First Days of India

This post is much longer than it was meant to be, I'm going to blame AIR INDIA for this.

Ok guys, so now I'm now here in India. I had possibly the worst trip to India imaginable. I landed in Dubai at midnight and had a 16 hour wait in transit for my next flight. When it came time for me to catch my flight I was informed that my Air India flight was delayed for 7.5 hours. After waiting all this time, I head to the flight info desk only to be told that there would be a further 2-hour delay. I had barely slept and was worried about falling asleep and missing my flight. I finally boarded after waiting 25.5 hours in the transit lounge to catch the 2.5-hour flight to Delhi airport. The plane was a big pile of shit and I quickly noticed that I was perhaps one of the only "white" guy on the flight. I searched my way throughout the cabin and perhaps noticed maybe a max of 1-2 others. The captain on the loud speaker apologised for the delay and informed us that he would be flying at "increased speed" to make up for it. What a joke!

At the airport, I had a feeling that more was to go wrong and I was right. My suitcase did not show up at Delhi airport and I was told they don't know where it is and they are investigating its location. I have been calling Air India since and the only information I am given is "We don't have any information at this time, call back latter". I might make the suggestion to all you now to NEVER fly Air India.

Some trendy looking Tibetan monk came to meet me at the airport. He then got me into a car and we headed off. I actually had no idea where I was going. The ride was a truly unforgettable experience, the roads of Delhi are crazy, like really crazy. The only apparent road rule I noticed was that you had to keep beeping your horn as much as possible. You would think there was some kind of prize for who could do it the most. A lot of the time there are no lanes and when there are, the motorist simply ignore them. I carefully observed my driver and noticed that he did not use his blinker even once. From time to time traffic would get blocked as cows, goats and people would casually just make there way onto the road. At major intersections you could occasionally find "Delhi Traffic Police" buildings. These were often a little hut made out of scrap rusty sheet iron with some traffic officer out the front in a deck chair usually sleeping.

After about one hour in the car I arrive at a Tibetan Refugee Camp on the outskirts of Delhi. The only way to describe this place was intense and I learned that this is the place were I would be staying for the next few nights. The place was not so bad though. During meal times, I from time to time eat with Tibetan Monks (who are not Vegetarians) who give me advice about India and seem to have an answer to any possible question you can come up with. During lunch today all the power cut out and the room was filled with darkness, I was told by one of them this happens from time to time and we both burst out into laughter. There are not too many westerners where I am and there is definitely a bit of a culture shock going on but despite this, I actually feel very safe where I am. There are however bells, drums and chanting that seem to go on all over the place from time to time and this can make sleeping difficult. This morning I woke to the sound of someone ringing a Tibetan Meditation bell and chanting somewhere near my room, this went on for at least 2 hours.

In the morning I decided to go out beyond the confines of the camp I was in. I was constantly hassled by people offering taxi services. In the attempt to avoid the numerous bikes, cars, people and goats, I shortly noticed that I had stepped in a pile of shit! Fuck! I tried to get as much as I could off my shoe and kept walking. I noticed that outside the colony there was shit almost everywhere so I found myself having the pleasure of negotiating my way passed the heavy passing by of bicycles and the numerous piles of shit. I decided very quickly it was best not to walk to much further outside of the colony and so headed back inside.

In the afternoon I was told my bag had arrived at the airport and that I was required to come and collect it in person. I had a taxi and driver arranged for me and I made my 45min ride to the airport. With the taxi driver waiting for me, I found the Air India office and expected to have my bag within no time. I was wrong. What appears to have been a relatively simple procedure was inflated by shear Indian Bureaucracy. To give you an idea, let me give you an idea of exactly what I had to do to collect my bag.

Indian Bag Collecting Bureaucracy

1) Wait in queue (if you could call it a queue) at the Air India office and present passport, lost baggage report, and airline tickets.

2) Fill out "collection of baggage" report.

3) Have the Air India office check and sign that you have filled out the form properly.

4) Bring the competed form to the airport manager (at the opposite side of the airport) to see if you qualify for security access to customs area. [Note: there was a guard with a mounted machine gun surround by a sand bagged wall outside the airport managers office... I have no idea why]

5) Pass into another office where your application for security access is processed and special access form is filled out.

6) Return back to airport managers office and have him sign your security pass.

7) Enter arrivals area and have police officer at the entrance look at your pass and wait to be granted access.

8) Pass another security checkpoint in customs area where my passport is analysed and further access is granted.

9) Find "Mishandled baggage" office (there are no signs) and line up in a queue again in order to have your request processed.

10) Line up in a queue in the warehouse office, have your request processed and put into some book, sign book and then pay a FEE for having your baggage stored.

11) Wait for someone to show and take you to the warehouse.

12) Hand over your documents to the warehouse manager and wait for your baggage.

13) Go through customs again and have your baggage X rayed.

14) Fill out a form which declares exactly ALL the contents, quantity and price in Indian Rupees!!! Of everything in your bag.

15) Have your completed report stamped by the X ray officer (the x ray officer had mysteriously disappeared for some reason, and I couldn't do anything until I found him)

16) Return to the "Mishandled baggage" office AGAIN, queue up and have them record that you have received your baggage.

17) Pass through customs and show them you have completed all your forms.

18) Return to Air India office, fill out form declaring all the damages you have suffered due to your bag being lost.

19) My bag was damaged so I had to fill out a separate damage report.

20) Wait about 10min for my bag to be assessed and then told that it is not damaged sufficiently enough to be entitled for compensation.

21) Sign form which accepts there very generous 600 Indian Rupee compensation (equivalent to about $ 17 Australian Dollars)

22) Pay to call my taxi driver and arrange for him to meet him and take me back to my hostel. - Cost of Taxi, 750 Rupees

In total, it took me 4 hours to collect ONE bag from Delhi airport. I spoke with an American who was also lining up for her bag and she told me that NO ONE on her AIR INDIA flight received their baggage upon arrival in Delhi. Did mention somewhere never to fly Air India? Please take my advice.

I am now back at my hostel writing this and despite all the problems with getting here this place is perhaps the most intensely interesting place I have been so far on my travels. It is going to take me a while to get used to India but I am really looking forward to learn more about it. I just hope I don't have to fill out any more forms for a while.

(This guy was not quite as excited as I was about having this photo taken)