Getting to Greece
When Marc said that I would be able to fly with Gulf Air to Athens from Bangkok, I didn't question him at all. Again, booking the flight in Hong Kong, this proved to be a bit of a challenge as we needed to provide payment to the travel agent in Bangkok, not in the form of a credit card, unless it was presented in person. This posed a bit of a challenge as we were still in Hong Kong and the Travel Agency was closed Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the King.
Needless to say, the relationship that has been fostered at the Westin came in very handy as Marc was able to get them to purchase the tickets and then charge us after the fact. And voila, when we arrived there the tickets were. I tell you, there has been some creative and resourceful thinking that has gone into overcoming some of these challenges.
What Marc had also told me was that I was going to connect through Bahrain. Pleading somewhat ignorant, I needed to look up where Bahrain was ~ especially since I was going to need to overnight there. Yes, I am spending the night in a Middle Eastern oil country. I was to expect information on the hotel with my ticket, but this was not the case. Images of being stranded in a Muslim country in the airport flashed through my mind, but I figured with Mr. Gold Visa in hand, the worst that could happen was I would have to pay for a hotel.
Arriving at the airport in Bangkok, I was there a full 3 hours before the flight. Now those who know me, know I am last minute girl. As I checked in at the airport, I was advised that my weight limit was 20kg. WHAT?!? The bags were 20kg and 27kg each. So the next question became one of paying for the overweight. Yes, they would take my payment and at roughly $20US per kilo, they cut me a deal and only charged me for 15 and not the 27 I was actually over. Can honestly say this was the most expensive overweight I have ever paid. Never paid this much even when I moved to Australia!
The next challenge was assuring them that I would not be remaining in Greece. Without a forwarding ticket out of the country they were hesitant to let me check in. I let them know about my letter of employment which has me in Oslo on the 13th of July and after some debate and disagreement that I don't get the ticket from my company until a week before, they trudged off with my papers, passport to make copies. While the part about the company giving me a ticket from Athens to Oslo was not quite the whole truth, I figured I had better get a ticket before trying to get into Athens. Nothing worse than coming all this way to be denied entry. After not getting into Mexico, I figured it is better to not take the chance.
Other great news was that the plane was delayed an hour. Yippee! 4 hours at the airport before leaving ~ so much for being last minute. We arrive in Bahrain, and then go on the hunt for someone who might know what I am to do next. Another woman travelling back home to Athens was unaware of the stop over so she and I found the Customer Service folks and were soon on our way to the hotel via a shuttle. Once in the hotel, we were provided with dinner, but wait it was 10:30pm... A quick bite of chicken and rice and I was back to the desk to find my room. Still not made up? By this time it didn't matter. Friend sleep lobby. They changed my room and I was off for some sleep.
I managed to find internet the next day and book a ticket online ~ so that eliviated that stress. Now just 4 hours in the plane and I can settle in. But wait... another delay? The flight is not leaving at 9:20 but rather 11am. Again at the airport by 7:45, I had more time to kill watching the folks pass by. I could only hope Akis was checking the flight status as his mobile wasn't working and all I had told him was that I would be at the airport at 2pm.
Rarely have I ever seen 'plane rage' but this flight could definitely have qualified. The Greek woman who I spent time with was accused of being rude to a woman's child, after telling the child to be careful after kicking her suitcase. The child's mother was then 'tattling' ~ there is no other work for it ~ to her husband about this woman being rude to her child. The glares were brutal and apparently on the flight from Singapore, a fist fight had actually broken out and the police were called. Who knew road rage had morphed?!?
Upon arrival in Athens, the passing through customs was merely a check of my passport and a stamp. So the anxiety that they may not let me in was for nothing... Hey but I am here ~ time for a coffee.
Needless to say, the relationship that has been fostered at the Westin came in very handy as Marc was able to get them to purchase the tickets and then charge us after the fact. And voila, when we arrived there the tickets were. I tell you, there has been some creative and resourceful thinking that has gone into overcoming some of these challenges.
What Marc had also told me was that I was going to connect through Bahrain. Pleading somewhat ignorant, I needed to look up where Bahrain was ~ especially since I was going to need to overnight there. Yes, I am spending the night in a Middle Eastern oil country. I was to expect information on the hotel with my ticket, but this was not the case. Images of being stranded in a Muslim country in the airport flashed through my mind, but I figured with Mr. Gold Visa in hand, the worst that could happen was I would have to pay for a hotel.
Arriving at the airport in Bangkok, I was there a full 3 hours before the flight. Now those who know me, know I am last minute girl. As I checked in at the airport, I was advised that my weight limit was 20kg. WHAT?!? The bags were 20kg and 27kg each. So the next question became one of paying for the overweight. Yes, they would take my payment and at roughly $20US per kilo, they cut me a deal and only charged me for 15 and not the 27 I was actually over. Can honestly say this was the most expensive overweight I have ever paid. Never paid this much even when I moved to Australia!
The next challenge was assuring them that I would not be remaining in Greece. Without a forwarding ticket out of the country they were hesitant to let me check in. I let them know about my letter of employment which has me in Oslo on the 13th of July and after some debate and disagreement that I don't get the ticket from my company until a week before, they trudged off with my papers, passport to make copies. While the part about the company giving me a ticket from Athens to Oslo was not quite the whole truth, I figured I had better get a ticket before trying to get into Athens. Nothing worse than coming all this way to be denied entry. After not getting into Mexico, I figured it is better to not take the chance.
Other great news was that the plane was delayed an hour. Yippee! 4 hours at the airport before leaving ~ so much for being last minute. We arrive in Bahrain, and then go on the hunt for someone who might know what I am to do next. Another woman travelling back home to Athens was unaware of the stop over so she and I found the Customer Service folks and were soon on our way to the hotel via a shuttle. Once in the hotel, we were provided with dinner, but wait it was 10:30pm... A quick bite of chicken and rice and I was back to the desk to find my room. Still not made up? By this time it didn't matter. Friend sleep lobby. They changed my room and I was off for some sleep.
I managed to find internet the next day and book a ticket online ~ so that eliviated that stress. Now just 4 hours in the plane and I can settle in. But wait... another delay? The flight is not leaving at 9:20 but rather 11am. Again at the airport by 7:45, I had more time to kill watching the folks pass by. I could only hope Akis was checking the flight status as his mobile wasn't working and all I had told him was that I would be at the airport at 2pm.
Rarely have I ever seen 'plane rage' but this flight could definitely have qualified. The Greek woman who I spent time with was accused of being rude to a woman's child, after telling the child to be careful after kicking her suitcase. The child's mother was then 'tattling' ~ there is no other work for it ~ to her husband about this woman being rude to her child. The glares were brutal and apparently on the flight from Singapore, a fist fight had actually broken out and the police were called. Who knew road rage had morphed?!?
Upon arrival in Athens, the passing through customs was merely a check of my passport and a stamp. So the anxiety that they may not let me in was for nothing... Hey but I am here ~ time for a coffee.
posted by Carrie @ 10:07 PM
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