What a night!

Arrived home last night from my recent trip to the US. Overall things on the trip went good. No flight delays to speak of, no major hassles of any kind, and only minor weather challenges. However, that last few miles were a bit different.

Normally when arriving by an international flight into India the airline provides ‘landing cards’ used for immigration and customs purposes while in flight, leaving you plenty of time to fill it out. However, on this night the airline had no landing cards on board, so that meant a mad dash to get to the immigration hall, find and fill out a card and get into the line. This same feat was being accomplished by all of the nearly 350 people on the flight, making for an interesting scene.

But wait, it gets better.

I passed through immigration with no trouble and headed downstairs to the baggage claim area. And I waited . . . . and waited . . . . and waited. By the time there were only about 20 of us left waiting for bags (out of the aforementioned nearly 350 people) I began to worry. There were no more bags coming out on the conveyor belt. Some of us were looking at each other as if to say ‘This can’t be good’. Finally more bags began appearing after some time, my two among them. Whew! That was scary.

But wait, it gets better.

I passed through customs without so much as a glance from the customs agent, and headed outside to find my requested taxi driver, who I expected to be standing with a sign with my name on it. No such luck. No one with my name, and no one looking for me either.

I headed over to the pre-paid taxi stand, only to find the poor chap inside dead asleep on the floor of his office. I almost felt bad waking him up to do the job for which he was being paid. I told him where I wanted to go, paid the fare and collected my receipt. Shortly after that a young man began escorting me to his waiting car to take me to my appointed destination – home.

We loaded the two bags into the trunk of the car and I climbed in. The driver climbed into his seat, and then began shouting out the window. A few other young men, seeming to know just what was needed, took up positions behind the car, and started pushing. Yes, pushing. Apparently the starter on the car was not working, so the good old bump start method was being employed.

After pushing the car up and down the taxi lane a few times, with me sitting in the back seat the whole time, they concluded the only way this was going to work is to take a second car and push the car faster. So, off one of them went to find a suitable car.

But wait, it gets better.

While sitting waiting for the push car to arrive, all the while blocking the whole taxi lane with our incapacitated vehicle, I saw in front of me an accident involving two cars that simply were not paying attention. This happened directly in front of the car I was sitting in. The two drivers got out and began the dance of determining who was at fault, lightly assaulting each other, and attracting a growing crowd.

About this time, the push car arrives. However, due to the crowd of gawkers, we can now not go anywhere. After a few minutes the driver gets impatient and begins honking persistently, trying to part the crowd with his horn. The push car gives us a nudge, and we begin rolling.

After proceeding a few hundred feet thanks to the propulsion from the push car, the driver pops the clutch and our chariot comes to life. Of course, he did not wait for the push car to back off before doing this, so the jolt of the clutch being released caused the push car to slam that much harder into the back of our car. Not sure how much damage was done to either car, but neither driver was in the least bit worried.

After arriving home, most of the drive being spent with no headlights on (not easy to do at nearly 3 am), I unloaded my things, and gave the driver a small tip. He was not happy with the amount, but I told him that for all he put me through, he was lucky to be getting that much. Next time, fix your car right and you will get a bigger tip. Of course that only made me feel better as he likely did not understand any of that part.

But wait, it gets better.

Finally, I am home. A moment I have waited for for over two weeks. I move my bags near the elevator, only to be told by the watchman that the lift is not working tonight. What?? You must be kidding. Now I am faced with a 6 storey hike with two 50 pound suitcases and a 25 pound carry on bag. Not my idea of a good ending to my journey, especially considering the events of the last two hours. Thankfully my wife offered to come down and carry one of the bags for me, making my trip up possible in only one trip.

So, at long last, home, with all my bags. Tomorrow will be a fun morning watching my wife and kids open up the bags with all the goodies inside for them.