I Want to go HOME!

After a week in Barcelona, I really want to go home. In fact, I had been counting down. Most of the work was completed yday. Today was basically wrapping up. As the day passed, the excitement of going home was hard to bear.

My flight was at 8pm, transiting at Zurich. Like I mentioned, I had been worrying about missing the connecting flight given that I only had 1 hour.

The hotel/ office was about 20 mins drive but I wasn't going to take chance and left the office at 5pm. I don't want to miss any flight and I really want to go home. I was so happy to be at the airport and to checkin my luggage. At the counter, I thought it was strange that the checkin counter staff explicitly told me that the flights were on time. He even turned the computer screen to show me.

I was happy to clear the immigration and walked around the airport without finding anything to buy. It is afterall autumn and winter wear now. With another 1 hour to spare, I went to the business lounge, at least for a comfy seat. The wifi was definitely a bonus too. The gate information was only available about 30 mins before flight time. While waiting, I was happily looking at Facebook.

Finally, the gate number was available and I hurried to the gate. It was going home time! There was a short q in front of the gate but I didn't see any plane. I heard the lady in front asking the counter staff about the flight and she was told that she will have to pick up her baggage and go to British airline instead. I PANIC! For some reasons, the flight to Zurich wouldn't be happening! Boo! I was rescheduled to take a Qatar air flight instead. I also had to go collect my bag, exit the immigration area and recheckin at the Qatar counter. Can cry.

The Qatar flight was at 10.50pm and transiting at Doha. I would be home 4 hours later than original, touching down at 8ish on Staurday evening. I was too shock to ask questions and followed the instructions. Only while waiting at the Qatar checkin counter, I remembered that we are to avoid Qatar airline now bcos of the situation in Qatar; my manager's approval is needed to fly Qatar but I REALLY WANT TO GO HOME! I tried calling the company's travel agent after office hotline but the call just wouldn't get through.

When it was finally my turn, I couldn't care more, Qatar or not. Well, at least I tried to call the travel agent. Then, there was some confusion if I would continue to fly business. I was so desperate. Seriously, I think I would have taken the flight even if I had to fly economy - just get me home. After some waiting and texting Daddy Lim about the bad news, I finally got my business class tickets. It would be a 6 hours flight to Doha, then another 8 hours home. While waiting for the airline to sort out my tickets, an elderly (European) man was in the same plight as me, just that he was going to China.

I could still go to the business lounge but stupidly clear the passport control, which is in a totally different part of the airport from the lounge. Yeah there was no turning back. Can you see how grumpy I was?

The plan was to take dinner on the flight and it was all screwed up. Look at my pathetic dinner.

Then, I met the same elderly man and he started making small talk with it. Seriously, I was tired and grumpy and I don't want to talk. Ok, maybe I would if it had been a handsome young man. Lol. I declined the elderly man's offer to buy me coffee. He asked me if I was sure and that he was buying the coffee. Yes, I was so very sure. In fact, I don't want a lousy coffee at the pathetic cafe and I can well afford a coffee. I still have a lot of euros left and I also have my USD, SGD and 2 credit cards. Please just leave me alone to sulk.

I can only thank God that I fully charged my phone before I left the office. Imagine stuck and no phone. Boo! I hoped I would get home safely and no issue transiting at Doha.

Mummy Lim