I am traveling from Bangalore up to the
Himalayan hill station of Darjeeling today to spend a long weekend wandering
among the tea plantations and hopefully gazing upon a portion of the Himalayas.
Darjeeling is at the top (north) end of the Indian state of West Bengal and
sits at about 7000 feet above sea level. I have a flight departing from
Bangalore at 6:40am arriving into Delhi at 9:55am. My connecting flight leaves
Delhi at 10:30am (tight, I know!) stopping first in Guwahati before heading on
to Bagdogra with a scheduled arrival time of 2:20pm. I have arranged through
the hotel for a car to pick me up at the Bagdogra airport and drive me the
final 85km (50mi) to Darjeeling. The plan certainly looks good on paper. . .at least it seems to. . .but this is the Subcontinent. . .so. . .
[all times listed are India Standard Time]
4:10a.m.
The alarm goes off. My
first thought of the new day (and not for the first time on my intra-India travels): Why must they schedule these flights so
early. . ?
4:15a.m.
The
prearranged-by-my-employer driver calls and tells me he's downstairs. He is
scheduled to pick me up at 4:45am. He's early, but at least he's here. I thank him for letting me know he is here and tell him I'll be down in 20 or 30 minutes.
4:45a.m.
We leave for the airport,
which is about an hour’s drive from where I am staying.
5:40a.m.
We arrive at the airport.
The first leg of the journey is complete. . .without incident.
5:44a.m.
Per standard operating procedure I present my passport for
identification and a copy of my flight itinerary to the armed guard at the airport entrance.
My papers are deemed to be in order and I am allowed inside.
5:47a.m.
The check-in line is very short this
morning so I choose that option over the self-check-in computer kiosk option.
5:50a.m.
My turn. I present my passport and flight itinerary to
the airline representative.
5:51a.m.
I am told that my flight to Delhi has
been cancelled. They choose not to give me a reason. I choose not to ask, as it
doesn’t really matter at this point and it could only waste otherwise-valuable time. OK. . .no need to panic. . .there are
generally a number of flights from Bangalore to Delhi. . .
5:52a.m.
I am told that the next available
flight to Delhi is on another airline and it leaves at 7:25am. I ask if that
flight will get me into Delhi in time to make my connecting flight to
Guwahati/Bagdogra. I am told that I will still make that connecting flight. To
be even more helpful, the airline representative tells me that my flight from
Delhi to Guwahati/Bagdogra will leave from Delhi’s terminal 1B. She even writes
it on my itinerary so I won't forget. I think both of us are hoping this saves
me a few minutes at the Delhi airport. I am handed over to another airline representative and I am asked to wait while he goes somewhere else to make the new flight
arrangements. Why does he need to go somewhere else. . .Why can't they just do whatever
it is they need to do right here. . ? Strange. . .
6:00a.m.
The airline rep returns with just a
copy of an itinerary for the other airline's flight to Delhi. That's nice, but
I guess I was really expecting an actual boarding pass. He tells me if this
flight is acceptable then he will take me over to the other airline's
reservation counter and finalize the arrangements. I look at the Delhi arrival
time of 10:15am and ask again if I will still make my connecting flight.
"Yes, of course, sir". Well. . .I really don't have a lot of other
options at the moment. I say OK.
He walks me over to the other airline counter.
6:10a.m.
The other airline agent finally
finishes doing whatever it was she was doing and has a chat with the person I now consider to be my chaperon.
Most of the conversation is in Kannadu (the local language) or possibly Hindi. The only words I
think I understand are "FEM number", which are repeated a couple of
times. FEM must be an acronym of some sort. It's maybe/probably some kind of
purchase order number. . .a way that one airline can buy a ticket on a flight
of another airline. . .surely this is not the first time this has
happened. . .but why is this conversation taking so
long. . ?
6:14a.m.
My chaperon says to me "I'll be
right back sir. Please stay here." “Yes, of course”.
Because. . .where else am I going to go. . ?
