Wednesday 7^th August, 2019 2000

I really should stop travelling.

The first thing to go wrong was when we tried to buy train tickets to the airport on the 1533 train. Despite what the internet told me, that train doesn't stop at Lanzhou West and leaves from Lanzhou Central only. Next train was 1718. So, instant foul mood for me.

Eventually we got to the airport, tired and hungry and (I know!) looking forward to a BK Whopper apiece. Except Burger King in the airport has closed down! Eventually we settled for McDonald's, a poor second. Could anything else go wrong today?

Taxi to our overnight hotel, we arrived I think amidst an influx and efflux of Chinese tour packages and the bedlam reminded me of an Egyptian train station. By now I was mightily pissed off and as today was 33C all I wanted was a room, bed and airconditioning. I had already jokingly suggested to Alice that our train would be delayed and later that it would be just my luck for Burger King to have disappeared.

As we queued I opined that it would really make my day if now we found they had no record of my booking of a room.

Oh, you guessed it! No, no, no no!! I have the booking number and if you give me the wifi password I will show you the confirmation! Don't bother, they said, we don't have it. Cancel the booking and make another now. Same price? 298 yuan? Yes. We have now paid for the return next Thursday as well because I won't be in the mood at nearly midnight to argue and both bookings have now been cancelled with Booking.com. To be fair it is the first time I have encountered problems using them but at the end of a day that went so horribly wrong I just didn't need it. Afterwards Alice told me “I hate your mouth!” I said what do you mean? “Everything bad you said today came true!”

And she was of course, right.

The Budd travel curse returns with a vengeance. That's three at once so hopefully there will be no more this journey.