It took the travel agent 3 hours to come to the incorrect conclusion that there are no international airports in Sumatra and, er, not come up with any alternatives.

He didn’t want to believe me when I showed him documentary evidence that there are four international airports there (Batam, Pekanbaru, Medan and Padan). Even if there weren’t, he should have been able to see that Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are very near. (You can get by boat from Singapore to Pekanbaru in a couple of hours!)

So now I’ve spelt out the options for him and told him it’s his job to find prices and availability for all of them (not just the one I prefer), I’m to come back tomorrow. I think I’ll be better off going to Madurai or even back to Goa and finding a Thomas Cook.

Gaah!