Twenty- five Seven

Travel Troubles : Part 1

September 16, 2023

After CoVid & Before CoVid

Photo by Manfred Irmer on Pexels.com

If you thought that traveling is fun, you can think again. Especially air travel. What was once perceived as glamourous, exciting and fun can be quite a challenge as I found after my recent trip to the US.

It all began with an invitation to attend a wedding in New Jersey. So I decided to thrown in a short visit to New York City as well.

While both the visit to New York and the wedding in New Jersey were wonderful and well worth the effort, the journey to and from was disastrous. Despite the fact that I was flying Premier Economy in a well established airline.

This trip has convinced me that the long term effects of CoVid are far from over. And it will take a while before things return to pre-CoVid days.

In fact there is a marked difference between life BC ( Before CoVid) and AC ( After CoVid).

Offices still wear a forlorn look with many employees preferring the newly evolved hybrid pattern that allows them the freedom to work from home and go in to the office for only two or three days a week. Some businesses have closed down while others are struggling to get back on their feet.

The lifting of strict quarantine rules in several places that had severely restricted the free movement of people has resulted in an almost maniacal urge to travel. People are dying to break the confines of their safe safe bubbles go out in the world and explore they’ve always wanted to discover or even catch up with old friends and family having learnt the transience of being during the CoVid years.

And, stuck in our homes, we’ve developed a new skill : navigating the internet to fulfil our needs from shopping for the most basic stuff to attending zoom meetings and wedding ceremonies streamed live!

It is no wonder then that even though several travel agencies have downed their shutters, once silent airports, the world over, are now hives of activity. But sadly, though many airports are improved, many airlines face manpower shortages and operational glitches which account for many a delay and even cancellations!

New York to Mumbai

My travel this month was totally unexpected and even though it was well planned, I had quite a few heart stopping moments – particularly when I was huffing and puffing through large airports, making my way to the connecting flight.

Ever since Russia and Ukraine went to war, American planes do not fly over Russian airspace. Now that is understandable but considering that Delhi is as much in India as Mumbai is, I can’t understand why United can fly to Delhi but not to Mumbai. Of course, the airline must have its reasons but this meant that I had to go to Newark either via Delhi or Dubai or any other European transit airport. With visa restrictions and rules changing by the minute, I thought it wiser to fly via Delhi.

So I took the late evening Vistara flight to Delhi to catch my onward flight ( UA 83) to Newark. Everything was fine and we were all ready to take off when the pilot announced that a passenger had to be off loaded because of a family emergency. That’s when my heart started beating faster because every minute in Mumbai meant less time to clear customs and immigration at Delhi. And the plane was an hour late because the cabin baggage had to be identified for security reasons before take off.

However, United made sure a Staffer was waiting for me at Delhi airport to whisk me through a deserted Customs and Immigration though I had to literally hot foot it.

I just about made it to the boarding gate. Whew!

Once inside the plane, I was all prepared to enjoy the experience of travelling United Premium Economy ( a first for me) but I should have been forewarned when I was handed a bottle of water at the air bridge. Oh oh! This generally means that the cabin crew weren’t going to be handing out beverages very soon.

And I was right! The in-flight service left much to be desired. The food was disappointing and after the first round of beverages no one came around asking for more . Nine hours later, we were given a mid-flight snack best described as doughy stodge. Similarly, the breakfast before landing was pure rubbish.

But in fairness to United, the Cabin Crew did attend to you if you asked for assistance.

However, the nonworking head set, the dirty blanket and the dodgy buttons controlling the seat backrest and leg rest wasn’t something I was expecting from United.

Delays & Cancelations

Delays seemed to be the theme of my journey. If my journey to Newark induced heart racing anxiety, the return journey was a downright nightmare.

I was all set to leave with my baggage checked in, my boarding pass in my Wallet and my good byes said to my host.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

After identifying the assigned Gate, I wandered around the vastly improved Newark Liberty Airport and made my way to the Gate. It looked surprisingly empty but I didn’t receive any notification indicating otherwise on my United App.

I waited for a while before gathering courage to ask someone if I was waiting at the right place. “Yes you are,” she drawled, “but the plane is not boarding from here”.

I dashed to the nearest signboard and began my frantic walk to the other end of the terminal. There were just minutes to spare before pre-boarding.

When I went to the right location, I found the Gate number missing. Was I dreaming up everything? What do I do now? Who do I ask?

