Well I am back for the last time and tonight will be my last night in Pondicherry. Goa was a fantastic experience but I feel I have served my time now and home is waiting for me.
The trip back from Goa was easy but could have so easily been a drama. I did not calculate how long the journey to the airport would be in my mind, despite having made the trip when I arrived. When I arrived, everything was new and exciting and time always travels quickly in situations like that. It was due to this that I assumed the one hour journey was only about 25 minutes. The time on the way to the airport seemed to travel even quicker, but this time not in my favor. I did not want to sit around in Goa airport for hours with nothing to do, I wanted to arrive with little time to spare. As I recognised landmarks on the journey I quickly started to realise how far away we still were. 20 minuets to check-in closed came and went, as did 10 minuets, 5 minuets and then 5 minuets past closing. It was just one of those days where everything was taking an age and the drivers refusal to exceed 50km an hour started to infuriate me. I gave him his money and ran to the check in, 10 minutes after closing and with only 35 minutes until the plane was due to take off. I asked the lady behind the counter if I was too late, trying desperately not to use any charm or eager smiles that gave me no favors at Heathrow. She didn't say a word, looked confused at the hurry, took my booking form and asked me to put the bag on the scales. I had made it and was on the plane so quickly I saw my baggage being loaded after me.
Security is not quite the same as we have it at airports in the UK, although I was under the assumption there was some king of international code we had to follow. In my hurry I had forgotten about the bottles of water in my hand luggage that I had snatched from the hotel. My bag was kindly set aside when I made it through the metal detector. I pointed to it, accepting my fate. He pulled out the bottle and told me to have a sip, I did, and he ushered me on. Here the check is, if you can stomach it, you can have it. I hope the same doesn't apply to sword swallowers.
The trip back from Goa was easy but could have so easily been a drama. I did not calculate how long the journey to the airport would be in my mind, despite having made the trip when I arrived. When I arrived, everything was new and exciting and time always travels quickly in situations like that. It was due to this that I assumed the one hour journey was only about 25 minutes. The time on the way to the airport seemed to travel even quicker, but this time not in my favor. I did not want to sit around in Goa airport for hours with nothing to do, I wanted to arrive with little time to spare. As I recognised landmarks on the journey I quickly started to realise how far away we still were. 20 minuets to check-in closed came and went, as did 10 minuets, 5 minuets and then 5 minuets past closing. It was just one of those days where everything was taking an age and the drivers refusal to exceed 50km an hour started to infuriate me. I gave him his money and ran to the check in, 10 minutes after closing and with only 35 minutes until the plane was due to take off. I asked the lady behind the counter if I was too late, trying desperately not to use any charm or eager smiles that gave me no favors at Heathrow. She didn't say a word, looked confused at the hurry, took my booking form and asked me to put the bag on the scales. I had made it and was on the plane so quickly I saw my baggage being loaded after me.
Security is not quite the same as we have it at airports in the UK, although I was under the assumption there was some king of international code we had to follow. In my hurry I had forgotten about the bottles of water in my hand luggage that I had snatched from the hotel. My bag was kindly set aside when I made it through the metal detector. I pointed to it, accepting my fate. He pulled out the bottle and told me to have a sip, I did, and he ushered me on. Here the check is, if you can stomach it, you can have it. I hope the same doesn't apply to sword swallowers.
No comments:
Post a Comment