So I'm currently in one of those situations where you think "one day I will laugh about this" ...
I keep on thinking of what one of my professors (who was very well traveled) said before I left... she told me to stay calm in airports. That international travel means there will be inevitable problems with border crossings and visas and customs... so just enjoy your time, don't be in a rush, and take it as it comes. It will all work out in the end, it has to. With that in mind, rather than sit in the middle of Bangkok's international airport and cry, I have decided it would be more productive (well... somewhat productive) to write about it and just laugh now. I mean, what can I really do but laugh??
What's the crisis you ask? I thought I would leave you hanging for a little while longer...
ok....
now I'll tell you.
I am alone (it's been just over a day since Caitrin went home) and I am on my way to Australia to meet my friend Tina. Flying from Bangkok to Darwin is expensive and time consuming. When I was looking for flights most of them had a ridiculous wait (like 10 hours) in a tiny airport (like Denpasar) and cost too much money (up to and exceeding $1000). I thought I was pretty clever when I found my own rout for only $350 (after researching incessantly and following flight prices for weeks).
My great idea was to fly with Air Asia from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City for $100 and from Ho Chi Minh to Darwin for $250 with only a three hour wait in between. I was a little hesitant to be in transit in Vietnam, since it is the one Country in this area that wont give Canadians a Visa on Arrival, so if there were any problems I would be, well, in a crisis. I snooped around on the web (places like Lonely Planet's travel forum and such, I couldn't find official things written in English that made sense) and found that other people had my same reservations, and many people had in fact used Ho Chi Minh as a transit airport. Basically, as long as there are only a few hours in between flights you don't need a visa. One man said that he was simply escorted to the baggage claim to get his bag, then back to departures. So, I ensured that I had a paper copy of my flight details on me to avoid any unnecessary delays.
Right now, as I sit here reading that over, many "should have's" come to mind. I should have booked flights with the same airline. I should have done more research. I should have gotten a double entry visa for Vietnam. I should have asked the Vietnamese consulate about transit visas when I was there. I should have avoided Vietnam and listened to my initial inclination. I should have paid the $50 extra for the flight with transit in Denpasar (but it would have been 14 hours in a tiny airport with no air conditioning!)
Well, none of that really matters right now does it? And there is no point living in past decisions that I can not change.
Here's the problem: Air Asia won't let me on the flight because I don't have a visa. AWESOME. It's not that I can not transit in Ho Chi Minh without a visa, the problem is AIR ASIA wont let me transit without a visa. They say that they don't have a transit desk before immigration. They told me I can get a visa and fly another day, or buy a ticket from another airline that is equipped for transit passengers. AWESOME. No refund, no help, just a stone faced no entry. AWESOME. Have I mentioned how AWESOME this is yet?
I mean, back to the "should have's" ... I could have researched more, and I would have found that I CAN transit in Vietnam. Maybe, MAYBE, I could have found somewhere that AIR ASIA in particular will not facilitate that... but really? Really? REALLY? WTF?
There I was walking through the airport, dragging my bag behind me (I had already zipped the backpack straps up to get it ready for the flight) looking for an airline desk to see if I could find another ticket to Ho Chi Minh, trying my hardest not to cry (what on earth is that going to do? It's not going to get them to let me on the plane, it's not going to get me a refund, it's not going to get me to Darwin any faster) and a man in a suit came up to me and asked me if I needed help. Perhaps I could have been more cautious (people try to scam you), but I felt tired and defeated and told him my story (through a few tears). He found a place for me to sit and he and his colleague tried finding me another flight to Ho Chi Minh to get my connecting flight.
So, here I am now. Sitting, waiting. I am on standby with another airline (one that will facilitate a transit) to see if I can get a seat. I am not sure how probable this option is yet... it is my cheapest option (costing only an additional $250 for this ticket... on top of the money I've already paid), and the most ideal, since I would still be arriving in Darwin on my original flight. Two issues though: there is no guarantee I will get on this flight, and there is only an hour between when this one lands and my next one departs... it may not be enough time to get my bag (which is far too big for a carry on). So, only a two hour wait to see if this will work... then I will explore my other (more costly and time consuming) options.
Oh, and to add insult to injury... My phone has run out of minutes (so I can't text and update my friend in Darwin to say when I'll be there), my text app crashed (so I can't text my sister and rant about what's happening) and I can't get a free wifi signal (so I can't make any phone calls with skype to... well, rant).
After waiting for two hours, a man came up to me to bring me to the check in desk for the flight they were trying to get me on. Shortly after we found out that because the airline I was flying from Ho Chi Minh to Darwin on is a budget airline, I am not able to do a connection without a visa after all (to summarize, if I were flying with a regular airline it would be fine, but because I was using budget airlines I can't do a connection without first getting a visa to enter the country). AWESOME.
With no possible way of making it to my connecting flight, I had to consider the (more costly) option of buying a whole new ticket to Darwin. I was brought to the man's office to look for an alternative flight to Darwin (aaaah, it's a travel agency... that makes sense... that's why they are so nice and helping me). And, of course, there were no more flights going to Darwin today. Happily they did find me a flight tomorrow (and they were very proud that it was such a low price) stopping in Manilla and costing a mere $750. AWESOME. Well, at least I get to say I went to the Philippines too.
Now I am back at a hotel (which I paid too much for) with a beer to help nurse my disappointment. As I reflect on the whole experience, I realize that it could have been much, much worse. Honestly, when it comes to a crisis, this turned out pretty good. I am getting where I want to go, just 23 hours later (and $750 more) than I intended. This is part of the traveling experience. This is what I signed up for.
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