On one lazy Sunday afternoon in demonetized India (yeah... I can say lazy… because
even in demonetized India, banks have Sunday off!!!), for umpteenth time, I was
watching a highly entertaining yet soulful movie ‘The Terminal’. While Viktor
Navorski was going through those helpless situations in the movie, I happened
to receive a message from one of my friends. He was super irritated because his
visit to Germany had to be postponed as Lufthansa
had canceled 1,800 flights because of a strike by the German airline's pilots
over pay.
As soon as I read that message I had a sense of Déjà vu... I had
been Viktor Navorski myself because of Lufthansa strike and as cashless as I am
now (off course due to demonetization!!!!!). Strangely enough these three (The Terminal, Lufthansa
Airlines strike and 'Cashless India') mutually exclusive events were very much intertwined
in my ‘The Terminal’ moment..... Akin to PIP TV, while I was watching
Terminal, another movie started to roll in my mind....
Scene
1: Lufthansa Strike and 'Being Cashless'
Turning
back few personal memory pages... here's how the events unfolded:
Circa
2008.... I was to attend a 2 week training in our Buenos Aires office. So
began the visa activities... one of the major deviation in this visa process
was the requirement of a recommendation letter from State Chamber of Commerce..
Luckily enough our company was already an associate member... so getting that
letter was whole lot simpler than I expected and it was one of the few
activities that were completed smoothly and effortlessly as far as my entire
LatAm Sojourn was concerned...
So
then...... Visa photos…Tick; Visa Form and compiling related documents....Tick....; the checklist of requirements was getting completed at a fast clip... I
was all set for dossier submission to Argentina Embassy. Soon after all the docs were submitted and I
was waiting for the visa to be granted. Few days after, I received a call from
travel agent and while I hoped that he would give me a good news of my
Argentina visa being stamped, he informed me that I will need to apply for Schengen
Visa as well since I was traveling via Europe, my pitstop being Frankfurt Airport... so
began the activities for Schengen activities... within 2-3 days, documents of Schengen
visa were submitted. Finally after a gap of few anxious days.. I received both Schengen
and Argentina visa duly stamped on my passport... I was elated and looking for
my first trip to any Lat Am country.
But
a certain Mr. Murphy standing at a distant corner was laughing and waiting for
his turn to propel me into the realms of uncertainty!!!!!!
As
the travel day was approaching, the first Murphy salvo was fired!!! Lufthansa
staff decided to go on strike!!! The travel agent informed me that the airlines
is forking out an arrangement with another airlines..... So much for their
customer centricity, I thought!!!!
My
LatAm journey had 3 travel sectors: Ahmedabad to Mumbai, Mumbai to Frankfurt
and finally from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires. There was huge uncertainty about
travel leg from Mumbai, as reticent Lufthansa staff was in no mood to roll back
the strike. I still didn't have confirmed tickets, Passport with stamped visas
for BA travel in my hand nevertheless I decided to start my journey from
Ahmedabad.... As I landed in Mumbai and switched on my cell I saw 12 missed
calls from the travel agent... I hoped that there is some good news in
offing... Without even waiting to collect my bags I dialed for the travel agent.
“Sir,
we have confirmed tickets for your travel to BA... (Sigh of relief form me),
but Sir there's one problem, since we had Schengen visa we had to search for
the route via Europe and the only route available is via Charles de Gaulle (CDG),
Paris by Air France"
“I
am fine with it... as long as we have confirmed booking"
“Yes
Sir, we have already mailed you the itinerary and tickets few minutes back. But
there's one problem... (Mr Murphy was in his elements I thought)... You land at
CDG 7 am and your onward flight to BA is at 10 pm from CDG"
“I
can roam around Paris city before I board my next flight, right?"
Again
there was huge uncertainty whether I could roam around Paris city with just
transit visa, as per my travel agent I needed Tourist Visa!!!!! Mr Murphy was shooting at will and has a license to kill; I thought...
Now
that it was certain that finally I am flying to Argentina, another reality
dawned on me!!! Because of such prevailing chaos, I was advised not to purchase
any foreign currency for travel. So then, I had no foreign currency in my hand
and I was traveling several thousands of kilometers. It was a case of Bravado
or Foolhardiness!!! I can't choose between the two!!!!
Scene
2: The Terminal Moment:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts and secure all
baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. Ensure that your
seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off
all personal electronic devices" instructed the Air France airhostess....
after all the chaos and uncertainty these words sounded like music to my ears
as it was assuring that I am headed to CDG....one more step closer to final
destination!!!
As the adrenaline surge returned to normalcy, I started to think about
the options that I could trade after my landing at CDG.
Just like Viktor Navorski, I had to explain the entire situation to
French Airport Authorities in an alien language (English!!???). He had
inability to communicate in English and I was challenged in French. My previous
experience of asking direction of Eiffel Tower in English to French man was so
great (??!!) that ultimately I had to play dumb charades with that French guy.