Customer Service was nowhere in sight and every body else seemed to know where to go, striding confidently with their cabin baggage. Everyone except me. Luckily, I spotted another Indian and hesitantly asked him if he was traveling to Delhi. I meekly and followed him to the right Gate when he said yes.

As mentioned before, I heaved a sigh of relief when I found my seat and was relieved that there were still 12 minutes before take off. But the computer systems decided to play up and we were de-boarded instead.

The next few minutes we were told that the problem would be sorted out soon but after an hour, we were given food vouchers on our United Apps. By this time the airport restaurants were out of food and our only options were the vending machines or Cibo Express a Food and Beverage outlet that had a few fresh items on its quickly depleting shelves.

Before any of us could make a sale, we were told to clear our bags and make our way home as the flight had been cancelled. All this was by word of mouth with one passenger telling the other with no notification on the United App.

Customer Care Where are You?

Waiting for checked baggage at Baggage claim was surprisingly easy but once the bags were picked up there was no Customer Care around to help with the next step that was availing of a hotel stay for the night and re-booking the next flight!

Customer care was a whole floor up, accessible by an escalator ( the elevator was impossible for me to locate), a feat that would have been difficult with my heavy bag. Fortunately, I caught the eye of a young attendant at Baggage Assistance and asked her if she knew a way out. And EVA, this young lady turned out to be a Godsend.

I am nervous about using a mobile app because I might just choose the wrong option with my fat finger pointing to a small screen. But Eva not only accessed my United App but helped me choose the hotel, book a taxi to the hotel and re-book my flight to Mumbai.

Thank You Eva!

This time I would go directly to Mumbai via Dubai which suited me fine as I’d heard horror stories about Delhi Airport being a mess with the G20. And I could do without any more hassles on the way home.

Post midnight in a taxi

By this time it was way past mid night and my host in New Jersey who was tracking my flight’s progress in her home, was insistent on coming to the airport to fetch me. But she had already made a trip to the airport which was hardly a hop, skip and a jump away from her home and it wasn’t fair to bother her so.

Besides, it was the airline’s responsibility and not hers to see that I was safe and sound. So, despite her protests I waited in the Taxi line with my taxi voucher and hotel voucher in hand.

Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

By now I wasn’t surprised when the taxi service operator came out to announce after a 10 minute wait in the slight drizzle that there weren’t any taxis available. But within a few minutes, she began banging away on her key board and assigning taxis to passengers waiting in line.

When it was finally my turn, I was taken aback when a tall, hefty man in a Stetson and dark glasses stepped out of the cab to load my suitcase in the trunk. My imagination began working overtime. Was I being brave or foolish? Would I sleep in a bed or would my body be found lying dead in a ditch?

With my heart thumping in my chest, I tried to look out for any road signs that would indicate that I was on the right road. Having visited this part of New Jersey before, I tried to look for names seemed remotely familiar but for all I knew we were going deeper into the darkness to a place that I’d never heard of before.

My relief at making it to the hotel in one piece was short lived: United had booked me only for a night with a check out at 11 am while my flight was taking off only at 9 pm the next day!

I would deal with that tomorrow, I thought, as I slipped the key-card in the door.

I wasn’t shocked when the door refused to open.

Once again, I lugged my suitcase to the lobby, got a new key and went back to a new room. It didn’t matter that the air-conditioning made a racket, it didn’t matter that the bed was too high. I was too tense to sleep anyways.

Watch this space for more as I conclude my travel troubles back to Mumbai.

Ciao
Mumbai’s newest cultural Hub

August 20, 2023

What can one do if one is spending just a few hours in Mumbai? Quite frankly, I’d tell such visitors to stay in their hotels and enjoy a few hours of quiet because getting around from one part of the city to the other is time consuming and more often than not, all you’d really be doing is spending hours in the traffic.

Mumbai is a historic city that is quite different from any other Indian city. It has a vibe that combines money with busyness and every one seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere. With iconic buildings ,historic spots and plenty of food options, the city offers a unique experience : but sadly one can only take one Bombay experience at a time.

However, if you do want to combine everything in an abbreviated way, I would highly recommend a visit to the newly opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre . It is not that new really but it is now that it is making its mark as a cultural hub in the middle of this city.

Well located in the newest business area of Mumbai, Bandra Kurla Complex commonly known as BKC, with broad roads, swanky buildings and a five star hotel, the NMACC rounds off this business hub in much the same way as the old NCPA rounded off the Nariman Point business area.

