Day one

On the way to the airport in Tuticorin the road was very bad. Air Deccan called to say that the flight was advanced by half an hour. I was shocked, I had never heard about a flight being advanced but then Air Deccan is known to be different.

I told my cabbie to hurry up. He gave me a dirty look which said ‘Look at the road man, you want to hurry on this and break my gear box’. I sat down quietly. We reached the airport on time for the advanced take off.

It never happened even on time. The flight took of an hour late. I screamed at the lady who had called me. Her explanation ‘Most passengers come late so I thought this would help’. ‘What if I had an accident because I was speeding?’ She was not impressed.

Anyway reaching Chennai late, the Spicejet counter was closing. They refused to give me by boarding card. I pleaded that I had a flight to catch to New Zealand and waved the ticket at them. Luckily they did not look too closely at the ticket which was for the next day. They let me in.

Reaching Mumbai, the airport was crowded. Lots of people fly these days I thought. The next day I reached the International Airport at Sahar three hours early. My friends had warned me that flights are over booked and people who came in late would be left behind.

I checked in and got a window seat to Bangkok. The Singapore Airlines hostesses who passed that way looked like little beautiful dolls. I wished I had flown their airlines. But my thrifty agent had booked me on Thai as it was 2000/- rupees cheaper than Singapore Airlines.

The flight was full. It lasted four hours. There was no TV for me. ‘I cursed my agent’. They gave me only two drinks. The food wasn’t bad but nothing to rave about. Bangkok airport is very impressive.

We were standing in line for the Visa. One official came up to me and said ‘It is rude to wear slippers. Go and buy shoes from the duty free shops if you want a Visa’. He collected the passports of five of us and told us to collect it after we bought shoes.

I told the others to wait. ‘Slippers are worn by all people who come from hot countries. India and Thailand are hot countries. Why are you behaving like a salesman for the duty free shops’ I asked. The man was furious. He was joined by another indignant lady from the Visa office.

She wanted to know if this was my first visit to Thailand. I said ‘No!’. She said ‘I don’t believe you’. After looking through my passport she realized that I had not visited Thailand. Anyway I was not visiting their country and had no desire I told her. I was there because I flew Thai.

I told the man to keep my passport and I would appeal to the King whose posters are everywhere. The man gave up. But he got his revenge by keeping us waiting for three hours for our visa.

The hotel van was waiting for us at the entrance. The hotel was five star and fantastic. The receptionist told me that I had to pay for food as the Airline only paid for my stay. The room menu had massage on it. The massage was very good but expensive.

For lunch I checked the menu. There was nothing less than 850/- baths. The baht is 10% more expensive than the Indian rupee. I walked to the airport which was right opposite. Lunch cost me 30 bahts.

I went back to the Airport early as usual. Again I got my window seat. It helps to be early.  This was a 12 hour flight. Again they gave me only two drinks. Stingy airlines. The hostess explained that the passengers get drunk and misbehave.

Arleene is from the Philipines. She was going to New Zealand to find a job. She is a software Engineer. ‘I hope I find a new job if not I will have to go back in 3 months’. I told her to be positive. She already had a friend here with whom she was staying.

The flight finally landed. Immigration and customs were very friendly. Outside the airport there was no one to receive me. I called my friends office. The operator was very sympathetic. ‘All the way from India, and no one to receive you, Oh! Dear!’ I felt better.

I was smoking outside the terminal. An official told me that this was a no smoking area but I could smoke on the other side of the road. I was going to like this country.