So, I was accepted to the biggest confernece in my field (ongoing). Tickets and hotel cost over £1200, saved for over a year, plus travel grant, and this is in Eastern most East Asia.

Now, the story began on Sunday:

1. Sittin gon runway in Lodnon for 5 hours, deplaned.
2. Flight cancelled
3. Alarmed, book new flight via a differnt East Asian city
4. New flight lands in destination to see baggage missing in *another* East Asian city
5. Baggage had 2.5 metres by 1 metre poster plus USB with presentation for the first paper
6. Reach hotel to discover booking has tripped owing to delay
7. Make new booking to realise VISA card not working
8. Spend all cash to pay for last night
9. oversleep woith exhaustion and jet lag and reach conference late
10, Do a mediocre talk - first paper first day first panel
11. COlleague pays room fee at cheap hotel so can stay till end of conference
12. 12 dollars in hand, no ATM, no shop accepting card, no money
13. Cereal bars, muesli in baggage to eat till Saturday
14. A teaching application to submit by tomorrow
15. Phone malfunctioned and cannot make calls
16. NO MONEY. Most people speak no English
17. Was my first of this conference - its THE thing in our field, and gave my first mediocre talk.
18. The room had all the important people in my field, including editors if a book in which sup and I will write a chapter.


Good bits

1. Not spending money as intended in the cheap malls in this lovely Asian shopping destination (can you hear me cry?)

2. Supervisor (who is involved at teh highest levels of this conference) fished me out near the loo, and offered me money (she is wonderful) although I am still hesitating and considering eating muesli till Saturday

3. This too will pass

Wow, sorry to hear that. It's good that you can still see the positive in things. Like you said, this will pass. I hope the rest of the trip more than makes up for its beginning.
CB x

Sounds quite an adventure of sorts. Hopefully you look will back on it with a wry smile in years to come.

Oooo dying to know where you went, the most glamorous location I went to was Edinburgh (thanks to two major conferences I wanted to attend both being held at my own university grrrr....)

:) It's close to Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia, Ang Kor Wat etc (guess!).... next stop is Glasgow, then Dublin and Braga, then Ljubljana.

hehe! should try to preserve what remains of my anonymity!

Can your travel insurance help? Can you contact your bank re the visa card - I've had situations when I have been travelling and not informed my credit card co and so they block it but if you call them they can go through security questions and sort it. You can reverse the charges usually. That might at least get you some money to buy food if not teh full shopping experience.

oh Bug! what a nightmare!! I'd say take a loan from your sup if necessary, or is there food available at the conference? Surely they will have sandwiches and biscuits etc, just stuff yourself at that at least, and see if the organisers will let you use a phone to call the credit card company to find out what's going on with your visa.
I'm sure everyone will appreciate what a nightmare journey you had getting to the conference, at least when you are talking to people over the next few days they will see that you are bright and you can talk about your work still, it doesn't all rest on a talk. Has your luggage arrived yet at least?!

oh my, what an ordeal, Bug!
hope you are ok
love satchi

Sounds like a very difficult and frustrating situation, but you seem to be coping brilliantly! I guess it's character building, not that you need it.

Let us know when you're home and safe, and I hope things start to sort themselves out soon :-)

Nxx

omg it sounds like a bridget jones nightmare - make sure you pack your own bags on the way home!

Hope things look up before saturday!

I am wondering,
is there a curse on 2nd year PhD students presenting at Conefrences this month????

A friend of mine had similar problems (only she were in her country) and I had the problem with the computer virus and the deleted presentation.....

Flipping heck, that sounds awful!!! You poor thing :-( I agree about the card - could well be a hold put on it, they've done it to me before - the phone could possibly be the same, that happened to a friend... is it sorted yet Bug? swallow your pride and borrow the money, you deserve to at least eat! Please don't say its a curse, I'm waiting to hear if I have been accepted for a conference in Edinburgh - it would be my first where I'd be presenting and the last thing I need is a curse lmao!

I don't mean to make you paranoid but check that your money are safe in your account! Probably it is nothing important but I had a very bad experience in Europe with the ''not-working-card" trick a few years ago.

Poor Bug... This has been affecting her writing in perfection as well..:-( Good News! Some High street money transfer shops can dispatch... you up to 3000 bucks within minutes to any destination in the world. You do not need an account but just a reference number...

SO- you admit you are dispatcher?! this should cheer you up 'Bug

======= Date Modified 23 Jun 2010 12:59:27 =======

???what are you talking about. Dispatcher What? Are you feeling well Smug? Do not intercept my posts as this creates bad environment. I do not love you creeping in from nowhere and just for negative purposes. Go away smug..enough said already.