After such a drama-filled day before (cyclone force winds across the city, red dust storms, just being missed by a drought-stressed trees falling in front and behind the car, city wide power failures, transport chaos) I joked that I was lucky to be leaving ground level for a while!Hah!After a super-intense day on must-do corporate stuff I was packing right up to the last minute…and then next ten after the target departure time, as usual! My darling husband (known here on as MDH) asked, as usual, all those really irritating questions that only someone with a clear head can
”Have you got your passport?”
“Yes” I said with irritated tone, half pulling my purse from my handbag to show it peeking out the side.
Finally we’re in the car and off through the chilly night. The tension (my tension) eases as I get that familiar “nothing more can be done” feeling. Pre-trip nerves send me back to the purpose and the audacity of the trip – 6 weeks, 6 cities, 600 great experiences to find and write up. What was I thinking? Why do I do this to myself?
All was calm at Melbourne airport with a smooth passage through security and customs. Not too much time to wait – luckily – since we were pushing the ’90 minutes prior to departure’ rule. Decided to get some HK dollars to make it quicker at the other end. Opened my purse to hand over the Aussie dollars to the forex cashier. Noticed, with a somersault in my tummy that went right to my toes and back, that there were NO CREDIT CARDS in my wallet.
Adrenaline rush begins – I’m air-side. Now have only $3000 HK dollars (at most, 24 hours worth with hotel charges and transport fees). Not at good way to start a 6 week trip!
Where are the cards? Agh – sitting in the photocopier – having been very carefully copied as a precaution. Some precaution. Would the hotel accept a photocopy of a credit card? Did I want to take the chance?
Could MDH make it home and back to the airport before the plane left? I called him, completely ignoring whatever the cashier was doing with my only scrap of immediate financial hope. He was not that far from the airport. Responded to the challenge quite well in the circumstances. No blame, no verbal eye-rolling, just a curt calculation about the required land speed. Usually it takes 36.5 minutes to the airport from our house. At this hour of the night, he might be able to do the round trip in an hour. There was 55 mnutes before departure time.
At this point, I remembered why being a Qantas Platinum Status flyer is valuable. If anyone would help me get out of this pickle, it would all be because the nice people in charge of Platinum passengers would be willing to help.
Somewhat shaky of voice and knee, I approached the reception desk. Charles didn’t flinch. He said he’d check out the Plan B options. Angie didn’t flinch. She told me she’d find someone to get the cards to airside if MDH could get them kerbside. She waved me on to sit down and relax. One of those other nice people in natty waiter attire seemed to be standing just waiting for me to name my drink. I hedged my bets with water and wine. Wondered in a tiny flash of humour in amongst the heart pounding whether the nice people did any transformation tasks out the back while noone was watching! Charles told me he’d pulled the bag off the plane. Just in case. Told me not to worry, they’d throw it in the ‘boot’ of the 747 at the last minute. I didn’t know that 747s have a ‘boot’ but I’m very glad they do now!!
Well, clearly, since I’m now in Hong Kong, the story ended well. My team of guardian angels managed to part the ways through country roads, airport traffic control, customs and that particularly nasty piece of retail jungle at Melbourne airport between security and the departure gates to get a tiny envelope with those precious cards to me, at the airbridge, with five minutes to spare. Did I mention that was 5 minutes to midnight??!! I’m feeling double lucky now. Will go and buy a double lucky token in Kowloon to celebrate.
