Schipol and Ataturk

Gilly is sitting on the floor in Schipol Airport.

Fort the first day of a trip, is there anything better than spending hours after hours in some airports?

Technically, I spent quite some time in PET in Montréal, waiting for KLM flight to take off to the Netherlands. There, a three hours stopover awaited.

I knew Schipol for spending a short time there on my way to South Africa. But this time, I had to wait longer. And I can't say I appreciated it that much.

Of course, I applaud the fast passport control, if you consider staying in Europe. But for the rest...

First, the wi-fi, free for two 30 minutes sessions, can help kill some time. But when you have three hours to kill, it's not as useful. In the transit section where I was, it was hard to find a free seat to sit. Waiting rooms are locked behind some glass walls, at the gates themselves. So I did like so many others and I sat on the floor.

On the other hand, the marketing thing is pretty good. If you walk around looking for a chair, you might end up sitting in a restaurant, where you'll buy some food...

There is also security, very strict, which you have to go throught at the gate. Problem is they grab you everywhere, more than they need to, even if it is obvious the metal detector rang because you forgot some coins in your pockets.

Nothing to reassure the security guards, or maybe they did know they would be tested, false "terrorists" were standing just in front of me. They had forbidden objects in their luggage but seemed to be working as "mystery clients". They were spotted pretty fast.

Got to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul after that. Got there a little late, and once we walked off the plane, it was total confusion. The queue was very long.

Note that you might need a visa to visit Turkey. You can get it online, on the gouvernement website, or directly at the airport. There, all you need to do is pay the entrance fees to get a sticker. For Canadians, fees are high... 60 $ US.

After, everybody had to wait for passport control. The queue exceeded the gates made for that. It took two hours, after 10 hours on the plane, to get the stamp.

From there, we had to search for our luggage on the conveyor belt because the screens were not showing our flight anymore. By looking around, trying to spot other people from our flight, we finally found them.

After that long day, all that was left to do was to take the metro and the tram to the hostel. Useful and giving you discounts, the Istanbul Card, identical to the Octopus Card in Hong Kong or the Oyster Card in London, is a magnetic card you can charge and use in public transport. Only problem, the vending machine doesn't take the 50 turkish liras bills you get in the ATM's.

The Pesos Controversy

Even if you're back, you stored you backpack away, you pretend everything is ok, being back brings its share of problems. Some of them are really obvious.

The  "principal" problem until now is to change my cuban convertible pesos (CUC) and my argentinian pesos.

In fact, it seems like it's an impossible mission. I went to the only official currency exchange center in town. I was told that nobody would buy that money back because they are not supposed to leave the country where they were emitted. I was told they MUST buy them back at the airport of their respective countries.

About the cuban pesos, I was told that Canadians usually leave for Cuba and exchange their money at the airport when they get there. They do the same before they come back.

In my case, I tried right after I payed my exit tax of 25 CUC. In spite of the illuminated sign that gives the exchange rate for around ten currencies, the canadian dollar being one of them, they told me it was impossible to buy my CUC back.

I'm sorry. What? After having crossed the border, they said.

Same thing after crossing the border. The currency desk, which has no use from what I understood, refuses to exchange my money. What's the use of an exchange desk if they refuse to change the money?

Maybe I should have tried to get american dollars. But with the number of flights going to Toronto, it's inexplicable that they don't have canadian dollars.

Anyway, I advise you to get rid of your CUC as fast as possible before you leave Cuba. I, for one, an trying to sell them to people who intend to fly to Castro's country.

About the argentinian pesos, I found myself with too many of those after a guided tour I signed for was canceled. They gave me my money back a few hours before I left the country. So I couldn't spend it all. And I didn't think of changing them at the airport.

Again, when I got to Cuba, they refused to take my argentinian pesos. The same when I got to Toronto.

Again, I'm trying to sell those to some people who are planning on leaving for Argentina... Traveling friends are my only hope to get some of my  money back.

Services

To conclude, in the "problems" category, I realized that getting the phone, cell phone, cable, internet services back is not that easy. Even more after six months. Not only did I phone to remind everybody that they promised me I could get all the services back without having anything to do (had to call up to five times in a precise case), but I needed to fight to get a discount for the service I didn't get.

For example, I spent 52 minutes on the phone before they transfered me to the satisfaction department, before they finally agreed on giving me some money back.

After a long trip, if you haven't canceled all your services, plan on losing a lot of time on the phone while they tell you that your phone call is "important for them".

Karma and Airport

Helsinki

You know karma! You know how you say that when you spit in the wind, it's gonna come back on you... I like to believe the same principle applies to money you throw out of the windows. That one day, the wind is gonna bring it back, at least  part of it, in the house. We can always dream.

You remember that trip from Amman downtown to the airport, happy run that cost me 40 $JD because the driver didn't have change? Well, someone somewhere probably felt guilty I guess. Today, I went to Helsinki airport for free. Yes, free. Zero cent!

I had missed the bus I should have taken by 30 seconds. It just drove passed me while I was waiting to cross the street. Good news are the payment thing was broken. The driver decided it was free.

All in all, it means my taxi from Jordan now cost me 35 $JD. Still have to take three free buses and I'll find full satisfaction.

Airport

About the airport itself, it is well organized. We can print our boarding cards and luggage ID by ourselves. After, we could drop our luggage on the conveyer. The problem is that the place is too small and th queues are very long. But the idea is good.

On a security point of view, Finnish people installed two big tables where you can take your time to put your personnal belongings in the bins, before the queue. You take your computer out, liquids, take the belt off. When you're done, you go throught security. It keeps everybody from getting impatient behind the lady that forgot to take her perfume out of her purse and doesn't seem able to find it back.

The Helsinki airport also sells the best chocolate-cheese muffin with a chocolate truffle in the middle. Yeah, they cost a yearly income or something, because nothing is affordable when you take the plane. But it must be the value of the best muffins in the world.

In the end, I fly to Portugal in a couple of hours. According to my plans, if the brazilian consulate doesn't bother too much and accepts to give me an express visa, I would spend my birthday in one of the most southern point in Europe : Lagos or Sagres. With new sunglasses. Because I desintegrated, in spite of me, my authentic false Rayban, sunglasses number 4, I bought in Cambodia.

And if I have problems with the consulate? Options are still open. Argentina for sure. I was thinking of Peru, but a canadian governement alert says it's not a good idea. Bolivia wouldn't mind being a replacement destination. Only, the flights there are more expensive than from Rio, Buenos Aires or Lima.