Last Monday, I had a bus booked to go to London, but I had bad luck all the way.
I hadn't eaten dinner, so I tried the Smuller's Macho Smulmenu that I'd seen advertised for a long time (some fried minced-meat filled contraption with Cajun sauce, wedges and a bottle of drink). They were out of Cajun sauce, the first was too hot and the second was fried like fries - for too short a time and with too little seasoning. I ended up throwing the food away.
I arrived at the Eurolines bus stop at about 10:30, about 15 minutes before my 10:45pm bus was due to depart, and saw a bus waiting there. Nonetheless, people were sitting on the pavement so I figured that more than one bus was due to depart from this spot, and that the buses were due to depart promptly (I was used to Dutch efficiency). I was going to enquire as to whether that was my bus, when a housemate's friend greeted me - he was due to leave on the 11:02pm bus to Frankfurt to watch a World Cup match projected on a screen somewhere outside the stadium (it was a Korean pride thing). We exchanged a few words, and meanwhile the bus waiting at the bus stop zoomed off at 10:32pm, more than 10 minutes before my bus was due to depart. I then uttered the prophetic words: "That better not be my bus".
A few minutes later, another Eurolines bus pulled into the bus stop. I queued patiently to board, only to see a black couple (or family - but I only noticed the parents) panicking as they found out that their bus had already left. They asked me what time it was, as they were heading to Eindhoven to catch a flight, and rushed to the train station. With a feeling of impending doom, I asked the bus driver if this was the bus to London, and he said that it'd already departed.
Panic, anger and anguish swept over me in waves as I tried to figure out my next move. I'd heard of transport leaving late, I'd heard of transport leaving on time, but this was the first time I'd heard of transport leaving *early*! I tried to call someone to ask for advice, but as usual she was not picking up. I tried to call the Eurolines emergency number, but no one picked up either. I then headed back home to ponder my next step.
On the way back, I noticed in amusement that the bus driver was in shorts. This was 11pm, so maybe it was an after-hours close-one-eye thing. Meanwhile, the Eurolines emergency line was finally manned and I was blithely told that I was supposed to show up 30 minutes before my bus was due to leave (I thought it was 10 mins - I must've mixed it up with the National Express bus). I asked when the next bus was, but he claimed he had other things to do, and to call the help line the next morning. I definitely couldn't wait till then, so I went back to consider my options.
I saw that there was a Ryanair flight from Eindhoven to Stansted the next morning for €110 before tax, but not only was Eindhoven a way off, it'd take me some time to get to London from Stansted, so I'd definitely miss my timed entry to the British Museum's Michelangelo exhibition. My other option was to postpone my trip altogether, but I already had some sunk costs - Michelangelo ticket (£10+ including a ridiculous £1+ online booking fee), Avenue Q ticket (£30, and I'd have to stand Yifan up), a bus to/from Cambridge (£9) and a return bus on Wednesday evening from London (the fare was 65 Euros return but I wasn't sure what the fee to change the ticket was). I also would've to rejig my schedule, have less time to procrastinate on doing my projects and studying for my exams, and probably wouldn't be able to see someone. Jolene then saved me by pointing me to Opodo, which pointed me to a BMI flight from Schiphol to Heathrow which would get me in London in time for Michelangelo.
Meanwhile, I was trying to call my brother-in-law since someone was still not picking up or at her terminal. I had 5 cents left in my VOIP Buster account after making a stupid mistake a week or so before (I didn't know they would bill me for "Direct Callback" and ended up depleting more than €4 of credit by routing a free call through my mobile phone) and so I ran out of credit before finishing the conversation. I tried to top-up my VOIP Buster account, but Paypal payment was rejected (they asked me to update the date of card expiry, but it was already correct). I tried paying directly with my Mastercard, but it was also rejected; the only moment it'd acted up before this was in the Berlin Metro, but after that it worked so I assumed it was a freak error. The rejection must've tripped some security switch, for further attempts at credit card verification asked me to enter a phone number for automated verification (their machine would call me and recite a number, which I would enter into the system). Unfortunately, I was registered as being in Singapore (to save on VAT) so this wasn't an option.
I then tried to call my brother-in-law with my mobile phone, but he didn't pick up. Meanwhile I tried topping up my Skype credit, but again my Mastercard was rejected so I had to use the Visa; when my mother had offered me it I'd rejected at first but luckily I accepted in the end. And just as my account was topped up, someone finally responded via IM.
After some correspondence, I decided to book the flight - Opodo rejected me since I didn't have a UK address, but oddly enough it was significantly cheaper to book from BMI's website than Opodo. Unfortunately, it was at 7:55am and the train to Schiphol would take me half an hour at least (excluding waiting time). Furthermore, the first bus from my place to the train station was at 6:15am, and I couldn't cycle. So I decided to go to the airport forthwith. Of course, given my luck I missed the second last bus to the station, so I had to wait half an hour for the last bus. When I reached the train station, I'd naturally missed the 1:14am night train to Schiphol and had to take the 2:14am one.
