“You need to go to Shanghai with S” is what my manager said one day for one of the collaboration meeting with one of the premium companies in China. After a couple of weeks running behind our travel desk and submitting almost all the documents required due to strict regulation for granting VISA from Chinese authorities. Hmmm … You Know What? … Now, you need to have utmost patience and time to go through the rest of the mail. Hmm … Twwwsiiiisshhhhhhh .. Let’s go flashback to first week of August, 2008 where I started moving away from Bangalore towards our Bangalore International Airport. I was excited on two account. One “I was travelling to Shanghai” and the next one “I was really excited to look at our newly built Bangalore International Airport and it was really good too”. Aanu with his usual hurry burry speed of 80 km/hr and was stirring up the dust on the road and was eager to push me into the airport. Boy, one thing is for sure, at least 20 kms before we reach Bangalore airport the road is of really high quality.
Appa, Amma and aanu parked the car and came over to the Departure gate to stay with me for some time. We were greeted with a huge suitcase model in the entrance of the Bangalore airport which separated the departure gate and arrival gate. I started explaining some nuances about the airport terms to Amma (Departure, Arrival, Baggage Claim, Parking bay, etc.. ) and obviously amma was thinking over something else when we were trying to explain her all those stupid terms. We anyway stopped explaining after sometime.
Then, by 11.30 p.m. Mr. S, our sourcing manager arrived at the departure gate whom I introduced to appa, amma and aanu. After a couple of minutes, I asked aanu to head back home as it was getting late. I stood there in front of the departure gate and waited till appa, amma and aanu moved out of sight into the parking lot. Later, S and myself started moving into the new airport with great aplomb holding the passport and ticket in one hand and the other hand was obviously used to drag the suitcase and delicately placed laptop on top of it.
OK.. Always, introduce the special character before you start moving ahead. Right, S is from Delhi and he speaks really very funny English. Next, he is the person who loves to ask as many questions to anybody as possible and the way he asks is really hilarious. Next, he has a unique way of entering into trouble when nothing is warranted. He has one really ugly habit. He is a big flirt who always has an opinion to say about one girl or another which i am not discussing in this blog.
Hmm .. Now back into the filmy mode. Enter the S and S into the Check-in and Boarding pass area.
Scene 1: While issuing boarding pass, there are two sections, one for individuals and one for family. The airliner staff started calling if there are any individuals or single person available for counter 2 of economy. Then, out of nowhere S moved ahead of the line and started speaking in some butler English saying "I will go to that counter." and pulled me along with him. Then, the staff started asking him " Sir, only one can go to the counter 2 not 2". S didn't even bother to respond back to her and started barging into the counter pulling my hands on one side. Hmm .. Lady was dumbstruck by S’s arrogance. Anyway, lady didn't stop him either. I was totally lost in the event and was laughing all the way to the counter.
Scene 2: I presented my passport and ticket, collected pass and moved out of the picture. S was the next to enter and started off asking in a typical Delhi English accent "Heeey, I want a seat which has maximum leg space and want a window seat too." Confused airliner replied back saying "Sir, all the seats in economy are having same amount of leg space, there isn't any which has more leg space". S started pestering him with 2 words Leg space and window for next 5 minutes. Later, the airliner responded by saying that "Sir, I have provided you with one of the best seat in the airline". Later, with a grin on his face, he came across to me and said " Dekh Sundar, puchne ke baad humme ek dum mast seat mila yaar airline mein. Ab hum araam se soo sakte hain. Aaja" (Look Sundar, after persuading the staff we got the best seat in the airline”) . Hmm .. I was wondering which was the best seat in airline. Hmm .. not thinking much. I started moving ahead to immigration counter.
Scene 3: Here, in the immigration counter, I was asked to present my passport and company visiting card which I duly did and got my immigration stamp. In the next counter, there was S who was asked for invitation letter too by the immigration employee along with passport and business card. (Chinese Invitation letter will be totally in Chinese and nobody understands the head and tail of it.). The immigration staff was holding the invitation letter in the reverse direction. Instead of keeping quiet, S started irritating the person by laughing loudly and saying " Are yaar !! If you don't know how to hold the Chinese invitation letter, then why do you ask for it in the counter and waste my time? And I know that you are unable to read anything out of invitation letter and just for the sake of asking you have asked for the letter.” His response irritated the person in the counter who asked S some more documents and he stood there waiting for the immigration stamp. S was standing in front of the counter for at least 5 minutes. Later, the staff came back saying everything was alright and handed over the letter and passport back to him with a seal. S was totally angry and didn't speak a word as they made him wait for 10 minutes in the counter.
