October 2009 Vizag 1

To Vizag:
The trip got off to a rather shaky start as I had to be practically pulled into Security to make it on the 3pm Kingfisher flight to Kolkatta on October 29.It wasn’t that we had made it late to the airport- it was because Enga and I had decided we should eat before I checked it. We talked over our plates of Chow and did not realise there was barely 15 minutes before departure!! But it wasn’t too bad either because it saved me from the long wait at the rather uninteresting Security Hall at the airport. What the flight did, though, was kill my plans of shopping in Kolkatta that evening because it was close to 6 when I finally made it to Mizoram House. Unwilling to resign myself to a night without an outing, I decided to take off the moment I got to my room. My roommate, a Lecturer at RIPANS was only too willing to go along, so we rode over to Mani Square and ended up with quite a haul anyway- but missed the initial aim of great bargains at New Market. Got burgers for dinner though they ended up as my breakfast after all.

Made my way then to the nearby Stadium to meet a friend. A good reunion it was tho’ it gave me a slight headache the following morning. The flight to Vizag on October 30 was at 6:30 am, and I was left with no choice but to get up and leave a little after 4am- so much for going on a holiday!! (and there was no choice in the flight timings, cos that’s the only direct flight between Vizag and Kol).

out of boredom

At Kolkatta airport, i find i have too much time and absolutely nothing to do so iwalk to the cyber cafe to sit and find ways to while away my time. I reason its a good thing anyway because it gives me a chance toupdate my blog- its been so long since i last did. But what does one write about when the mind is filled with thoughts of the two flights one still has to take, of the long hours of transit one still has to sit through; when the three a-little-ahead-in-years men next to you on the small round table are eating samosas with sauce dripping over and slurping like they never had anything better in their life???

Really, this is only an exercise to make time go faster!!!

I might cringe when i look at this post when i've had time to reflect. When the mind is willing to yhink thoughts worth sharing, these linesmay only make me wanna shout at the girl typing them. But then, technology comes to her aid. the great thing about this blog is that it allows me, the creator, to delete so many lines, written at the cost of my time, money, finger muscles and some grey matter- to wipe them off the face of whatever "world wide" space it ever inhibited.

It was a good flight. I sat beside a mantoo big to be comfortable in the small Kingfisher ATR seats on the Aizawl- Kolkatta route. Why i hate sitting beside such specimens of the population, is that i dont get enough room to rest my arms. They always, almost always, hog the arm rest we're supposed to share. Space constraints must be stopping all makers of planes from providing independent arm rests to passengers. And space constraints make the larger ones hog what they're supposed to share- maybe thats the only way they can show their frustration at being too big to fit into seats they can afford to pay for. But tahts mean, cos in this particular sector, one doesnt really have a choice.

Now if i was anywhere else, this would be the point where i break off from the nonsensical narrationa nd philosophise on the general nature of airplane passengers- the polite and the rude ones; the smelly and the cool ones. But i cant do that-like I said, the men are still smacking on their samosas and the cook here keeps producing appeasing smells behind. And justwhen im determined to stop eating between meals!!!

I have been here for half an hour now. the first few minutes after landing, i was sitting in the VIP lounge, trying to look serious and reading the newspaper. it got to be a little confining- i mean the looking serious part. So i ran out, got my bag and my faithful trrolley and decided to explore Kolkatta airport space like i always do. Im good at this, especially when im alone. Which is why i prefer travelling alone. Why i'd rather be in a cafe than in the VIP lounge trying to make sensible conversation...