How many hopeful lawyers does it take to book a flight to Hong Kong? Apparently, not enough.

Three of my law school friends, E, K, A, and I had, for the last three weeks, been planning on taking a trip to Hong Kong for the long Halloween weekend beginning October 28th. I had volunteered to book the flight via my mom's travel agent, looking for the best price together with Disneyland Tickets. The task seemed simple enough.

I called the agent, and gave her the details of our trip. She admitted that it would be a tight booking because it was peak season. She said she would do her best, and would call me as soon as she gets reservations. Two days later, she called and said that we had confirmed airplane seats and hotel accommodations for USD 580. I promptly called my three other travel buddies, and briefed them on the amounts and particulars of the trip. All three confirmed the next day, following negotiations with their parents. I then called the agent and said that we were taking the deal. I asked her about the billing procedures, and she said she would email me over the weekend.

Great, I thought. That wasn't so hard. I started to get excited.

Before the week ended, however, E, suggested that we ask the agency whether there would be a possibility of looking for a cheaper hotel to lower the price of our package. It seemed a fair enough inquiry, considering that we only planned to sleep in the hotel anyway; a fancy hotel was not of particular importance. And so that weekend, I dutifully called the agency, and since it was a Saturday, my mom's travel agent was not in the office. Instead, I was referred to one of her assistants. I conveyed the query, adding that, notwithstanding, we already had confirmed bookings for USD 580. She said she would get back to me on Monday.

So, that Monday, while I was having a quiet read at Starbucks in Glorrietta, the assistant called me to say that not only was it not possible to lower the price of our package, but that we had to pay more, because they had made a mistake in quoting us the correct price. Apparently, the USD 580 was for a lower-rated hotel, and if we wanted to stay in the hotel which we had earlier agreed to, we had to shell out a total of USD 630. I told her that the agency and I had already previously come to an agreement at USD 580 at the higher-classed hotel, and it was upon that representation that we agreed to confirm at that particular price. I explained to her that we were on a tight budget and that we had already negotiated with our parents for the money. Asking for more was somewhat difficult. And on my part, I told her that I was not about to call my three friends all over again and have another round of lengthy discussion-- an inconvenience on my part-- because of a mistake which they should be solely responsible for.

Furthermore, I got annoyed at the fact that if I had not called them earlier to inquire about the cheaper alternative, they would clearly not have told me about their error in prices. When, therefore, would they have told us: when they were already billing us for the trip, or when we were already boarding the damn flight?

Talking to my mom's agent later in the afternoon, she admitted that she had made a mistake at quoting us the proper price. She was willing to give us the package at USD 580, but that we had to be downgraded to a more modest hotel. Frankly, I didn't mind. . . . I really wanted to go to Hong Kong. But what really distressed me was the idea that I had to call my three other friends all over again and have to explain something which was already finalized and closed. . . . This was quite frustrating, and all because of some negligence in the handling of our account.

Well, to make a long story short, I decided to cancel the booking (out of disgust at how the agency had handled the account) following an assurance from E that he would be able to get a booking at a cheaper price-- USD 560. I told him that I washed my hands of the whole booking effort-- it was unnecessary stress during what should otherwise be a stress-free vacation. He understood and said that he would take care of it.

As it happened, however, the hotels in Hong Kong at about this time were very unpredictable, both as to price and as to vacancy. Thus, the guaranteed USD 560 was increased to around USD 590, and the bookings were somewhat iffy. E, therefore, hoping to seal the deal, opted to personally go to the agency with A and K. While going there, however, the three took a chance and made a walk-in with one of the agencies and were again guaranteed a booking at lower prices. They placed a reservation.

But fate would not smile kindly on the four hopeful travelers: the flights were full and the hotels were all occupied. While we would be able to leave for Hong Kong (at a much higher price than that advertised), the only available flights out meant that we would have to leave at 4 p.m. on the 28th and return on the morning of the 31st. We would effectively have only two whole days in Hong Kong, which was rather expensive for around USD 600.

And so, after another series of lengthy, if not somewhat exasperated and clearly disappointed text messages, we opted to call the trip off. We could get the hint. As they say, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." It was just too bad, because I had really, really been looking forward to going. And it wasn't because of Disneyland.

They say that Hong Kong harbor looks lovely this time of year.