6:20a.m.
My chaperon is back. Turns out he does
not have a FEM number with him. Instead he has a big wad of Indian Rupees (Rs).
OK.
. . I watch as he counts out Rs
8600 (roughly $175). The other airline rep takes the cash and hands him a piece
of paper. That doesn't look like a boarding pass either. . .now what?. . .
6:22a.m.
My chaperon assures me that everything
is fine and this new piece of paper is an updated flight itinerary with a
reservation code on it. OK. . .at least that's progress. . . He guides me back to one of the
computer kiosks and asks me to check in while he makes a copy of my original
flight itinerary.
6:24a.m.
The reservation code seems to be
valid. Check-in complete.
6:30a.m.
Still no sign of my chaperon. Where
did he have to go to make a copy of that itinerary. . .?
6:35a.m.
He is back. He wishes me a safe
journey. I thank him for his help. Crisis averted. Onward.
6:45a.m.
I'm through the security check without
any trouble. I plunk myself down in a chair by the gate and try to relax. If
this flight is even 5 minutes late I'm not going to make that connecting
flight. . .please be on time today. . .please. . .please. . .please. . .
7:00a.m.
The boarding process begins and I get
extremely lucky with my seat assignment: 3F.
Right up front. . .I'll be one of the first people off the airplane in
Delhi. . .
7:30a.m.
The airplane doors are shut, but we're
still sitting on the tarmac. It's OK. . .they always pad their flight
times a bit. . .don't they. . ?
7:36a.m.
The captain makes the following
announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen. Sorry for the delay. There are
currently about 10 aircraft awaiting departure. We think we're #2 or #3 on that
list." He thinks we're #2 or #3?. . .how can he not know exactly where he is
in the take-off order. . ?. . .seriously. . .how can he not know. . ?
7:45a.m.
Wheels up. Finally on the way to
Delhi.
10:15a.m.
Still in the air. My connecting flight is due to depart in 15
minutes. I thought we were supposed to be on the ground
already. . .this is not good. . .The Captain announces an estimated
landing time of 10:30am. Not
good. . .
10:28a.m.
Touchdown! What are the chances that my connecting
flight is delayed for some reason?. . .it's my only hope right now. . .
10:31a.m.
Still taxiing.
10:35a.m.
We have finally stopped; just not at
an actual gate attached to the actual terminal. We're parked on the tarmac. Oh no! . .it's one of these Indian airport deals. . .we're all going to pile out of
the plane and into a shuttle bus which will take us to the terminal. . .my seemingly
advantageous right-up-front seat is no longer so advantageous. . .
10:40a.m.
On to the bus. . .to the arrivals
terminal. It probably would have been faster to walk
for how far the bus travelled! Off
the bus. . .through the terminal. . .quickly. . .out the exit. . .
10:41 a.m.
I ask two separate people where
terminal 1B is, just to double check. Both point me in the same direction. OK. .
.that’s usually a good sign. . .What begins as a half-walk, half-run quickly
turns into a full-run as time is surely running short. . .
10:47a.m.
I arrive at the terminal. There's a
check-in window outside the terminal. I hand the airline representative my
paperwork. . .only to have her tell me "this is terminal 1A, not 1B".
. .terminal 1B is actually back on the other side of the arrivals terminal. . .back
from whence I came. . .(my thoughts are not suitable for a general
audience at this time). . .I ask her the status of my connecting
flight. She cannot tell me, but she says that most flights have been delayed
this morning. . .I allow a glimmer of hope to enter my mind as I set off back
to the correct terminal. . .
10:53a.m.
Terminal 1B. The check-in desk.
"I'm sorry sir, but your flight has already left". Aaaaahhhhh! I ask if they have another flight to Bagdogra
today. "No, sir". Of course not. . .I ask if any other
airlines have a flight to Bagdogra today. "I don't know sir. You'll need
to check with them". She directs me to another airline desk across from
theirs. Again. . .why don't they have
access to important information like this. . ?
