The Start of the Saga

I am starting this blog because I will be travelling around quite a bit in the months to come and this seems a good way of recording and sharing my travel experiences and hopefully pics. This is my first attempt at 'blogging' so I hope to improve along the way and maybe upload a few photos.

On 23rd October I am going to India for 10 days or so. I say 'or so' because, to date, Saga (with whom I am going) do not seem to have decided my time or date of return from Delhi. More of that below....





My trip to India is with Saga Singles and is called 'The Land of the Maharajas' and I have no idea yet who my travelling companions will be. I posted a note on the Travel Section of 'Saga Zone' (what my daughters call 'Wrinkley's Facebook!) asking if anyone else was going on the same holiday as me and I had a response from a very nice lady from Aberdeen. We have been keeping in touch via emails and MSN messenger and I am looking forward to meeting her. The holiday covers 'the Golden Triangle' - 3 nights each in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. I am sure it will be stunning although I am already preparing myself for the terrible sights of poverty, animal cruelty etc. that I am sure to see.

Now for the return flight confusion .... Because I upgraded my flights it seemed someone made a **** up and there were no upgraded seats available on the planned flight home at 0330(!) on Sunday morning 2nd November. The Saga rep. who telephoned me to inform me of this told me I had two choices - either downgrade and fly home with the rest of the group, or keep my upgrade and fly home a day later at 1300. Ummm - difficult decision - fly home cattle class at 0330 or stay an extra night in a 5* hotel with an extra day in Delhi at Saga's expense and depart at a respectable hour. Needless to say it did not take me long to decide on the second option. I asked for written confirmation of this change of plan.

When it was not received after a couple of days I phoned Saga back and asked about it. The person to whom I spoke knew nothing of the changes as they were 'not on my screen'. After consulting various people she confirmed that, yes, I was flying home at 1300 on Monday 3rd November. Yipee!

But the 'saga' continues. When my e-ticket arrived yesterday (Saturday) the return flight shown was neither of the above, but 0330 on Monday 3rd November - ie not the original 0330 2nd November flight nor the nice 1300 one on 3rd November but the same godawful hour and just 24 hours later than the original flight. So back to the telephone to Saga, only to be told that the 'aviation office' is not open at weekends so would I please call back on Monday (tomorrow).

Oh yes - another Saga bluey. They are very good at looking after their clients and for long haul holidays they provide door-to-door personal transport from home to the airport and vice versa. I am being collected at the correct time on the outward journey, but the paperwork tells me that a car will be meeting me at Heathrow on 2nd November - ie meeting the original flight that I know I will not be on!!

So, I will call them tomorrow and hopefully get confirmation of my homeward flight, transportation to home and update this blog.

If you think you would like to follow my travels (assuming, of course, I get computer access occasionally and can keep this blog updated) please bookmark this page and check on it now and again.

This blog will continue throughout my Indian holiday and for my long three-and-a-half month marathon to New Zealand, Alaska and crossing the USA from Vancouver to Boston. I depart for New Zealand on 12th April next year and return at the end of July.