Arrival

The trip has not yet begun and gave me already a nerve-wracking rollercoaster like I have never experienced before. But from the beginning.
Friday 3 working days before departure, my visa agency informs me that my passport does not arrive as planned 2 days before departure because the Iranian consulate does not issue visas because of the elections on Friday. Good if Monday everything works the pass arrives by express on Tuesday. Anyone who orders last minute express visas can’t expect to have the pass several days before. Unpleasant but for me the issue was good for now.
Monday 2 days before departure. Nothing is happening. I pack my things together and realize that I have almost 10kg excess luggage. Actually no wonder, if brake discs, chain kit, 3 tubes and various other spare parts have to go into the luggage. With the additional costs of 40 € according to Aeroflot Homepage no big deal

Tuesday 1 day before departure a missed call from the Visa Agency. I had a sense of forboding. My friendly and endeavored Visa Agent tells me on the recall that due to an IT failure in the Iranian consulate my passport could not be processed on Monday. But he is doing everything today and needed the flight details to send me the passport directly to the airport. I talked to myself several times that this passport desk exists only because this happens regularly and works nevertheless I am nervous. My work colleagues are already joking you may like to come to work also tomorrow. Does not contribute to calming down but I would make the same jokes. At noon, I briefly think about picking up the ID card myself and then my visa agent calls again. Unfortunately my identity card is still in the Turkmen Consulat and can’t be processed today. BAM Drumbeat my resting puls is at least 150 beats. So phone service with the airline Aeroflot. My flight from Munich via Moscow to Ulaanbataar can only be booked on the 2.6. The famous justification the flight from Moscow to Ulaanbataar ist carried out by MIAT Mongolia. A rebooking to the daily complete Aeroflot flights from 25-28 May were seats are available is not possible. Cancellation costs € 300. The fill in to fly from Frankfurt and to pick up the passport before the visa agency failed also due to Aeroflots bureaucracy. My visa agent does not want to belive it and telephoned unsuccessful with Aeroflot, too. Conclusion I canceled the flight and informed my visa agency about the 415 € cancellation fees and refer to the sales they have already done with me in the past.
Wednesday planned departure day. On request, I am told by the Visa Agency that my passport is now available to me and the management would talk to me about the costs. Fantastic idea to call a customer who plans 6 weeks a journey mainly through regions in which he is cut off from the outside world. I’m already looking forward to the conversation which costs me horrendous telephone charges and ends most likely after a lot of whining with a zero number. We agree that I pick up the passport in Frankfurt and book a flight on Friday. My travel agency is no help to me on their homepage I can’t book the flight and over the hotline they referred me to the airline. After all, I am well advised by Olga. She tells me that I have to pay 150€ for the 10kg excess luggage. The explanation for the difference is obviously found in the small print of the homepage. She advises me to choose a flextarif in which I have for the same price two pieces of luggage a 23kg and the ticket is rebookable and fully refundable. After the experience before, I was immediately persuaded. My painstakingly packaged baggage is ripped again and my motorcycle equipment now fits into the additional quantity. Everything negatively has also a positive side, even if this is very very expensive comfort. Well, there are two more positive thoughts to hold. I can still visit a friend’s birthday and have a nice barbecue with other friends on Thursday.

Friday 4:30 I overslept. The hairdressing is canceled  just a shower, breakfast and right into the car. 8:45 I personally meet my visa agents and I do not know who was more lucky. He, because he really had my passport or I because I really could start. It doesn’t matter so I continued to the airport. It is still much too much time but rather waiting for departure with than without a passport. 14:05 goes the plane. The landing approach to Moscow starts at 18:10 the boarding for the connection flight starts at 18:20. An announcement in the airplane refers a gate change from 5 to 3. Fortunately, I asked an aerospace employee for the way. Otherwise, I would have learned too late that this terminal has no Gate 3 and Gate 5 is still correct. Not very surprising was her hint that I’m late but I made it in time.
Saturday still in the plane it got more and more obvious that the mosquito bite of Wednesday has been inflammed. I try desperately to place my leg so that the pain subsides but without success 5:50 the plane lands in Ulaanbataar. Short passport control, quickly take the luggage and finally arrive was in my head. After all, this has worked with the passport control but after the baggage carousel came to a standstill without my luggage, the tension was immediately maximal again. When the airport employees sent me to the “Lost and Found” desk, it was not really soothing. It was data recorded the luggage classed and then they explained that I should call Aeroflot tomorrow. Most likely my luggage will come in the next airplane. Admittedly, I can imagine quite well that it was not possible in the short time to load my luggage from one plane into the other, but why does no one tells that before? Good underpants once turn, the best hope and the toothbrush does not cost a fortune. My pulse calms down quickly again so gradually he has also routine. Outside, a Taxi driver tried to fool me with 20 dollars in the end he got converted 13 because he was so sympathetic to me. On the short walk between ATM and OASIS, I realized that the inflammation is slowly getting nasty. I can hardly stand on that foot and the 300m become a real agony. In any case, it was nice to arrive at the OASIS, even if nobody expect the watchman was awake and other staff was not present.