Ever since we first migrated to the US in the year 2005, we are always on the move; moving 4 times in equal number of years. And, each time the move has been increasingly painful and energy sapping. In our last move from San Francisco to Delhi, which incidentally happened just a couple of days back, we experienced the various "well-planned-turned-awry" ordeals of travel.Little did we know, that we would be the protagonists of the stories which we used to savor and enjoy at the expense of someone else's sufferings.
Our travails started when we checked in at the SFO airport. Most of our luggages were overweight(though a few pounds) and one carry-on bag exceeded the eligibility-dimension allowed by Cathay Pacific. And, understandably the airline representative would not budge. Even after repeated solicitations we had to finally resort to re-distributing the items in order to meet the prescribed weight limits. Six bags, flung open in public on the airport concourse provided a gateway to the innards of the kuila family. And, travelers, who were waiting in the line for their turn to check-in, enjoyed(I could hear their intermittent chuckles and feel their riveting eyes) the incident with utmost pleasure.Eventually, we managed to re-package all the excess luggage, but had to get rid of a carry-on bag. It was the same bag which the representative speculated would not fit in the overhead-bins;Surprisingly, when I boarded the flight, I saw numerous carry-ons much larger than mine. Come to think of it, I guess it was the most grueling hour and half of my life.However, the first leg of our travel(SFO-Delhi) was a very comfortable one. Cathay Pacific has generously upgraded its long-haul flights. The seats were much more ergonomic and chic, the personal TV system was bigger and better(high resolution thus providing a striking clarity) and the entertainment system was loaded with an array of games,songs,documentaries and movies. The movies section indeed had a wide variety of collection, ranging from old Hollywood classics such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca and Taxi Driver to the new releases such as Appaloosa, Eagle eye and Lakeview Terrace. The TV infotainment section also featured Nat Geo and Discovery documentaries, popular sitcoms including Larry David's "Curb your enthusiasm", Friends, Seth MacFarlane's adult comic strip "The Family Guy" and much viewed travel programmes such as The Lonely Planet and Antarctic Expeditions. I was impressed by the offerings.
The next phase of our agonies came in the form of Indian customs. Apparently, the six bags we were lugging around raised the antennae of the custom inspectors at the Delhi airport. As a consequence,we were detained for some time as they(Indian Customs) fancied that I was smuggling a stuffed eagle. Turned out it was a decorative metal piece of bald-eagle I purchased in Alaska. While I was taking out the required suitcase from the stroller for inspection, the wobbly cart buckled under weight resulting in a collapse of all the suitcases which were perched comfortably on it. The tumbling down hard-top suitcases nearly crushed my toe but I managed to wrench it out in the nick of time.Even though the wait was relatively painless, but for a weary and jaded traveler who just experienced a never-ending 24 hour journey,the wait was enough to throw one in a complete disarray.
This write-up would not be complete if I do not dedicate a few lines to the tacit and unwieldy travel companions - Luggages. Maneuvering those heavy luggages(Bringing them down from our 1st floor apartment in Fremont and then dragging them back to our first floor house in Delhi)provided me with some endurance tests. For a person who always considered himself as a fit and a powerful man, the pulling and pushing of these luggages offered a serious reality check. Though I managed to drive those bags around, the lingering memories of the travel are still afresh(in the form of back and body aches),reminding me of the ordeal I had to undergo.
Though it was a journey braided with joys and sufferings, this travel made me understand one fundamental fact, which hitherto used to be my wife's constant complain every time we moved(I could never relate to her as I hardly helped her in the packing during all our moves). A move of any sort, be it inter-state or inter-continental, aint fun.
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