Things you discover at weird hours: At Smullers, they display both the empty cash boxes prominently, presumably to deter burglars. Also, one ticket counter at the train station is open 24 hours with a protective barrier raised between customers and the attendant which is not present during normal hours (the man was smoking inside - it's probably verboden, but I don't blame him), as is the kiosk (run by the company 'Kiosk' - duh).
When I got on the train, I assiduously set alarms to make sure I would not miss the Schiphol stop. Given my luck, of course, I happened to wake up just after the train left Schiphol. I didn't actually know this, but I'd awakened and immediately transitioned into a state of preternatural alertness, and there was the ole feeling of impending doom. And so I had to get off in Leiden and take the next train back to Schiphol, losing 45 minutes of sleep in the process (though I gained a fitful and much-interrupted 30-40 mins in total by sleeping on the train).
At Schiphol, I found this exhibition people were sleeping around, consisting of plastic blocks with panels of photographs/text embedded in them, and with some plastic blocks serving as seats. I got there at 4:10 and entered the area circled by blocks (hopefully to avoid detection), but didn't get to sleep for a while. Unfortunately I was rudely awakened with a "Good morning!" at 5:10 from a security guard, as were the others. I then went to sit at a table and put my head on it, but I was similarly awakened after half an hour. I understand why they would want to chase off vagrants sleeping on benches and the floor, but what's wrong with putting your head on the table?! I was reminded of what it's like going to Range as a slave, but at least we were awakened more politely.
Sign seen at Schiphol: "There is no chewing gum sold at this airport." Wth. There're "streets" at Schiphol - the main throughfare after passing passport control is called "Holland Boulevard".
One of the few saving graces of having to take this flight was that I got to look at the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol. Theoretically I could view it when I fly back to Singapore, but there're always contingencies (though I doubt MAS will screw me like Eurolines did). The permanent collection was small (8 items) but there was a temporary exhibit of 9-10 items ("Really Rembrandt?")
Rembrandt - An Oriental, 1635
Bouwmeester - Seascape with a herring fleet. c. 1680-1720
Adriaen Hanneman - Prince William III (1650-1702), the Prince of Orange as a Child, 1654
I keep looking at this but keep seeing a Princess.
I was looking at flights, and the only smoking flight I could find (IIRC the only smoking flight I've ever seen) was to Varna, which is in Bulgaria.
One BMI staff member had a nametag with the British and German flags on them. I assumed that meant she spoke those 2 languages. The other staff members had no flags on their tags, but I was still amused by looking at the gigantic sunhats they were wearing.
When I arrived at Heathrow, I reflected that I should've taken the earlier flight (at 7:10am or something) to London City Airport. The queues would've been shorter and I would've gotten into the city earlier (and so have to rush less and pay less for left luggage), faster and cheaper. Oh well, the benefits of hindsight. I was also wondering if I could've gone to the EU queue at immigration and flashed my verblijfsdocument (residence card), but wasn't sure.
I think British immigration officials hate my face. The last time I'd flown in (2003), I'd written down as my occupation "conscript soldier" and thus was asked to show my ticket for the way back. This time, I didn't write anything funny down, but again asked to show my return ticket, what college someone was in, how long she'd been studying in the UK and "why're you only here for a day?". Heathrow is the only airport where I recall seeing signs stating that violence or intimidation directed at their staff is treated very seriously. I do not think that it's a coincidence that it's also the only airport where I've been interrogated for so long and so probingly. No wonder their staff get assaulted!
At the toilet they were selling a chewable toothbrush in the dispenser - "Fuzzy brush". Wah.
The allowances for intra-EU travel are insane: 3200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 3kg of tobacco, 110l of beer, 90l of wine and 10l of spirits. And all this comes under "for your own use" (or for that of your family). No wonder the NHS is in such trouble!
The ATMs in tourist areas in London all said that "we will not charge you for this transaction". They're so proud of it, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they get kickbacks from the foreign banks. Incidentally, if your bank card works overseas (Plus, Cirrus and Maestro) why can't they rig it such that your bank card works on all local ATMs (of course, you'll have to pay a small fee for the additional convenience).
Sign on the tunnel to the Heathrow Express: "No flash photography". Wth.
The quiet zone on the Heathrow Express train is called "Entertainment free carriage". Bah.
someone was amazed to hear that I took the Heathrow Express, which she bills as the most expensive train in the world (£15 for a 15 minute ride). I pointed out that she'd been extolling the joys of it as compared to the 1 hr ride via the Piccadilly line and had even tried to persuade me to take it in 2003 (I took the Tube in the end, having a less sensitive physiology), and she said that that was when she was rich.
