The taxi driver was quite friendly and kept trying to talk to me, but was repeating the same questions over and over again. He was also on the phone a lot, stating he was talking with his sister who wanted to know where he was. He took me on a "short cut," which was through incredibly narrow and bumpy backroads, but we ended up near the airport. Then we stopped. I asked the driver what we were doing, and he stated we were waiting for his sister. Oh, ok. That makes sense... About a minute later, a woman gets in the back seat and somehow manages to squish herself in with all of my luggage. We head off again to the airport and arrive without additonal stops or shortcuts. I managed to get my stuff on a pushcart, paid the driver, and thanked him. Only about ten minutes later did I realize that I left my knock-off North Face jacket in the cab. So sad...
After fighting through a crowd of people, I made it to the first security check. While waiting in line, I realized that almost all of the Nepali people either had tikas on their foreheads (Hindu blessing) or were wearing a Buddhist scarf given as a blessing from a monk. Some were wearing multiple scarves (I saw one guy wearing at least ten) and the tikas were especially prominent. I felt like I had missed the mandatory blessing station on my way in...
The first security check consisted of an x-ray and a pat down. No harm done. Then I waited in line for my tickets, which proved to be a challenge of my patience and nerves. I handed over my passport, seeing that everyone else had gotten through quickly, and hoped for the best. Hope failed. The agent was having lots of difficulties and passed my passport around to at least three different people. He then asked me to "step aside and wait a moment" while he went forward with the next customer. I "stepped aside" about two feet so I could watch my passport and luggage and asked how long "a moment" was. I was told about five minutes. Five minutes came and went. I was told to go to another counter after about ten minutes, where another woman tried to figure out the "technical issue." She did a lot of furrowing her brow and biting her lip, which did nothing to calm my nerves. The whole while, I was keeping an eye on my luggage behind the counter. Good thing I was, as they labeled it with someone else's information and tried to send it away on the carousel as I was shouting that it was my luggage. They saved it before it passed through to no man's land. Thank goodness. Crisis averted.
They were finally able to issue the ticket for my first fight and check my bags (appropriately this time) through to San Francisco, but could not issue my second ticket, though they assured me that my seat was confirmed. The agent told me she would keep working on it and would try to get me my ticket at the boarding area. I did not have high hopes, but thanked her for the effort and went on my way.
Next came the second security check. All this required was showing your boarding pass and ensuring you had an airline tag on all carry-on baggage. Why? I'm not sure exactly. But this was essential and you would be sent back for an airline tag if you did not have one on your backpack.
Immigration was the next stop. You had to fill out the same immigration form on the way out as on the way in. These instructions were not explicitly laid out or explained anywhere, so many people made it through the line only to find out they had to fill out the form, so they would have to leave, fill it out, and get back in the line. Thankfully, this was not me. My parents had warned me about this form ahead of time, so I was prepared.
Next step was security check number three. There is, apparently, a male and female line. I was not aware of this and was standing in the very long male line when a nice man behind me told me to get in the "ladies line." Why thank you kind sir, I will do just that. Another x-ray and pat down. They also stamped both sides of the ticket and the oh-so-important airline tags with security stamps.
After that, the next security checkpoint was in about one hundred feet, where you displayed your freshly stamped ticket. And then on you go.
From there, you enter a departure area that is quite uncomfortable and very stinky. Not sure if it was because of the proximity to the bathroom, the clientele in the departure area, or a combination of the two... Luckily, I did not have to stay there long, as they soon instructed all passengers to pre-board through gate 3. This required lots of pushing to get half of your ticket torn off and walking down a hallway. When my turn finally got to the front of the line, my boarding pass for my second flight was waiting for me! The gods were smiling on me, even if I didn't get my mandatory blessing before departure.
The pre-boarding area consisted of an even smaller room, but at least there was no unpleasant odor. We stood around for another half hour, at least, and then the magic curtains opened so we could board our flight. One curtain was for males, one for females. I figured this out on my own this time. I was quite proud of myself. It was here where we passed through our last security check point, which consisted of a final half-hearted pat down. Then it's a free-for-all to the plane, up the stairs, and to your seat. I made it, sat down, and took a huge sigh of relief. I need a strong drink...
And that, in a nutshell, is how you depart from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment