What I Bought at Popular BookFest 2010

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was at the Popular BookFest last Saturday and I went crazy looking at all the books on bargain. Here's what I bought:

For my love of history and travel:

Cathedrals and Castles: Building in the Middle Ages - RM10.32

The Forbidden City: Center of Imperial China - RM10.32

For my desire to become a cultured person:

A Brief History of Art - RM15.92

Great Painters - RM15.90

Van Gogh - RM15.92

For my new hobby that's growing in a small apartment balcony:

Practical Small Gardens - RM15.92 

Because I loved Dan Brown's previous novels I bought his latest work. And because an Asian writer, i.e. Aravind Adiga could win the Man Booker Prize award, I wanted to see what it's all about:

The Lost Symbol - RM25.90

The White Tiger - RM24.67

For the woman that I am:

 Eat, Pray, Love - RM25.90

And finally to complete my Malcolm Gladwell collection:

What the Dog Saw - RM23.90

Total damage was RM184.65, which I think is cheap considering the first 6 books at the top of this entry are all printed on glossy thick paper with extremely colourful pictures. Now I'll have lots to read during my trip to Syria and Jordan.

Tickets to Syria and Jordan Bought at Matta Fair

Yesterday I spent the entire day at Matta Fair and Popular BookFest. Both fairs were held in separate locations - Matta Fair at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Popular BookFest at KL Convention Centre. But thanks to a comprehensive public transport system in KL, travelling between both places was a breeze.

My aim at Matta Fair was to get the cheapest tickets I could find for my upcoming trip to Syria and Jordan. It's usually my practise to get 2 or more quotations before deciding to buy anything. So I enquired at Dhesu Travel & Tours, World Discovery Travel, Emirates counter and finally Triways Travel Network.

I went to Dhesu Travel & Tours simply because there were not many people at their counter. The reservation & ticketing agent was helpful. After telling her my travel dates and destinations, she told me Emirates has a promo fair of RM2,130. I noted it down, took her business card and said I'll return after browsing around.

The agent at World Discovery Travel was not helpful and the girl at the Emirates counter could not speak English properly. She thought I wanted to go to Manchester after I clearly said "Damascus". Finally she had to call another staff to attend to me.

I cannot comprehend anyone in the tourism industry who is unable to speak English properly. But maybe the dumb pussy is a temp staff specially employed during Matta Fair. And if that's the case, then Emirates is making a huge mistake. But anyway, the price quoted by Emirates including Triways Travel Network were rather expensive compared to Dhesu - all more than RM3,000. Moreover tickets were not available on my intended travel dates.

So I headed back to Dhesu and in the process of finalising my booking, I realised that the agent had got the destination wrong. She keyed-in Dammam in Saudi Arabia instead of Damascus in Syria. But can't blame her lah cause the code for Dammam is DMM and code for Damascus is DAM, only one letter difference. 

No wonder lah the price she quoted earlier was only RM2,130 cause it was to Dammam. I mean who goes to Saudi Arabia but the Arabs themselves. No wonder lah so cheap.

But I can imagine myself boarding a flight thinking I'm going to Syria and landing in Saudi Arabia instead, bang balls man ... It won't come to that lah, but it's worth imagining - part of travel risk management :-)

So all in all, it costs me RM2,623 for a return ticket (including RM30 agent fee and 1.5% credit card charges). When I say return ticket, it means entry via Damascus in Syria and exit via Amman in Jordan.

Now I can relax a bit cause buying flight tickets which is the most basic and fundamental task of planning any trip is completed. Now I just have to make sure my arse is on that plane when it takes off in the wee hours of 27 September.