Scene 4: We need to declare electronic goods when we are using it for personal purpose. Hence, with due diligence we moved into the declaration counter and asked for a form where a airport official asked " Yes, what do you want?". I responded back saying " I want to declare my laptop and camera". Later, more people started moving into the counter and obviously, he didn't even bother to respond back. After asking him for at least a couple of times, he shouted at us saying “No, no, you didn't need to declare. You can go". Then, I asked S "What are we going to do if somebody asks us for the declaration when we return back to Bangalore". Then, S thought for a minute and removed his camera from his bag and moved in front of the declaration counter asked him where he can take a photograph of him". He nodded and S took his photo too. I asked him what the hell was he trying to do there?. Then he responded back saying if anybody asks us for the declaration while we are returning back, we will show them his photo and say that he was the person who asked us not to declare laptop nor camera. I started laughing at his pranks and started moving ahead for the cabin inspection counter.
Everything went off smoothly later, we got through the security check and moved inside the terminal and stopped at Gate 15 where we were wait till departure. Then, S along with his big mouth has a big stomach too. He had brought some Badami and chocolates which we were munching in the airport late in the night by 12.30 p.m. S usually overacts to most of the stuff and he munches really loudly. I could see a couple of gazes from some of the passengers seated in front of us at him in an ugly manner. I grinned at him and started reading a novel "The 3 mistakes of my life" from Chetan Bhagat. Later, we cut down the conversation as we were feeling really sleepy.
The so called "Best seat" of S was in front of the rest room and it was really irritating for us. S started cursing the airline staff who gave us this seat. There would always be a big queue of the people standing in front of us waiting to get inside the rest-room. This really irritated us a lot. Ha ha. J Anyway, as we were really feeling sleepy we fell off to sleep and later woke up as the air hostess gave me morning breakfast at night 3.30 a.m. Breakfast .. Ha Ha. J Yes, anyway, I was hungry and munched the vegetable puffs which she had provided to me. Later, again after 3 hours of sleep, we woke up to the airliner staff asking us to have lunch. J These airlines are really funny who serve us breakfast at 3.30 a.m. in the morning and lunch by 7.00 a.m. Anyway, I had lunch too. One of my weaknesses is, I feel really hungry when I am flying in airplane. I do not know why :?
Hmm. Then, the plane landed in Hong-Kong where we shopped a bit for you in particular. By 1:00 p.m we started flying from Hong Kong to Shanghai where I started reading the Chetan Bhagat book again. S and myself were separated in this instance. Again, i had my one more doze of lunch in this airline too.
Hmm .. One of the interesting things which happened was I was able to see all the phases in female’s life around my seat. There was a lovely little Chinese college girl seated towards the right side of my seat, towards my left, there was a cute little girl baby along with her fondling and cuddling Chinese mother. There was a beautiful looking chinese air-hostess who used to sit in front of me only occasionally when the seat belt sign was on in the airplane. To the left of the Chinese mother, there was Chinese grandmother too. Thus, this was the first time in my life, I was surrounded by all the females of all ages. (Baby girl, College girl, Lovely women, Mother, grandmother). Interesting.
After a couple of hours, we landed in Shanghai where the Hotel authorities chaffered us into the Hotel Marriott. After our respective check-ins, we freshened up. Later, we searched for an Indian restaurant in China on the net and found a very good one near our hotel. It was a Punjabi restaurant. We immediately got dressed and went to the hotel and had our stomach full of dinner. Brilliant. Then, I came back home by 9.00 (Chinese Standard time) in the evening and went off to bed early.
Ha Ha Ha .. I haven’t even started explaining about my places of visit to Shanghai. J. Hmmm .. for that I need to catch some more time to finish the same. J . As Shahrukh Khan says in one of his latest film Rab Ne Banadi Jodi “ Hum hain raahi pyar ke. Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte”. J J. Lots more in further episodes.
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