Don't bother with Traveller's Cheques!!! - (Saturday 6th June)

We decided to go to the HIlton Hotel to change some more Travellers
Cheques today. Me, Mr Messy, Little Prince and baby set off in the
taxi arranged by the Guest House. We arrived at the plush HIlton
Hotel just as a wedding party was entering. The bridesmaids and male
attendants were dancing round the bride and groom, singing and
ululating and holding the bouquet above the bride's head. We made our
way round the bridal party and entered the hotel. As usual we were
ushered through without being searched or going through the security
check, but Ethiopian (ie black) people were being searched and sent
through the security scanner. Mr Messy has started to go through the
security scanner as a matter of principle, but even though he "beeps"
he is still not searched! We found the bank and went in and asked if
we could change Travellers Cheques - NO!! When we queried this they
sent us across the hallway to another bank, who were very apologetic
but their system was down and they couldn't change our cheques!!!
They suggested we visit the Sheraton Hotel, so we went outside to find
our driver and asked him to take us to the Sheraton. He wasn't
allowed to drive into the grounds and had to drop us at the gates, and
we walked down the pathway to the entrance. It was fairly surreal to
pass a British red telephone box and the security guards were wearing
English Police style helmets and the doorman was wearing a bowler hat.
We had to search around to find the bank,and eventually gave up and
asked the concierge who directed us straight there. We asked the bank
teller if we could change some Traveller's Cheques - Yes!! BUT and
its a BIG BUT!!! Only if we had a receipt that exactly matched the
format she showed us!!! Of course we had a different format and that
wasn't acceptable, by now baby was screaming for her bottle, Mr Messy
was stressed up to the eyeballs and everyone was fed up!! I tried to
demand to see the manager, but Mr Messy was too fed up and stressed to
try that and dragged me out and back to the car. We had spent about
an hour and a half in a boiling car and got, precisely NOWHERE!!! So
don't bother with travellers cheques, they can be convenient and
secure, but they can also be a royal pain in the arse!!!!