(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

Does this post seem somewhat late,
Consid’ring my vacation dates?
There’s more at work than mere jet lag
Or waiting for a missing bag,
Arriving at my first hotel,
I soon found out not all was well:
My lanyard pouch was left ajar,
My passport lost! I’d traveled far.
It must have fallen on the ground.
I checked the airport lost-and-found,
To no avail. At least I’d brought
My visa letter; I would not
Be turned away but spend the night
At that hotel, tho all affright.
To make things worse, it’s hard to get
Good service in the week of Tet
In Vietnam: The embassy
And consulate were closed to me.
My tour involved domestic flights,
But once I took the bus all night.
Mercifully, some kindly sort
Did submit my pass-a-port.
The bad news: I was in Hanoi;
It had to ship from Saigon. Oy!
I’d have to spend another day
Or two before I flew away,
And when I did, the different route
Was many hours longer. Shoot!
I paid a lot for one mistake.
The thought can cause my head to shake.
Some ten if-onlys fill my head
Whenever I reflect. That said,
I try to see the brighter side.
For instance, what a nice bus ride.
It made a conversation piece
With others on the tour at least.
I also got to visit two
More countries’ airports; that was new.
The trip had felt a little brief;
A longer stay meant some relief.
Despite the waits, I felt less bored.
The prices, I could still afford.
A different airline would provide
More shows and movies on my ride.
In short, I’d say I’m almost glad
I made an error just so bad.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

This poem is hilarious, though I suppose it was more annoying and more than a little scary at the time.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Indeed. I can add more details to add to the humor:

1. When I went for a police report, the police were rather picky, wanting to know exactly where I lost the passport, even tho I couldn't say with confidence. They don't concern themselves with losses outside their jurisdiction. Not wanting to deal with the airport vicinity, my trip manager and hotel staff advised me to lie about where I lost it. I had felt nervous enough; now I was a foreigner in a communist country lying to the police! Fortunately, they appeared to believe me, probably because they'd expect me to act nervous anyway.

2. When I picked up my passport, the embassy required me to turn in my phone and driver's license at the entrance. When I was leaving, they handed me first the wrong phone, then the right phone without my license. They looked again and said it wasn't there. I insisted on a third search, which did turn it up. Imagine how annoying it would be if I regained one ID but lost another due to staff incompetence.

3. The day I got back to the U.S., I lost my laundry card and thought, "This is getting old." Thankfully, I found it before I could add any money to a new card.