Expedia Must Die!

I will get my hideous lost-holiday sob story out of the way now and then try and move on.

I should have been here...

Saturday 21st October
11am - arrive at Gatwick airport amd join the fairly short Emirates queue.
11:10am - Emirates tell us we cannot travel because we don't have a Visa for entry to India. Met with stunned disbelief and shock from me and L.
11:12am - Find the relevant section of my unread Rough Guide to Goa and find out they are not lying!
11:13am - Feel like an ill-prepared idiot. Feelings of idiocy replaced by anger towards Expedia for not telling us we needed a Visa.
11:14am - Find smallprint on Expedia travel details saying it is our responsibility to meet entry requirements. Note to self - never use faceless internet travel company EVER AGAIN!!!
11:15am - Call Indian Embassy in London. Closed until Monday.
11:16am - helpful and understanding lady on Emirates desk rearranges outbound flights for Tuesday and hotel informed. Only 2 days in Goa but better than nothing. Right?
11:25am - commiserate with fellow victim of internet booking c*ck-ups. Although this person now can't get home for his sister's wedding in South Africa because the "t*ssers" took his money and didn't book the flight.

Monday 23rd October
8:30am - arrive at Indian Embassy on Aldwych.
8:36am - find end of queue for Visa applications.
8:40am - informed that this queue is just to get a token to get in to the Embassy, that we will have to join another queue when we eventually get in and that it closes at 12:30 no matter what.
8:50am - have moved 5 feet and made friends with the rather obnoxious yet amusing young Aussies standing behind us who are going to India for two months in November and find it hilarious we missed our flights.
8:51 - decide we don't like the aformentioned little sh*ts.
9am - no movement to speak off. Unless you count L's trip to the coffee shop. I start to blub.
9:01am - decide to take back control of our lives. Leave queue, get cab home and then drive down to Lancing for a few cheap days on the coast.

So, here endeth my tale of woe!

I won't moan about it again!

Blub...sob!

Will try and console myself with the fact that we did some good country walks down in Sussex, ate lot of yummy fish and chips, saw the green turtles in the Brighton Sealife Centre, won £40 on blackjack at the Grosvenor Casino and bought our first piece of 'proper' art.

Expedia say it's our fault so no compensation. Harumphhh!

It is Hallowe'en, which is totally wickedy wack!

Next holiday we'll be camping in teepees in Cornwall - no entry requirements, no vaccinations, no malaria tablets!

I'm off now to comfort eat!!