masterwordsmith-unplugged

The following post was written by a blog reader who requested that I post it to air her grouses. I am doing so because I had a similar experience 18 years ago. And I really learnt to be very careful about whom I select to be my traveling companion. Then, I traveled for 1.5 mths across Europe and really suffered. I remember sitting in Vienna and crying in the courtyard while writing a postcard for my husband. I remember how I wept at Salzburg when she scolded me for clearing my throat at night and told me not to flush if I used the washroom at night and even in Lucerne because she told me not to move as we had to share a queen-size bed. Each time, she wanted to borrow money from me for her shopping, I would oblige but when I wanted to borrow money from her in Paris (that was at the last lap of our tour), she said something like "See how..I can only lend you $$ if I have any left from my shopping." That was my last long holiday with anyone. I thought I knew her but I didn't know that part of her. So, if you are going for a vacation, be careful in your selection of partners..Take care and have a great evening.

* I did not have internet connection for the whole afternoon and it has been MOST distressing troubleshooting here and there, calling Streamyx Hotline and making report after report. Maybe I have brain injury from internet deprivation syndrome that caused giddy withdrawal symptoms. Sighs...what a blog addict I am. I hope it does not happen again. Apparently, there is an outage in Penang....

Let me air out my recent 8 day trip 'horribilus' to Chengdu/Jiuzhaigou, made up of 22 - 16 from Sban who were mostly S** U*** members and some invited stragglers.



Our trouble started on arrival in Chengdu at night when someone had his luggage missing. We were stuck in the airport for about 2 hrs, hence our late dinner, check into hotel and finally in bed around midnight. Not a good start to day 1!

Next morning, after early wake up call and breakfast, we were taken to a highly commercialised ancient street, before lunch was served and then on to the airport for transfer to Jiuzhaigou. On airport arrival, we were greeted with a 'indefinite' delay and then even more delay even as we sat inside the plane, readying to take off. The weather inclement made accurate timing impossible and we noted the many planes waiting in line to 'take off' too.

It was another exhausting day when we arrived Jiuzhaigou in the nite followed by an incredibly long n winding road en route to our hotel. We were given dinner and thankfully, the room keys to retire for the night. This was Day 2!

We were told to rise and shine early for our lst full day tour. So after a 6.30am wake up call and breakfast, we were told to make sure to take all our belonging as tonite, we will be checking into our 3rd hotel after our day's tour.

Jiuzhaigou was breathtaking and offered abundant photo opportunities. The amazing scenery, the vivid varied colours of fall; the spectacular aquamarine blues/greens with the waters glistening like diamonds against the sunlight; the clear, waters which mirrored the beautiful mountains and surrounding flora - just willing us to keep our cameras ready snap at all times. I suppose this was really the highlight of our tour. After our dinner, we took in a native dance/singing show before retiring to another bed for Day 3.

Another day of early morning wake up call, breakfast before proceeding to some tour, lunch and transfer back to Chengdu. Again, we had to encounter about 2+ hr delay here and bad as it was, we had the misfortune of missing a luggage AGAIN.. It took a further 2hrs to clear before we got into our bus which took us to dinner. Then a quickie hour plus stop in town allowed us to smell the local food court and pick a couple things from a small supermart and before checking into hotel for Day 4.

Thus far, it has been a tedious, tiring trip changing hotel every nite, late check in compounded by early morning wake up calls (there was even one at 4.30am too) and food was no winner as we made do with tasteless and unappealing meals. Everything's a blur after this day...my weary body caused my brains to go somnolent.

However, all the above paled when we were further INFLICTED with an UGLY display of downright crude bullying, samseng behaviour from one of our fellow passengers whom I shall call Samseng Prick (SP) and his prissy unfetching Mrs. Apparently, SP had been some hotshot in L**P** Insurance (have to remind all to stay away from this company that hires such lowlife) and felt entitled to have his senses pandered and appeased to at every instance. He shouted, threatened, used crude foul words in a menacing manner; pointed his finger at one of our most petite, quiet lady. This he did grandly in front of our whole group and other groups of tourist as well. It left all of us as bewildered as the poor, defenceless lady herself, wondering what triggered this uncalled behaviour.

Later that night, our Tour Leader approached the Samseng Prick for an explanation and boy! were we shocked when he told us.. ..SP did not like the fact that while in Jiuzhaikuo, when we had to sit in buggy bus to cover the temple grounds, he whined much about the poor condition of the buggy so that the demure lady told him to take another bus as it was also rather filled up by then. Imagine stewing over such pettiness! Then he went off his rocker when on the day before our return home, we were taken to a tea factory where many bought bags of tea. Apparently, his ex-teacher wife spoke bad English when she mentioned she bought 'many' tea and the petite lady heard and kindly corrected her with the word 'much' instead. His stupid wife probably, promptly complained' to her Mr Somebody Prick who went ballistic ....showing us class, breeding and good manners he ain't got!.

Many of us cannot comprehend how a fully grown educated family man can behave in such a crude manner. Thankfully though, I hear he has migrated to Osland, we have no need for such a CREEP around us. I heard one of his friend say that SP Jerk is finicky about who he travels with.
To this, I say, 'Dishonourable CRABBYship should travel lst class and pay top $ and not quibble over the few reminbi when tipping the tour guide which I heard he shamefully did. They should know the feeling is entirely mutual as we have no need for a nouveau riche pig and his ilk in our presence.

Nicole wrote in her facebook, "The lesson is when we travel in a group, we must be discerning enough to know whether we can 'afford to offend someone'
To this I say, 'Hogwash!' The onus is for the SP Twerp to know his place in society and behave in a civilized fashion. For goodness sake, we were within a small group of decent, sane people going for an informal, carefree holiday, why the need to be on egg shells, minding egos? Go travel like Phileas Fogg with valet Passepartout if he needs the security of his 'status' travelling along with him. Boleh leave your arrogance and unsocial traits at home ka??

Everyone wondered the need to bully a lone petite lady who had been nothing but a sweet, friendly character in the 8 days I have known her. Gasbag SP and his insipid wife must be very, very insecure persons and all of us would GLADLY stay AWAY from such JERKS, AMEN!

Finally, to round up this horribilus holiday, we arrived home to LCCT at 4.20am into torrential rain. Already my heart sank when we disembarked the plane where umbrellas were duly issued to all coming down the plane's staircase. TONY FERNANDEZ, WHERE ARE YOU??? I know we travelled in a 'no frills' airline, but the basics should be in place to move passengers from plane to land and into building, WITHOUT having to run for our lives into the dry building that was located about a Km away!! Imagine, although I am fit, I had a hard time holding the umbrella in one hand, my handbag, hand carry on the other; needing to change hands every 50 metres or so. Remember too, the water logged runway made sure there was no way anyone could keep their socks, feet and shoes dry SAVE FOR THE AIR ASIA CREW who were shuttled in by van, bone-dry and in cherry mood. I understand a lady fell down and was head-bandaged. What about the old people, the infirm, the handicapped, what about the mothers with young toddlers/kids?? I promptly complained to one of their pilots who happened to be standing nearby. He was most diplomatic and immediately apologised but said NOTHING COULD BE DONE FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR! WTF, this is absolutely the pits...TONY, TONY, you showed YOU & MALAYSIA BETUL2 TAK BOLEH!

After such a holiday, I now need ANOTHER to recuperate!!