Tears in Ferengi II
In the terminal there was one of those stations where one`s bag could be plastic-wrapped. I had always thought thsoe were silly things, but faces with a bag that did not close, suddenly the idea did not seem so silly. The cost was 1200HUFs or 5 Euros. After my lunch and pate-buying excursion (ew, but it was for a gift) I had exactly 1182 HUFs. I needed just about 8 cents. Luckily, I also had a 20Euro bill, and I showed it the the wrapping guy and explained that I could either pay 1182 HUFs or with my Euro bill. He chose the Euros and wrapped the bag (after I had taken a bunch of papers out of it to get the weight down a bit).
However, when I went to pay him he announced that sorry, he had no change and I had to go down to the change area on the first floor. I looked al all my bags and I asked him where an elevator was. There was not way I could carry a 20kilo shrink wrapped bag AND all my other stuff and a giant pile of loose papers around the airport. He said that there was an elevator "over there". I went to where I deemed "Over there", but the elevator was being guarded by two armed security guards and they would not let me pass. I tried to talk to them but they were not talking and certianly not talking in English (or anything else but Hungarian). I ran back to the wrapping guy (who had my bag) and told him I could not go down the elevator and could I just ahve the change for the Euros in HUFs. He said that there was to be no mixing currencies.
I told him that I was in a hurry and had just 10 minutes to get to my check in desk.
He ignored me so I ran to the info desk and tried to get change there. The man at the info desk dod not know English and would not give me change. (I was not being an annoying tourist. The EURO is accepted around most of Hungary and many of the prices of things at the airport are listed ONLY in Euros) He said take the elevator, and by the way, did I know that my gate was in the OTHER terminal, which was, of course, in a building 10kms away.
Pause, look at watch, burst into tears. (what a good idea! I completely recommend it!)
And it worked! A confused-looking American came over and asked me how much money I needed. I told him that I needed 10 cents or I was not going to be ablo to get back to Canada. Nice man!
I threw the HUFs at the luggage man, grabbed my bag, got a cab, and tears were so dramatic that he ran a red light and drove in the bus lane (hey, it is Hungary. Maybe he does that anyway) and got me to the other terminal, just 4 minutes late. (10Euros! To change terminals! Has no one heard of a SHUTTLE BUS?). The counter was closed, but I looked so pathetic that they let me check in.
HOORAH!
The flight was, of course, almost 2 hours late. But I was on it, and was soon in London.
I figured that things would be wasy now, as I was going home in 14 hours and what would go wrong in an airport?
However, when I went to pay him he announced that sorry, he had no change and I had to go down to the change area on the first floor. I looked al all my bags and I asked him where an elevator was. There was not way I could carry a 20kilo shrink wrapped bag AND all my other stuff and a giant pile of loose papers around the airport. He said that there was an elevator "over there". I went to where I deemed "Over there", but the elevator was being guarded by two armed security guards and they would not let me pass. I tried to talk to them but they were not talking and certianly not talking in English (or anything else but Hungarian). I ran back to the wrapping guy (who had my bag) and told him I could not go down the elevator and could I just ahve the change for the Euros in HUFs. He said that there was to be no mixing currencies.
I told him that I was in a hurry and had just 10 minutes to get to my check in desk.
He ignored me so I ran to the info desk and tried to get change there. The man at the info desk dod not know English and would not give me change. (I was not being an annoying tourist. The EURO is accepted around most of Hungary and many of the prices of things at the airport are listed ONLY in Euros) He said take the elevator, and by the way, did I know that my gate was in the OTHER terminal, which was, of course, in a building 10kms away.
Pause, look at watch, burst into tears. (what a good idea! I completely recommend it!)
And it worked! A confused-looking American came over and asked me how much money I needed. I told him that I needed 10 cents or I was not going to be ablo to get back to Canada. Nice man!
I threw the HUFs at the luggage man, grabbed my bag, got a cab, and tears were so dramatic that he ran a red light and drove in the bus lane (hey, it is Hungary. Maybe he does that anyway) and got me to the other terminal, just 4 minutes late. (10Euros! To change terminals! Has no one heard of a SHUTTLE BUS?). The counter was closed, but I looked so pathetic that they let me check in.
HOORAH!
The flight was, of course, almost 2 hours late. But I was on it, and was soon in London.
I figured that things would be wasy now, as I was going home in 14 hours and what would go wrong in an airport?
posted by Melamondiale @ 7:54 AM
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