The journey so far :-
Friday 30th
Woke up at 5:00 AM, picked up by my friend Anna (thanks !) at six, and arrived at the airport just after seven. Got talking to a Canadian trucker in the smoking area who wanted me to go for a beer with him - at 8:00 AM ! Now I have been known to indulge a bit, but that was pushing it. Had breakfast and boarded the plane at c. 10:30. Flight went very smoothly - read "The Alchemist", listened to Television's "The Blow Up", and played on the PSP. Virgin food was horrid as usual but I survived !
Landed c. 14:15 US time. Had a lot of hassle finding the pickup for the hotel as there was no Virgin rep there to guide us. One for "AngryEric.com" when I get that set up. Eventually got to the hotel - breathtaking drive over the Potomac River. Got to my room, unpacked, and went out for a walk and to buy some beers and a snack. Back to the hotel to use the PC to email my new sweetheart - had to pay using a credit card (AngryEric note no. 2), which had ramifications which I shall return to. Then went upstairs, played on my PSP (ineptly - London FC have failed to qualify from their Champs League group) and read, drank, and ate. Bed c. 2200.
Saturday 31st
Woke up at six am and had a bath. Nicely relaxed and looking forward to breakfast, so I just felt my coat pocket to check I'd got my wallet...nothing there ! No problem - must have put it in my rucksack. Not there either. I knew I'd used my credit card the previous evening for the PC, and hadn't been out of the hotel except to have a couple of cigs. So what happened ? By now my new-found peace was starting to erode rapidly. I ransacked the room, checked downstairs that nothing had been handed in, and re-checked the room. I finally had to admit that I'd lost my wallet.
I've had a few "oh shit !" moments in my life but this was heavy excrement indeed. No wallet means no credit cards (making you a social outcast in the US) and no driving license, so no car rental as I had planned in San Francisco. At least I'd got enought cash to get me through, plus all my vouchers, air tickets, and passport.
There now began the task of ringing HSBC, Amazon, the police, Mastercard international, my Travel Insurer, Virgin (re the car hire which I'd already paid for), and the British Embassy. I then went to the HSBC branch to get some more cash. This took all morning and, although everything is now sorted and a replacement Credit Card is being sent to the hotel tonight (without it I cannot check in to my next hotel in New York), it was an unbelievably frustrating process. Here's a few of the "AngryEric" points :-
1. All the IVRs expected you to know your account numbers. Having recently had new cards due to my divorce I haven't memorised them yet.
2. You were kept waiting in the same queues as everyone else, despite the obviously stressful situation.
3. I kept getting handed across from person to person - more frustration, time, and money !
4. Many of the people dealing with me could not understand an English accent and had no idea about English geography. I get so fed up of saying "T for Tommy, A for Andrew, N for Nigel, S for sugar etc. etc.". Mastercard International had no idea what or where "West Sussex" is, and the mention of "BTInternet.com" on my email address really baffled them. I eventually said "it stands for British Telecom - you might have heard of them since you probably lease their WAN lines for your offshoring arrangement". I don't want to be racist and I know the people handling the calls are doing their best, but in a situation like this you don't need to have to keep repeating yourself and taking ages over the simple act of giving them your details.
5. Travel Insurance - I urge anyone reading this never to buy from MORE TH>N, and I speak as someone who worked there 30 years. I had already pre-paid for the hire car in Frisco, yet MORE TH>N informed me that, in the event of me having to cancel it due to the lack of a Driving License, this would not be covered by the policy (Virgin wouldn't refund it either, referring me to my insurer). I paid for the top rate "Premium" class of cover, and nowhere was it clearly highlighted in the Policy literature that this was excluded. I know the ropes regarding insurance and that insurance companies must make any exclusions crystal-clear, so I shall right to their UK CEO - a personal friend of mine - when I get home. (Fortunately Virgin are arranging direct with Alamo for me to be able to pick up the car).
6. There was no-one willing to take on any tasks for me - I had to pursue every strand of this myself. I pay money to Virgin for them to look after me while on a Virgin Package Holiday and they didn't do so.
So lots of "AngryEric.com" material there ! After that however my mood improved rapidly as I walked down Mass. Avenue and 16th Street past all the foreign embassies. I then reached the White House and paused to reflect upon all the great men who had served there. American politicians - even Reagan, who is under-rated in my view - are of a quality way above our cynical mingy bunch. Michelle Obama makes "SamCam" look like the lightweight she is. I then walked down the Mall past the Smithsonian museums to the Capitol. By now tears of joy were in my eyes - this is such an awesome country and I'd always dreamed of being here ever since I watched all the stuff about JFK's assassination as a 6 year-old in 1963. I walked right up to the Capitol building and felt humbled. All the garbage from last year seems behind me now and I can relax and enjoy life again. It felt like the culmination of a particular sequence of events bringing peace and resolution to me here at the most important building on the planet.
(I bought a "no to circumcision" t-shirt, having chatted with some ladies by the Capitol who were protesting about this vile practice).
I then had one of those awesome moments which happen a few times in life. I was sitting at the edge of the Reflecting Pool in front of the Capitol finishing a book called "The Alchemist", which is one of the most profound books I have ever read. While very biblical, it showed me that spiritual truth cannot be structured, organised, and packaged up into a church and a theology. There is one Truth/God but many, many paths towards it. Having left the church a few years ago I now know exactly why it was right to do so. Reading this book and understanding these things while fulfilling a lifetime dream by being here was very deep, intense, and beautiful.
End of cosmic bit - came back to hotel, played PSP, then beers, supper, reading, and bed.
April 1st
Had a filling US breakfast and then came out to Woodley Park Zoo Metro station. There I met a young girl called Anne who was travelling into Washington for a casting session for a re-make of "House Of Cards". She had a degree in Clinical Psychology and was now looking to branch out. We talked about phones, counselling, relationships, films, and music - all in 20 minutes ! Only in America do you get this. The English, and men in particular, are such stuffed shirts. I hope my daughter doesn't marry an Englishman.
So now I'm here writing. Plan now is to go to the Smithsonian Space / Aircraft museum. New York tomorrow !
No comments:
Post a Comment