10:54a.m.
"I'm sorry sir, our flight to
Bagdogra has just left." Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!! I politely ask if there are any other
airlines with flights to Bagdogra today. "I don't know sir, you might
check with that airline over there". . .”you might check”. . .yeah, I
just might at that. . .since you are being absolutely no help whatsoever! I
think this other airline is going to be my last option. . .as I don't see any
other airline desks nearby. . .
10:55a.m.
"Our flight to Bagdogra is just leaving, sir" Well, I guess that is that. . .wait. . .she
said "leaving", not "left". . .right? "Is there any way you can get me on that
flight?" "I don't know sir". "Please". "You'll
have to purchase a ticket, sir". "Yes, sure, whatever!"
"OK, sir. May I have your passport and your credit card?" “Yes. .
.yes you may”. I have absolutely no idea how much they charge
me for this ticket. They don't tell me and I don't ask, because at this point
in time it’s really really not very important. I just need to get on an
airplane, any airplane, that's going to get me to Bagdogra today.
11:39a.m.
I am on an airplane, albeit with
another airline, flying to Bagdogra via Guwahati. "Relief" doesn't
begin to describe my feelings right now. . .crap. . .I'll need to contact the
hotel and let them know that I'll be late arriving in Bagdogra. . .I ask one of
the flight attendants what time we will reach Bagdogra. She tells me "We
land in Guhawati at 2pm and then we have a 45 minute layover". OK. .
.that's not exactly what I asked her, let me try this again. "But
what time will be land in Bagdogra?" "Sir, we land in Guhawati at 2pm
and then we have a 45 minute layover". Are you kidding me here?
I do not ask my question a third time. I pull out my original flight itinerary
to figure out the flight time from Guwahati to Bagdogra: 45 minutes. OK.
. .that means I should now be landing in Bagdogra at about 3:30pm. Now to call
the hotel. . .do I have their number with me? I must. Wait. . .I know. . .they
sent me a text message a week or two ago with my reservation confirmation. . .I
can just text them back. . .
11:40a.m.
I scroll through my text messages and find
the one from the hotel. That's
weird. . .there doesn't seem to be an actual phone number attached to this
message, just the hotel name, which doesn't do me a whole lot of good right
now. . .but I do have a printout of the confirmation with me. . .that should have
a phone number on it, right? I
dig out this piece of paper and sure enough there's a phone number:
0091-354-2258721-3. Hmmmm. . .that's a weird looking phone number, even for India. . .I
recognize 91 as the India country code for India. . .but that leading 00
doesn't make sense to me, and that last 3 makes even less sense. . .I
dial the number as printed. It does not go through. Not a huge surprise, but
still extremely aggravating. OK. .
.just think for a moment. . .I should be able to figure this out. Let me try
and take the numbers that do make sense and turn it into a phone number.
I replace the 00 with the magic + sign (interpreted as the international access
code) and ignore that last -3 altogether. . .
11:41a.m.
Not only does the call go through, but
it actually goes through to the correct hotel. I let them know I'll be arriving
later than expected, around 3:30pm, but I am still arriving today. They say
"Thank you, sir. No problem". OK. . .I feel a lot better now. . .but at
the same time. . .
11:42a.m.
I am physically and mentally exhausted
at this point in time, but it’s more than just the fact that it’s not even noon
yet, I’ve been up for more than seven hours, and I’ve had to endure all of the
above. My travels across India these past few months have really started to
wear on me. I'm not sure if I can take much more of this. . .I desperately just
want to be get to Darjeeling without any more unnecessary drama. Is that asking too much?. . .is it. . ?
2:07p.m.
Touchdown in Guwahati. OK. .
.one step closer to Bagdogra. . .one step closer to Darjeeling. . .
2:50p.m.
Take-off from Guwahati. Headed to
Bagdogra. Maybe the hard part of this trip is over. . .please let it be over. . .
3:36p.m.
