Bedlam
Old Age Pensioners Abandoned in Jerusalem by Thomson Holiday Tour Guide
A trip to the Holy Land. Wonderful.
We were on vacation in Cyprus in the Hotel Avanti, Paphos, and fancied a tour of Egypt to celebrate a big birthday. However, the political tension and rioting put us off.
Instead, although we were not with them, the Thomson Holiday rep, Jodi, said they could offer a 24 hour trip to Israel to Jerusalem, to the Holy Land.
We jumped at the chance. We expected the experience to be incredible. What we didn’t expect, was the constant stream of politically-biased crap from the Israeli Thomson Tour Guide; and worse, to be abandoned by him.
His name was Shadi. For some reason the Thomson Holiday Tour Guide in Israel was of Arab descent. He made political remarks throughout the coach trip, and was more interested in taking us to shops (where he perhaps took back-handers) than to the Holy Sites of Jerusalem.
He did eventually take us around some sites; then after showing us the place of the Last Supper, indicated where the toilets were.
My wife and I took advantage of the comfort break, but when we came out, the whole party had disappeared.
We were lost in the middle of Jerusalem - abandoned by the Thomson Tour Guide called Shadi.
Abandoned by Thomson Holiday Tour Guide
The Thomson guide had moved away without checking that everyone was present. He apparently expected the other tourists to do this job for him. But the blame was all his. The Thomson Holiday guide, Shadi, abandoned us in the middle of Jerusalem.
We had no idea what to do, or where to go. We dashed hither and thither to see if there were signs of the party but there was nothing. Panic set in.
It was a terrifying experience. Our valuables - including passports were stowed on the coach on his advice - but we had no idea where the coach was.
We were forsaken, deserted without documents; pensioners abandoned in a foreign country. It was a thing of nightmares.
What should have been a special birthday celebration had become a confusion of deliria.
It had been a 2am start, a long coach trip, a flight to Tel Aviv, and another coach trip. We were tired, bewildered, had no idea what to do or where to go, and were out of our minds with worry.
Eventually, a Polynesian tour guide took pity on us, and came to our aid. She phoned relentlessly, until in the end, by some magical means, she located who had left us, and arranged where we should be picked up. This lady became our saviour.
Thank you to that wonderful Angel of Mercy from Polynesia. I wish her well. I wish all the shit of the world on the head of the Thomson Tour Guide.
On our repatriation with the coach, the Thomson guide ignored us, and offered no apology, no explanation, no justification, even though we had been scared out of our minds, and had also missed a number of important Holy Sites that we had paid a lot of money to see. Shadi, you are a shit of a man.
What can be learned
from being abandoned by the Thomson Tour Guide
- When on tour, never let your passport out of your person no matter what the guide tells you.
- Always know the phone number of your guide, or someone who might be of help
- Always note the name and licence-plate of the coach you are on
- Never go to the toilet. If you really must take a toilet break, make sure someone in the group knows.
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