Thursday, February 20, 2014

St. Louis Despatch No 1



St. Louis Despatch No 1. ( 09 February 2014)

Preamble- This blog (& others to follow… ) is dedicated to the handful of well-wishers, friends & critics, who actually read my previous efforts & whose suggestions I dared to trash…& continued to write on!!

Westward Ho!
And so it was time to pack ones bags & head in the general direction of America, but quite the opposite in terms of the directions, vis-à-vis Chris Columbus & his ilk. To begin with, don’t get talked/read into believing the changes that have been made to Mumbai Airport, or CSIA as it is now called. If the  exterior of the terminal  resembles a waiting room at a railway/bus station, the immigration is worse!  Sheer  tenacity of mind matched with  a will to get out, come what may, gives the multitude there, the patience to bear  it all.
The Carrier in question lived up to my expectations, as fuelled by the better half’s report,(who has been there 2 months now!)  on cleanliness, food (quality & frequency) & of course the ‘hoors’ . That  mystique that has been associated with the (face behind the)veil since the time of Sindbad, continues to date & before the dream is shattered, you have arrived in the land of  oil & money ( earlier milk & honey!)
Of course, surprises never cease & for a moment I thought that we had turned back & landed at Mum…CSIA. Barring an odd local face, most of the staff there were from good ole India! What a relief to be met by Sudhakaran !  I was also convinced, as I had  been in the past, that human effort/actions can never, never be replaced by all the gizmos you can come up with. Here was this guy, holding up a paper with Chicago & Washington written on it, and hollering away to herd us into one corner! O God, this is a modern day slave market thought I, & images of Emirs/Sheikhs looking over the well fed types &  putting up a finger (or more, in token of the price of the slave!!), flashed before my eyes.
This was a new thing introduced, that  all hopefuls  flying to the land of opportunities, would be put through a screening procedure not once, but twice, (so as to deter them from taking the trip again…or so I thought).  The US Govt has now started the process of customs, immigration etc. at selected transit airports.
 I also got an insight into a possible reason why guys from this area are so good at long distance running.  Because once we were assembled, our ‘shepherd’  took us at breakneck speed, on  unending  laps of the terminal, through overhead and underground passages, on modern day ‘flying carpets’ ( some people call them walkways), to the final destination, a few Kms away.  After the 1st  security check , we went through another maze, made ‘mazier’ (is there any such word?) by the Duty Free displays till we came to another enclosure, more checks, screening & on to the Imm counter.
Having answered all the questions of Why? Where?  & How long? correctly, I was officially allowed to enter US space,  & told to move on to  wait at the  boarding gate. We were literally ‘gated’ because this level being bereft  of  coffee/snack counters, Rest Rooms, one had to descend to  the lower level, (where these facilities were) which meant depositing  the boarding pass, frisking, getting back the pass, more frisking!!      
If this part of the narrative seems a bit exhaustive (in terms of description, not the physical condition!!), it’s sole purpose is to acquaint the ignorant with what  lies in store (Que Sera Sera!)
The new system of Imm etc. has  it’s own pitfalls. And since pitfalls are something you fall into because you haven’t seen them, we too didn’t know what happened, but there was a delay of over an hour & a half, before we really took off.  Of course, there’s always a humorous side to such situations & so a wise guy (smart aleck) made a sweeping remark that the “the  ‘plane will make up “ the lost time!! (which even trains have given up!)
Time to rewind .‘flash-back’. Remember my Niagara blog (circa ’11) & the ‘aunty’ from Valsad  trying to slowly (read ‘slyly’) maneuver her granddaughter  into the vantage point, I had seized, on the ‘Maid of the Mist”!! Well,  here, to my surprise,  I found  that my seat had been usurped   (in the best of India’s historical tradition, which continues today) by  a kid, whose father, born just a few years after me,  gave me that look (oh, my family has got separated!!) & requested “uncleji”  to adjust please. My 2 preconditions were either an aisle  or a window seat, or nothing!   (At least I tried the tough Joe act!)
The flight was very good, smooth, just a little  turbulence over the Dead Sea , good food, the works.  There was one thing though, that was  puzzling. The aircraft took a flight path that went across from Abu Dhabi, over  the Gulf, most of  SW Europe, Great Britain & then over southern  Greenland & then onto Canada, US (Chicago), rather than a more direct path across the Atlantic. Stealth & surprise!!   Anyway, all other comforts (& diversions  apart), 15 hours of air travel is not really my cup of tea! There’s one thing I noticed though; just when you were recovering from a bout of sleep/deep slumber/stupor, the angels galvanized into action & came up with some heavenly treats! Tremendous  timing.
Finally, some  parts the land of opportunities, (although shrouded in snow) came into view, and I was engulfed in  a feeling of  nostalgia. However, while getting off, I couldn’t help but notice that  the effects of the turbulence I mentioned earlier, was  evident, considering the blankets, earphones, glasses etc. were strewn all over the ‘craft!  When, O when will we learn!?!
 It was as though I was here not too long back & soon found   myself  at the baggage claim area. The flip side of an early or an e check-in shows itself at this point, where your baggage is the last one to arrive!  So either way, there is a long wait. Take your pick.
Almost an hour to receive the baggage, but fortunately, all  Imm  formalities having been done earlier, the exit was faster, aided by the family (Wife , daughter, SIL). The warmth of being received was inversely proportional to the cold weather & chilly winds!  I was home!!
Till then, TC  you all…
Ashok
P.S. In deference to the warning of No photos at the airport, this piece cannot be made more colourful.
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