The Dubai sleepover: The Brazilian Sojourn

(Image source: http://www.doubleappleshisha.com/2009/04/dubai-international-airport/)

I travelled well, watching some or other program, movies, sleeping for some time, as I was at the window side with no one else on the other two seats next to me I was like a king. By the time I reached Dubai, I had lost the track of time, you know the time changes, and even with my watch having 3 times to store I was confused. I think it was around 1:30 or 2:00 am in India. Then I was led to the other terminals for connecting flights, I had been to Dubai before, so I was not that surprised by the grandeur of the airport, but I must say it had become way bigger. But even at night the duty free shops were more crowded than any mall of Gurgaon or Mumbai.

 I had some six hours left before my next flight, I asked for the gate of my departure at a counter, specially present for assistance, and they suggested me to see in on the various walls showing the departure schedule. It was so easy and organized; even six hours before my departure they had my departure gate on the display, I was pleased at the same time relieved that now I could go to sleep for some hours.

I went to the gate of my departure and took a sleeping seat; I don’t know what to call those, the chair that has a longer recline to sleep. I slept for few hours at that place, which was crowded with Korean or Japanese girls in super short skirts, I think they were Japanese, but I am not an expert to differentiate between the two even though I had enough exposure to Korean girls at my previous work at Samsung. 

There were a few Indians and Pakistanis, from whom I got to know that India had lost to Australia in the T20 world cup and Pakistan had won against South Africa. The Pakistanis were happy and the Indians did not care. That was all of Dubai for me this time, with hi tech boarding pass readers to give you directions and locate you where you are on the map, like a GPS service, and crowded, something that almost every Indian is used to but does not want to find anywhere else.

The rating for Dubai airport, I think the negatives are crowd, longer distances between connections and positives well I thing almost everything else, so I give it 8/10.

P.S -You find people kissing at few locations, but I guess they were French, they do it every where so why point it out.

The Indian Departure: The Brazilian Sojourn

(Image source: http://www.pwindia.in/News/Infrastructure/10-06-28/HDIL_looking_to_bag_Mumbai_airport_TDRs.aspx)

With the hope of reaching the corner of the world I left home at around 5 pm to catch the flight EK 509 to Dubai, at 2235. On the airport, at the entrance a guy asked me are you English, maybe he was, but why I, out of some hundred people around, then he left, so did I. Was that part of some terrorist code word, whatever!! Then the long process of terminals, this was my third journey outside India, excluding my Andaman trip as it will officially be India, but still I was a bit nervous and my Mom and Dad, who had come to see me off, made the experience more complicated than it was. But moms and Dads are there to do things complicated when they are easy and easy when they are way more complicated, so I thank them to be with me.

Then as I had reached before time, I had to wait. I hate waiting, who doesn't  but this time it was difficult to bear more than most times. After some years, at least it felt so, the counters opened I went through the simple processes and got my boarding cards. Then the immigration counters, what a hell was that. They had more number of counters than five years ago, but they were still the same, unorganized.

I was standing in a queue, and was said to go to another one because they are going to close the counter, what customer service!! While they told us to go to the end of the hall, while we were on our way most of the people joined some previously existing lines, and were not treated with the same politeness, but I had enough time so I went on as suggested to the last line. It was surprising to see that the counter was closed and we were made to join a longer line. To a person studying management, these mismanagements seem so annoying, and to a marketing guy, like me it seems like killing your own brand, but I know before all those distinction I am an Indian, and used to such behavior. I may want to change these, maybe I want to complain, but this was not the time for all these and I had to let go all the thoughts. Maybe my return to India will be a good time for these.

I went to the security checking after my emigration formalities. It was even more chaotic, they had four lines, this is what I thought, but I am still not sure. There were four attendants doing the personal check and several others doing the baggage checking, where lines automatically became crowd, I don’t know how, whoever was lucky got his turn. I left a pen there; fortunately I did not bring the costly one my mom had kept for me. With all these I was done with the formalities. I went to the waiting area, kept roaming, visiting toilet and surfing Internet, yeah Internet was free at the airport, a nice facility at the airport.

The airport experience was not great, for Indians I would rate it 7/10, I mean for travelers (Indian or foreign) who are used to some of these behaviors and for someone who is alien to the Indian way I would give 5.5/10.