The NMACC is a complex of three theatres with different seating capacities to ensure that Mumbaikars, particularly those in the Northern suburbs get a chance to experience the rich cultural traditions formerly restricted to those in the South.

More than an Opera House

Initially, with most galleries and boutiques situated in South Bombay, the NCPA took pride of place at the very end of Marine Drive. Built alongside the Arabian Sea, it has for long been the Mecca of all things Cultural and has hosted many an event for its patrons, dripping with their diamonds and emeralds. stepping out of their chauffeur driven cars,

I don’t mean to down play its importance, because in its time. it gave us a chance to hear wonderful artists and performances . But like everything, it has become small and too cozy and rather inaccessible to the general public, who often found it a fiddle to go to with its limited parking space, and poor public transport connectivity. Often times, I found that while a cabbie was somewhat reluctant to take me to the NCPA, there was simply no one available to bring me back when the show was over!

So even though the NMACC doesn’t have a grand sea face location, it scores over the NCPA with the sheer size of its car parking space. And you needn’t fear about getting lost because there are enough attendants to guide you through the maze. It is advisable to take your own car because public transport is of course no where to be found. And we all know how conveniently Uber taxis find it difficult to find you and expect you to do the hop, skip and jump to where they park themselves.

But all in all, once inside the GRAND THEATRE complex, one is in for a visual treat. With live artists displaying traditional skills, this space is a platform for local artists to showcase their talents. One doesn’t have to go to the interiors of India to get a glimpse of how various art forms and handicrafts are made all over India. From time to time, there are artisans and craftsmen at work displaying their skills and work for all to see.

Even though I didn’t make it to the first day, first show list, I was fortunate enough to experience the NMACC first hand when I went to see “The Sound of Music”.

Initially, I was taken aback by the sheer incline of the steps in the balcony and had to hold on to the railings and walk carefully so as to avoid tumbling down. I was also a bit taken aback by how close I was to touching the Swarovski studded lights on the ceiling light.

But, I soon settled down to enjoy the performance and by the time I went to see my second show, “West Side Story”, I was quite familiar with the place and was less daunted with the seating.

I also knew that despite the number of stalls in the restroom ((as it is called these days), there was only ONE restroom for women (and one for men) so at interval time, there was quite a rush. So one should be smart enough to time one’s loo break.

Similarly one should also time one’s snack break, preferably having a coffee or snack before the show because the lines during the brief interval are horrendous. And naturally no drinks or food are allowed inside, so it would mean a quick gulp before rushing back to the show.

All that is old is not always gold

“West Side Story” itself is an old musical and touted as a timeless Broadway classic. Sadly, though, I found the magic of a Broadway Musical sorely lacking in this performance. Perhaps I was way too up to get to see the expressions of the actors but more than that, I think this is a done to death theme that has little relevance in today’s times where everything goes. After all there are love stories that go bad, but like Little Po said on hearing the story of Romeo & Juliet, the whole idea was pretty ridiculous.

The story apart, the songs themselves were hardly ‘singable’ and unlike the ‘Sound of Music’ performance that had the whole audience singing along, I could hardly contain my yawns.

So it would seem that classics are not always classic and timeless. There does come a time when though the theme is timeless, the costumes, the sets and the context get dated and lose their appeal for different audiences.

If NMACC wants to pull in the crowds, it will have to bring more contemporary or more popular old shows that have more appeal to the Mumbai public. Musicals like ‘Lion King’, ‘Cats’ , ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ with music that Mumbaikars are familiar with.

Thank you for the Music, Art and Food

But all in all, I am glad that NMACC is around and even though it is a trek, more often than not, it is well worth it.

Visitors to this city would be advised to make this a compulsory stop on their itinerary. Especially if you are here on a short visit, NMACC is perfect for a glimpse into India’s rich cultural tradition of the performing arts, handicrafts art.

And, the added bonus is the wide variety of cuisine available both within and around the complex.

Ciao
Life can only be understood backwards ;but it must be lived forwards

August 17, 2023

Do you find that as you get older, you understand more of why you acted the way you did?

Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Recently, I picked up courage to play Bridge, a game that I had learnt to deal with the empty nest syndrome. But soon my nest was filled with more fledglings ( my Little People) so I had even less time to spend playing cards.

This time round, however, I found that I understood the game much better. In the past, I had struggled with the card count, the bidding and even the play! My preferred game was as Dummy. But now, l am getting faster in counting, more watchful of the bidding and actually keeping count of the cards. Perhaps, there is hope for me in the future yet as a decent Bridge player.

