everything..or so I’ve heard.. the bedroom floor is strewn with the things I might need including a pile of good things to to donate to Anne’s Kathmandu Birth Centre.

I dragged out the 'old trusty’ hiking boots, expensive in their day I seem to recall. Apparently their day was a little further in the past than I had thought. I walked around the house to make sure my feet hadn’t put on any weight in the intervening period (OK perhaps a little more than 10 years). The feet seemed OK, but the weight clearly wasn’t as the soles of the boots just started falling off in chunks. I think it was just because they were too scared to travel to Nepal. They shouldn’t have worried, on my feet they are safe from horrible steep mountains…there was no reason to spontaneously combust. Budget blowout warning….new hiking boots.

Pales into insignificance though compared to the next “small” problem area. Packing complete and afternoon ‘plane to catch Anne & I had a leisurely breakfast after I had carefully checked the usual forgotten items; cash, credit cards, passport, clean socks and more technology than is available in most developing countries…but someone wasn’t quite as thorough as he maybe should have been……(very sinister music here….)
                                                           

It has to be said that I don’t much like filling in forms and have never read the pages of conditions that get spewed out attached to the flight details. The flights had been booked for months..why do I need to look at the rubbishy verbiage some lawyer has drafted to avoid all liability? A possible reason, as it turns out, is because Thai Air don’t let you on the ‘plane if you can’t show them the credit card you booked the flights with. It was happily sitting on the desk at home having been carefully culled from my wallet because I didn’t want to take all my cards. Again a possible mistake. 

 At the airport with a bit of time spare, no way they are going to let me on the ‘plane..not a problem…just have to get the card from home, bring it back, book in and hop on…..with no car, no phone and Anne on her way to another appointment. Have you any idea how hard it is to find a coin operated phone these days?

St Anne the wonderful to the rescue…cancelled everything and did the airport round trip again..looking good…maybe 30mins spare..a bit tight but doable…and the culprit will be out of the country for long enough to ensure that his lovely wife no longer wants to strangle him.

Newly sim carded  mobile…ahh..there’s another budget extra…margin for error evaporates as there’s a crash on the freeway and Anne hasn’t moved in 30 mins..and is miles away. There’s a long, empty row of check in counters…only the cleaners are there..and one helpful Thai Air person…what are the alternatives..miss flights all the way to Nepal…lateral thinking time…book another flight…and try for a refund on the one they won’t let me use…and there is the biggy…I have two flights paid for to Nepal…maybe they will refund one…I sure hope so as Anne was stuck in traffic running after me for around 8 hours…oh boy that’s going to have to be a big present.

Rushed through all the customary exit the country stuff in record time escorted off the premises….possibly sick of the sight of me…and the damn plane was only ¾ full…ended up with three seats, fair enough as I had actually paid for two of them. Flat bed sleeping…. things are definitely looking up!

Drinks trolley came by..I must have looked a little stressed..asked for a scotch..steward took one look and said he’d make it a double!

Apart from stupid rules (and possibly challenged passengers) Thai Airways were friendly and helpful.