The LONG way home

I said goodbye to Hanoi, slowly shrinking behind me, with a longing gaze towards the direction from which I was travelling. I know that seems quite insignificant, but I had just begin my official journey home. It would be the seventh time in two weeks I've passed through an immigration. Too many for my liking.  But if I'd known at that moment that within the next twleve hours, that number would increase to eleven, I might not have had such a bleak outlook toward going home.

Trouble always has to begin somewhere, and there was little sign of it until check-in at Hanoi Airport, where I suddenly found myself with no connecting flight home through Luala Lummpur.  Vietnam Airlines tried everything to rectify the matter before sending me on my way advising that I would likely have more success in Kulal Lumpur, where the real problem lay.

I found myself with no connecting flight home.

In Kuala Lumpur International Airport I head down the one way street nammed Immigration and for the first time in my life realise I am now well and truely stranded. I stand in the middle of the International Arrivals level and stare aimlessly while I soak up that little realisation. People rush passed me, accepting me as if I was a permanent fixture placed inconviniently in their path. What am I supposed to do next? Where do I go now?

One man brings me out of my dream of doom. He claims to be the official airport assistant - complete with ID tag and suit. Is that surprising? Well maybe not if he didn't shove them infront of my nose. But I was all too pleased to meet Tag regardless of his pparent quirks, so I rattle off my series of unfortunate events. Tag presents himself entirely at my disposal and is 100 percent focused on getting me out of this hellhole. A real ego booster, he is.

But he can only find flights to Melbourne on Malaysian Airlines. And I have just boycotted that airline. Too bad for me. Since every airline in KLIA has been vaporised or is on my black list, maybe there will be something from Singapore. Singapore is close by and Tag will help oranganise a bus there. I learn that the last one leaves at midnight, so I don't have that much time all of a sudden.

A plan gives me renewed hope that one day, I might make it home. In five minutes he returns to the computer I am now permenantly occupying and presents the ins and outs of getting to Singapore faster than I can complete one search on the Qantas website. Slow down, I still don't have a flight home yet.