I know too well that I can't plan trips to Africa. Not even in Europe; it always starts off in an African fashion.
Yesterday plunged me into further chaos. I went to pay for Dan's ticket & pick mine up. All went well, I handed over the cheque & my travel agent got the tickets out, the lady who's usually there, Dominique, is wonderful but no I had to have the 'boss' who has yet to learn that to make a computer work, you must turn it on!
So I went through the tickets with him, and queried why my ticket was still showing a return time from Casablanca of 08.10 when I'd already been told that the airline had moved me to a later 16.35 time (meaning another long wait on the way home). He went through Dan's ticket and showed me the time of 16.35 for the return. I pointed out that the two tickets didn't match & we were returning on different flights .. and under no circumstances was I leaving a 12yr old in Casablanca alone for 8hrs or so.
He promised all would be fine; I asked for a new printout, he told me to get it done in Casablanca on arrival. Knowing full well the chaos that pervades anything official being done in Morocco I gave up with him as I knew he wouldn't be able to print anything out and went home.
Ringing the airline, I was on hold for a full 15minutes before speaking to some man that now promises me that we are on the same flight and has our seats booked all the way through to Abidjan and will be sending a new ticket through to my agents.
Progress at last!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
First Hurdle
We went to the Consulat of the Cote d'Ivoire in Marseille yesterday!
We've got our visas, & are thrilled. 'Madame' a lovely lady from the Antilles eventually issued them an hour and a half after we arrived. Despite my phone calls to the consulate to check what was needed she threw a couple of spanners in the works.
A few months ago a 'letter of invitation' was needed; they've done away with this thank goodness but asked for an address. I gave her an address of someone I know through someone else who lives in Abidjan & works in cocoa. It didn't work, I didn't have the post box number; wasn't thinking quickly enough to tell her any old number! So I said to put us down as staying in one of the chain hotels ... she looked a bit dubious and wrote it in!
She's marked Dani as travelling with her 'mother' with a little comment about 'not waking the sleeping man in Paris'. She didn't want to see all the parental letters I had from her mother to allow her to come on this trip with me!
We had our yellow fever certificates, all well & good, but she hadn't mentioned that we need our tickets; Dani's isn't' paid for so I don't have it anyway. After a bit of pleading she let me ring my travel agent who duly faxed the details through ... without even looking at it she told me I should hang onto the piece of paper & always have my ticket on me ...?!!? What was that lesson all about???
We've got our visas, & are thrilled. 'Madame' a lovely lady from the Antilles eventually issued them an hour and a half after we arrived. Despite my phone calls to the consulate to check what was needed she threw a couple of spanners in the works.
A few months ago a 'letter of invitation' was needed; they've done away with this thank goodness but asked for an address. I gave her an address of someone I know through someone else who lives in Abidjan & works in cocoa. It didn't work, I didn't have the post box number; wasn't thinking quickly enough to tell her any old number! So I said to put us down as staying in one of the chain hotels ... she looked a bit dubious and wrote it in!
She's marked Dani as travelling with her 'mother' with a little comment about 'not waking the sleeping man in Paris'. She didn't want to see all the parental letters I had from her mother to allow her to come on this trip with me!
We had our yellow fever certificates, all well & good, but she hadn't mentioned that we need our tickets; Dani's isn't' paid for so I don't have it anyway. After a bit of pleading she let me ring my travel agent who duly faxed the details through ... without even looking at it she told me I should hang onto the piece of paper & always have my ticket on me ...?!!? What was that lesson all about???
Gassing ...
I had some bad news the other day. Gianni who I met hitchiking at a police post in Dakhla, on the way down to Mauritania http://saharan-xmas.blogspot.com and we travelled together last year in Guinea, Guinea Bissau & Senegal http://deeper-in2-west-africa.blogspot.com
was in his truck a week ago doing his normal route between Italy & Spain when he pulled up in an autoroute layby near Montpellier. Whilst asleep he had someone spray gas into his cab and forced entry.
This is 'normal' practice in the summer months especially against tourists in caravans/campervans but I've never heard of it with a truck.
Waking up a little woozy, he found 600euros in cash missing & his credit cards gone. They'd used the credit card before he managed to stop it.
We both laughed & pointed out that Africa was less dangerous than the autoroutes of Europe!
Unfortunately he's not coming to the Cote d'Ivoire; nothing to do with this attack but he's got a lot of work on. A real shame!
was in his truck a week ago doing his normal route between Italy & Spain when he pulled up in an autoroute layby near Montpellier. Whilst asleep he had someone spray gas into his cab and forced entry.
This is 'normal' practice in the summer months especially against tourists in caravans/campervans but I've never heard of it with a truck.
Waking up a little woozy, he found 600euros in cash missing & his credit cards gone. They'd used the credit card before he managed to stop it.
We both laughed & pointed out that Africa was less dangerous than the autoroutes of Europe!
Unfortunately he's not coming to the Cote d'Ivoire; nothing to do with this attack but he's got a lot of work on. A real shame!
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