From Peacock to Feather Duster
I'm using her slogan for our problem
11.03.2019 - 11.03.2019 88 °F
B4 often says about things well planned that collapse, "You can start as a Peacock and come out as a Feather Duster, or vice versa." She is saying you could be doing great and then things go south. We are south.
Up early, packed early, fed early, ready to go, set to go, gone to the airport. Our Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur is not listed on the departures board. We have no boarding pass so we cannot go inside the airport to the ticket counter to inquire but Jet Airways has a customer relations station out on the driveway island. We queue up and are told that our flight has been cancelled. "When?" On February 26. Today is March 11. Back on February 26, I was vacationing in Mexico.
Why were we not notified? "That's your travel agents job." Our travel agent, Sandeep Bathija - Destination Globe, booked the flight and accepted payment from us for the flight. However, Destination Globe did not notify us.
So, we stand on the sidewalk. Were it not for Aashish, I don't know what we would be doing at this juncture. Aashish, so valuable to us during this journey comes through again. He gets us rebooked on a later flight; Unfortunately much later. He gets us boarding passes. He helps us to notify our Jaipur hotel.
We enter the airport, search for the JetAir (that's 9w) business class counter, can't find it, still can't find it, and then finally do find it. They tell us that we can't check in because we are too early. We explain that we are not early; we are on time, IF the flight had not been cancelled. "Can't you help us," I ask. "We didn't cancel the flight."
Oh, yes. They can help. But, "You cannot use the business class lounge because the time to use it is limited to three hours prior to the flight and since you are on a later flight, you are ahead of the three hour time limit." Really? Fortunately for us, we are, courtesy of credit card issuers to travelers such as us, members of a thing called Priority Pass. The lounge accepts Priority Pass cards. But, when we present the card, we are told again about the three hour limit. A nice man in a suit comes up from behind and reminds the receptionist that we have business class tickets which allows for three hours and Priority Pass membership which allows for three more hours and suggests that should be quite enough.
After much pondering it is decided that is enough and we are admitted.
Instead of 2:05pm to Jaipur we are scheduled for 6:55 to Jaipur. Instead of arriving at 4:00pm and heading off for our specialty hotel stay and a specially arranged 6:30pm dinner for B4, we will arrive at the airport at 8:50pm, at the hotel around 10:00--too late for a dinner of any sort. Since we are being picked up at 8:30 tomorrow morning for the long drive to our next hotel, the luxury experience at the Rambagh Palace is wasted. Thanks, JetAir.
B4's peacock? Feather Duster. Thanks, Destination Globe for the heads up.
What are we missing out on? Built in 1835, the Rambagh Palace was, before becoming a Taj Hotel, populated by maharajas outside the walls of India’s “pink city” of Jaipur. Described as holding a “unique character that is quintessentially Rajput”, is the gateway to all of Rajasthan—a place across which, in late December, 2011, I spent a week aboard train known as “The Palace on Wheels,” and rode an elephant piloted by a “mamout” to The Amber Fort. The word Rajput refers to “the son of a king” but here that includes any of about 12 million landowners of multiple clans, mostly Hindu but with a significant minority of Muslims as well. There are many more poverty dwellers here than sons of kings.
In 2011, I wrote these words in my blog: “In its day, Jaipur was described as the best planned city in the entire world. The Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded this, “the Pink City” in 1727. By law here, there is but one color to paint your house.” That was eight years ago.
As for the hotel—where Jacqueline Kennedy once stayed but I have not—it is described as a royal experience. There are 79 rooms or suites: three “Grand Royal Suites,” five “Royal Suites,” 23 “Historical Suites,” 41 “Palace Rooms,” and five “Luxury Rooms.” We have a Palace Room. We will sleep in it.
For an in-depth look, view one or more of the thirteen videos posted on YouTube by searching, “Rambagh Palace Jaipur.”
Many if not most of those who asked about our plan after the wedding remarked, upon hearing that we were spending time at the Rambagh Palace, “Oh, you’ll love that place. It is amazing.” What they didn't know was the definition of "time." Again, thanks Destination Globe.
I fear I may be too subtle in my writing here. I am highly displeased with Destination Globe and only slightly less so with Jet Air.
Now that I have levied criticism upon Destination Globe and Jet Air, let me take some blame for myself. I certainly could have re-confirmed this flight, much as I did every flight I took--twenty years ago when that was necessary. But, this is India. I should have thought about it; I should have known, I should have acted on my instinct. I am now "shoulding" all over myself because, truth be told, I am ultimately to blame.
To paraphrase Jimmy (not Warren) Buffet:
Wasted away again in Mumbai Airportville
Searchin' for my long cancelled flight
Some people claim that there's an agent to blame
But I know, it's my own damn fault
Yes, and some people claim that there's a agent to blame
And I know it's my own damn fault
They should change the logo at the lounge (did you see it in the picture above?) from a Peacock to a Feather Duster. That's what I am.
