Journey To Muscat – Darjeeling Boy Goes His Way Via Kolkata and Mumbai

Its been a while I have not been updated with my blog so that I would restart blogging again. So, today I am at Muscat, been a month but to catch up with my blogging. I would like to rewind my life one month ago and begin.

     So, I got this job in a restaurant chain in Muscat, Oman and I was ready to go Muscat from Darjeeling and then my long journey begun.

      Darjeeling is located in quite a corner of India so from Darjeeling my two hours drive begun to Siliguri, with all my bags packed as I had to catch a train to Kolkata from New Jalpaiguri. So, in the evenings I caught the teesta torsa express from NJP and left for Kolkata. As this train is known for being late like always it was late and I reached Kolkata around 11am in the morning and checked in to a hotel in Kolkata. All tired from my journey I took rest, had a little rest and went for some shopping for Indian stuffs. Spending my late evenings shopping and then going with friends for some dinner and drinks, I spent the night in the hotel.

Posing at Dum Dum Airport

     It was 17^th of February, and it was time to leave so I caught a cab with my friends who were also going to Muscat with me and left for the airport. The Subhash Chandra Bose Airport is Kolkata had actually had a new look. It had been a while I had not been to the Kolkata airport at Dum dum, not a frequent flyer and I was stunned to see how the Kolkata airport had transformed to a huge modern airport from what it used to be few years ago. So, with quite an excitement, I checked in several hours ago and there I was in the waiting room, waiting for my flight. Enjoying cups of coffee, I waited for my flight. I am a transit via Mumbai so I first had to go Mumbai and change my flight to Muscat from there.

     It was Air India that I was travelling in and it was quite new for me as I had not travelled with this airlines as it was either Jet Airways or Spice Jet when I used to travel by air before. So it was 4.45pm and I took off from Kolkata. The airplane was okay, not much impressive, like private airlines in India and the cabin crew members not at all hospitable. Maybe I belong to the hospitality industry thats why I always look to precise detail but I could even notice the airhostesses in Air India smile, not even once while I was in the flight. I still remember when the airplane took off and a passenger in my front, who seems not to be a frequent flyer just stood up to use the washroom and then an airhostess in the back screamed at him with a stern voice and it did make me remember my old headmistress from school. So, gulping a complimentary snack and tea, in about two hours I was there landing in Mumbai. I peeped from the window while I was landing in Mumbai and I was so amazed by the fabulous bird eye view of the city of Mumbai, with the red lights in the streets, buildings and coast, all so beautiful at night.

At the Mumbai Airport

     So, landing at around 7.30pm in the domestic terminal, I got down and got in the Valey service for the international terminus. While I dunno exactly how far the international terminus is but while I travelled in the bus to the international terminus in Mumbai, I found it quite far. So, there I was in the huge International terminus of the Chatrapatti Airport in Mumbai. So, as I got in the Chatrapatti Airport International terminus, I just went for the immigrations and then there was a bad time. I huge queue at the immigration and then, no one at the counter I was lined up to attend. Yes, there were people with us queuing at the immigrations in Mumbai and then no one to attend. Finally someone came up in the counter but he was really slow. Time was flying and I got really scared that I may miss my flight and yes it was scary. It was 9.45pm and I was still in the immigration line when it was 10pm when my flight was departing. All so scared, nervous and in a hurry, I finally got through immigrations and literally hurried running towards the check in gate, passing all the lovely airport shops but had no time to drop at one. When I reached the gate, it was 9.59pm and the gate was closing and I was like ‘wooh’ I made it so all excited and tired, I entered the flight.

      As I entered the flight and got my seat, all I saw around was lots of old Indian and arab men and just 3 women in the entire flight with us and I was ‘huh?’. So, as I tiredly sat in my seat, there came a voice of the airhostess in the speakers,” Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry to inform that your flight is delayed by an hour. We regret for the inconvience.” And I was like ‘huh?’ again after running in the airport like I was running for the Olympics and yes, it was Air India again that I was travelling from Mumbai to Muscat. I just looked around this International Airplane and I saw no TV and I was disappointed. Then all I could get access to was a newspaper which was 3 days old. So, an International service by Air India from Mumbai and I get this? You call that a good service? And yes, as I expect, was old airhostesses, though age doesn’t matter but all the cabin crew members there too had that stern look with non-smiling face and I was like I am scared to even ask them for a bottle of water.

    So it was about quarter passed eleven and the flight finally took off. Phew! Finally I am leaving India. As soon as the flight took off, the airhostess began their dining service, as just some biryani and curry and I was full. Then came complimentary drinks. That was the good part. I am not a heavy drinker but I wanted time to pass a bit quickly so I asked for whisky. Yes, whisky, and two pegs was the limits so enjoying those two pegs of whisky for several minutes, I tried to sleep but no sleep. After trying a lot sometime, I was finally falling asleep then DING! An announcement, I was landing in Muscat airport and I was like WOW finally! Yes, we reached Muscat airport so as I landed, I got out and took this valey to the airport from the place we landed.

View of Muscat while landing

      So, I was finally in the middle east and I expected a huge busy airport and all I got was a small airport terminus, dead, with little people. Yes, it was about past midnight local time and the airport was very light with people. Then what? Again yes, I long long queuing at the immigrations. At the immigrations I witnessed something which I have been witnessing ever since everyday. Me, being a Nepalese Indian boy living in India, I look typically Asian and at the immigrations, the Omani officials were checking my passport and asked me a question, Are you Indian? Are you sure? How can you be Indian? Aren’t you Filipino? DO you have relatives in China? Is you mother or father from Korea? Which are jut weird questions I still get to hear till today and I don’t know what to answer them. I mean people stereotype when they think about people from India as people from different parts of India look different and I look Asian and there are hundreds of thousands of people who are Indians in India who have the same facial features like mine. But smiling, I cleared the immigrations and got my luggages.

      As me and my friends got out of the airport, I saw a lady with a board holding our names, waiting for us to receive, whom I today know as my manager and a very good friend of mine, Miss Jelly. Well, this is the journey I had from this little town Darjeeling in India to Muscat, Oman and I will be updating more soon so stay tuned.