I later realized that what I was pronouncing as 'I Fell Tower', he knew it as ‘Tour
'Ee fell'... so keeping in mind this experience and uncertain moments I had
gone through, I had decided to stay put at CDG airport.
Once I landed at CDG, I collected my luggage and from Arrival lounge I
was ferried by airport bus to Departure terminal, I searched for a nice runway
facing recliner seat and I parked myself there. My journey of being Viktor
Navorski had just begun.... The Terminal Moment had finally arrived..
Watching zillions of planes taking off and landing at CDG, calmed my
thumping heart and finally I started to believe that after this stopover of 15
hrs, I will be in BA; this feeling was really assuring, atleast they are not On Strike!!
After I reenergized myself with some great homemade food that I had
carried with myself, I decided to explore CDG. I saw a bunch some happy and
some very active travelers, bang in the middle of Terminal. As I moved towards
that active area, I realized that it was 'Stay Connected Zone'!!!! For few
Euros there was an opportunity to connect to world even though for some limited
time... Just to put few things in perspective, I had no foreign exchange on me,
I could not activate my International roaming and the smartest smartphone
generally doled out in corporate India in those days was Blackberry Curve!!! iPhone
was a luxury and style statement, whereas the Samsungs, the Micromaxs, the
Oppos and the Vivos of the current world, were not the household names they are now, India still being a monetized economy free flowing currency notes was the preferred way of moeny transaction; digital wallets existed only in sci-fi
movies.....so seeing that ‘Stay Connected Zone’ I was as happy as a kid in a
candy shop!!! At that instant I fully realized what Mastercard, very proudly
proclaimed in their ‘Priceless’ ad campaign…. "There are some things
money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard" as I could buy
for myself the time slot on CDG airport even when I was completely broke and
could connect to the world.
..... First I mailed my near and dear ones back in
India that I could manage to reach this far... second mail was naturally sent
to my office colleagues to let them know I am finally on my way.
Once that time slot was over, I turned into Viktor
Navorski again!!! I decided to do some shop hopping and first in pecking order
was…. treating myself with some aromatherapy!!! I entered into 'Body and
Perfume Shops' and started testing all the perfumes available on the sale. When
I finally exited from the shop, I had successfully managed to knock off 1 hour
from my ‘15 Terminal hours’!! Another funny thought crossed my mind, I had
tested so many perfumes, colognes during this self-help aromatherapy session
that I felt I was like this big potpourri dried flower smelling of Armani, Hugo
Boss, Grey Fennel, Versace!!!!
Buoyed by this first experience I set my eyes on
luxurious and some uber luxurious accessories from the fashion houses
of Bulgari, Mont
Blanc, Hermès, Lois Vitton, Cartier, Swarovski. After this 1.5 hrs of fashion
binge; I stepped out with refreshed mind and famished body!!!
After
a session of serious gluttony, I was raring to go on my CDG expedition. Had
another window shopping round of Relay and other accessories stores.
It
was around evening now, the Sun was setting on Paris and so was my energy level.
I wasn't the same enthusiastic CDG explorer that I was few hours ago!! So I
posited myself on a nice tarmac facing recliner and started playing Solitaire
(seriously???!!!) on my Laptop!!!! I could see many flights taking off/landing
and few others plying across various parking bays. It was really fascinating to
watch such a high number of flights controlled so seamlessly 24*7 by Air
Traffic Control.
Zzzzzz...snoozed
my phone and I awoke from the slumber. I didn't even realize when I fell asleep
on that recliner!!! It was almost the time for my final flight of the journey
that started from Ahmedabad.
"Welcome
to Buenos Aires International Airport" when I heard these words, I
couldn't believe that I had finally reached BA!!!
Elated
by this new status- ‘Landed in BA’, I collected my bags from belt, seated
myself in the cab that was already waiting for me and began an absolute last leg
of my final destination: cozy and secure environs of my room!!! As soon as I reached
in room, I just dropped my bags and collapsed on the bed and woke up next
morning completely rejuvenated.
…..by the time I had reached last frame of my own PIP movie; I realized
that Viktor has arrived in New York at the hotel where Benny Golson is performing,
and he could finally collect the last autograph. "I am going
home" says very satisfied Viktor as he steps into a taxi and places
the last signature into the can; I thought my reaction would've been similar,
"I am at home" when I woke up rejuvenated next morning.
Visit
to Floralis Generica, watching Tango in the land of it's origin, visiting Eva Peron's tomb; were the
perfect sweet fruits of labor; that I had endured to reach Buenos Aires.
P.S.: The Terminal
is partially inspired by the 18-year stay of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle International
Airport, Paris, France, from 1988 to 2006!!!!! What a coincidence!!!