Touchdown in Bagdogra. Just one more
leg of the journey to go. Almost there. . .please let there be someone
standing outside the terminal holding some kind of sign with my name on it. .
.puh. . .leeeeeaaaase. . .
3:38p.m.
As I get off the airplane I notice
that the control tower has the tarmac/apron elevation printed on it, as most do
in this country. It reads: 126m/414ft. But Darjeeling is located up at 7000ft. Wait
a minute. . .you mean I still need to climb some 6500 feet to get up to
Darjeeling. . .6500 feet. . .wow. . .that's going to take awhile, isn't it?. .
.wow. . .6500 feet. . .
3:41p.m.
I exit the terminal and scan the
handful of people standing around holding placards (most of which seem to be
plain 8.5x11 pieces of paper with hand-written names on them). But none with my name on it. . .not a
one. OK. . .we'll give it a few
minutes. . .I can call the hotel again if necessary. . .I am definitely tired, but not too worried. . .
3:43p.m.
This tiny old guy comes and stands in
front of me and stares at me for about a count of 5. . .this is a little weird.
. .and then with a grand flourish which would make any magician proud whips out
a little sign from behind his back. . .and. . .the little sign has my name on
it! Yes.
. .that’s me!
3:45p.m.
The little old guy hands me over to another
gentleman (my driver) and we get underway. The car is a pretty heavy duty jeep-like
4x4 thing.
We drive through the town of Bagdogra, take a left at the town of Siguluri, and
then at. . .
4:00p.m.
We take a right onto NH55 (National
Highway 55). The road immediately begins to climb. . .
4:15p.m.
Wait. . .did I say road? Allow me to
rephrase: not so much a road as a collection of crater-sized potholes interrupted only
occasionally by a patch of chewed-up asphalt. . .this is unbelievable. . .
5:00p.m.
It's now pretty dark. The road conditions have actually deteriorated, which I
didn't think was remotely possible half an hour ago. "Bone-rattling",
"bone-jarring", "unrelenting" are words that come to mind.
I'm going to be very sore tomorrow. . .maybe before tomorrow. . .there are no
seat belts in the vehicle. . .who needs seat belts. . ? I have an incredible headache from
repeatedly smacking my head on the car ceiling as we negotiate the gigantic
holes along National Highway 55. . .it's maybe a lane and a half wide most of
the way. . .narrow enough that as we approach a car coming down the mountain
both of us need to slow, or even stop, to make sure there's enough room to pass
safely. . .or what passes for "safely" around here. . .
5:10p.m.
The headlights illuminate a small
sign: Darjeeling 40km. Still 25 miles to go. . .only about half way
there. . .I don't know how much more of this I can take. . .is anything worth
this. . ?
5:15p.m.
We pass through the small town of
Kurseong. The road does get a little better from here. . .or maybe it doesn't.
. .I don't know. . .my entire body may just be too numb to know the
difference. It's also now pitch black
outside. . .the headlights do not provide much illumination. . .the potholes
come as a wonderful surprise again and again and again. . .
6:15p.m.
At last we arrive at the hotel!
Finally. It is a wondrous sight; I am not sure I have ever been so grateful to
have reached any destination, although I'm so stiff and sore I can barely get
out of the car.
From the alarm clock in Bangalore
at 4:10 a.m. to the hotel door in Darjeeling at 6:15 p.m.: 14+ hours.
What a brutal day. . .absolutely
brutal. . .
I think the travel
gods are saying "OK, that's about all the travelling we want you to do in
India". Believe me when I say "I am listening, oh travel gods. .
."
. . .and believe me when I say I'm trying really really hard not to
think about the travails which may await me on the journey back to Bangalore in
just a couple of days time. But if this
is to be my last India jaunt I might as well make the most of it. . .so let's
find some dinner, get a good night's
sleep, and then see what Darjeeling is all about. . .shall we?
7:30p.m.
I am sitting in the hotel restaurant. I can actually see my breath. . .inside the
restaurant!
I don’t think I brought enough warm clothes with me. . .
