the long journey home

00:00 Hours

12:15 pm  Drive to airport.  It was a lovely drive crammed in to an economy sized car with Simon’s dad, his two uncles and a family friend.  Our luggage helped to make this a cozy journey all the way to the final military check point on the edge of the airfield where all passengers without a boarding pass were required to leave the vehicle.  At this point Simon and I had our luggage x-rayed and received our first patdown of the day here before entering the airport property.  We then loaded back in the car to drive several minutes to the actual airport building. 

One of several airport security cats that patrol the Srinigar airport.

We said goodbye to Geela outside the airport building (because he was not allowed to enter the airport building) and were handed over to a coolie who helped us navigate the rest of the process-3 more x-ray/patdown events and a stroll on to the tarmac to identify our luggage before it could be loaded on the plane.  During my final patdown a female soldier with a keen eye identified my toothbrush protector as a potential threat and hurled it to the floor of the airport thus ensuring our flight safety and compromising my oral hygiene for the rest of the journey- a small price to pay.   

3:45 pm Take-off to Delhi.  We landed in Delhi several hours before the United Airways ticket counter opened, so we sat down for leisurely a coffee and meal only to discover that our flight had been cancelled.

We were put up at The Grand Hotel in Delhi, our food was paid for along with a 3 minute international phone call, which we used to update family.  We were not allowed to take our luggage to our room because it had to be left unattended in a public hallway in the hotel for security reasons(?).  I was a little unsure as the hotel did not employ security cats.

Simon and I used the extra time to stage a photo shoot.  We hope that the new material in his portfolio will really catch the attention of Bollywood.

11:00 Hours

11:15 am Airport pick-up.  Upon arrival we learned that our flight had been delayed to 4:00 pm.

Simon and I had to explain to the nice United Airlines security agent that her company was responsible for leaving our luggage unattended overnight.  It was like watching a slow motion wardrobe malfunction in the theatrical production called “Airport Security”.  They made up the possible breech in security with: patdown, x-ray, patdown and detailed questioning about a suspicious package of dental floss.  The Indian army is very anti oral hygiene.

We were able to explore the Delhi airport (FYI- an excellent source of over the counter Viagra).  Simon ate pizza, further delays……

16:45 Hours

5:00 pm Take-off from Delhi to Newark.  On landing we were given $30 of food vouchers and a bus to a complimentary stay at the Ramada.  We bonded with fellow passengers over discussion about whether the hotel elevator on the left was a more likely to be a death trap than the one on the right and were in bed by 12:30 am.

5:15 am Bus to airport.  After check-in, we ate our complimentary breakfast and made a collect call to update family.

9:00 am Land in Toronto.  Simon says we sailed through customs because we were too boring to question.  i think that maybe after 50 plus hours, I looked like a woman on the edge.  

9:20 am Told we will need to wait until 11:30 for the next airport van.  After waiting for 2.5 hours they didn't have seats for both of us (!@#$%^&*), so we rented a car for the drive home.

12:15 pm  Drove out of the Pearson Airport parking lot.

57:30 Hours