THE UPS AND DOWNS OF AIR TRAVEL

Many years ago, as a joke, my best friend presented me with a 5" x 9" notepad which was captioned "Bitchalittle".   I had forgotten all about it until I accidently came upon it the other day      If that stationery isn’t an expressive way to list your grievances,  I don’t know what is.  Speaking of grievances, I had been busy  between the blackjack, buffets, blogging and bridge (seems to be an alliteration of "b’s’)  and eventually settled down to arrange for our visas  and boy, did “Bitchalittle” rise to the occasion.

In the old days, passports were all you needed (plus your airline ticket).  No wonder WBF ‘foreigners’ recently were so much against holding an event in the U.S., because there was such carrying on.  Maybe it has to do with terrorism and all the new security measures.   Nothing like the ease of navigating in your own country.   I tried by following the USBF instructions,  but Bobby’s teammate, John Solodar, suggested doing it the lazy way and using an "agent" who specializes in such tedious exercises as Visas. He suggested one who seemed quite capable.  I made the call and this is what I was instructed to send:

1.   Current Passports (not lapsed) that had two free pages side by side.   Bobby barely made it the space qualification, but I had enough for a dozen adventures.

2.   A passport picture (2X2) and not a replica or other photograph of each of us — piece of cake (except their camera wasn’t working perfectly).   Half an hour for two
pictures.

3.  A copy of our driver’s licenses (easy).

4.  A copy of our entire airline travel tickets (thank god for computerized ticket replicas).

5.  A two-page VISA APPLICATION form (must be signed in blue) (?) which asks for everything from your mother’s maiden name, to the telephone number of the Brazilian
hotel (which I didn’t have). 

6.  A money order or cashier’s check made out to the travel service (for both of us including overnight return of the documents- but excluding our overnight cost) totaled $417.     About $427.50 total (and we haven’t even begun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

But wait – here’s the rub to bitchalittle more! 

When I presented my Master Card which I have always used for stamps, packages, etc., at the P.O., it wouldn’t accept it and a musical bell would sound each time I inserted it.    We did it five or six times and I thought the people in line were going to start dancing.  Finally, the brain surgeon who waited on me, asked "That is a debit card, isn’t?    "No, I only have a credit card."  SO …………….. I drove home (eight miles round trip) hit Bobby up for $417 CASH (putting up the other $10.75 for overnight service and acknowledgement of receipt for the the "whole megilla" ).    I was there so long, we are on a first-name basis.   I  had full entitlement to bitchalot for spending one day’s preparation to complete the task and rush it off.   It will be interesting to compare notes with others.   All the women will have their own stories, unless they were smart enough to turn the chore over to their husbands!  

There are several other issues to ponder regarding the world championships, but we’ll save it for another time.