Repatriation

I went thru a lot just to get my father's remains repatriated home. Yesterday, I spent almost the whole day at the bank trying to find better ways to remit funds over to the funeral house that held my dad's remains in Venice.

Being non Asian, they insisted that all payment be received before they repatriated the body. Then I find out that a Telegraph Transfer takes 2-3 days! SO I scrambled to see what other options there were.

I checked out Western Union. Wow.. this was some kinda chettiah like fund transfer. Maximum USD2,500. But you cannot transfer to a bank account. You transfer to a person. And in the form, you actually have to decribe the guy's physical appearance. Cheem!

I explored topping up my brother's credit card (he's there with my mom) and asking my bro to withdraw. But even tho I put in enuff funds, any withdrawal will incur cash advance charges..

So it was down to Telegraph Transfer, then I find out that the undertaker had not furnished certain details.. so again it was another scramble.

Thank god for technology, just before the bank closed at 4pm, Venice woke up, and the undertaker (not the WWF guy) found me online on google talk! Thank god for the blackberry too!

So in the end, online, with me using the blackberry (this is not an advertisement), the undertaker decided on good faith to repatriate my father's remains. He arrives on Wed next week and the wake will be in Malacca...