Actually over the past few months, I am finding solutions for everyday problems . Have I suddenly become wiser?

The answer unexpectedly came to me when I explored the blog of a visitor who had left a LIKE on mine. I was thrilled with this reaction because my readers had become few and far between.

But now, like many things, I have become more aware of my ” past mistakes” and am trying assiduously to build back my audienc.

So I visited her blog and it seemed she had written it specifically for me.

I was grabbed by her quote which now served to become the title of this post.

Indeed, often times, it is only in hindsight that things become clearer to us.

Past Imperfect

So often we regret a decision, rue the missed opportunities that came our way or wonder why certain things panned out the way they did.

For instance, would things have turned out differently for me and my family had we stuck to our original plan and checked into the hotel we were booked to stay in rather than checking into another hotel just to be with our friends?

Let me explain.

In the early 60’s, under the terms of a bi-lateral collaboration agreement, the Indian Government sent along a contingent of Naval Officers to help the newly independent Nigeria to establish its own Military academies etc. The rationale was that having shared a common Imperial coloniser, the service traditions would have been familiar.

We enjoyed the ex-pat life , bonding with our fellow Indian families even though our houses were scattered all over Lagos. So when it was time to return, we decided to have a last hurrah before going back to India. Each family planned their own little holiday with the caveat that we would all assemble at Genoa to board the MV Victoria of Llyod Triestino lines for a last luxurious cruise.

Unbeknown to us, my father had applied and was accepted for a short medical course in a hospital in London. So leaving him behind, my brother and I made our way with our mum to meet up with our friends in Genoa.

We were so excited meeting up with our friends that instead of checking in to the hotel we were booked in, we went along to the hotel where they were staying.

And that one decision proved to be life changing.

While we were travelling to Genoa, my father had been received news of special permission to stay on longer in the UK and had sent a telegram to the hotel we were booked in asking us to return to London instead of proceeding to Bombay.

But because we didn’t go to the hotel, we missed the communication and hence missed the chance of staying on in the UK for maybe longer or may be even forever?

Often times, we sit back and wonder how life would have turned out for us had we returned to the UK. Would we have stayed forever?

One thing is for sure, it definitely wouldn’t have been what it is now.

The Phone Call

More recently, I was helping Anna Shetty pack her stuff to take to Jaslok Hospital , a leading hospital in South Mumbai where she was going to join a post graduate program in Internal Medicine.

I was really thrilled that finally she would be going to an easily accessible place for her post graduation studies in Internal Medicine because the four years of her undergraduate education was a nightmare for me. I literally had my heart in my mouth till she came home every night.

Her first year on MBBS at DY Patil Medical College in Navi Mumbai wasn’t so bad because it involved just an hour’s train ride from Mumbai’s CSMT to Nerul. The next three years were a nightmare for me at least with her changing two train lines that involved running between stations. Not used to travelling by local train and listening to horror stories of terror attacks, train accidents, floods in suburban Mumbai and even unexpected power outages, I was glad that she would be close by in case of an emergency.

Fast forward to when Anna Shetty’s phone rang as she was stuffing her knapsack with an apron that refused to get in. “Forget it,” she barked at me, “I’m getting late”.

“But you never know who it could be,” I countered, and picked it up even though it showed an unfamiliar number.

The voice at the other end was faint and crackly, “It sounds like a long distance call” , I said.

She grabbed the phone from me and a quick conversation later, she told me that it was from the hospital at BARC offering her a seat in Anaesthesia!

Now anyone who has attempted Medical Education in India would know how difficult the whole process is. And here she was getting an offer in two subjects!

She thought for moment and told me she’d changed her mind. She went of to Chembur an took up the PG seat in Anesthesia instead.

Often times I wonder what would have happened if I had ignored the phone call? Would she have been a general practitioner going from patient to patient at all odd hours of the night rather than an anesthetist going from hospital to hospital, dancing to a surgeon’s erratic schedule?

But we must march on

These are just a few of the numerous instances where things would have taken a different turn if I had taken the right fork instead of the left. If I hadn’t missed the first bus. If I hadn’t met the person I met. And I’m pretty sure it happens to all of us.

Life is full of probabilities and it is only in hindsight that we understand how it has panned out for us.

Regrets we may or may not have but we should look ahead and march on because days gone by can never come again.

Isn’t it?

Ciao