May I see your boarding card please

He took my passport and asked for my boarding card. I gave him my printout (from my online check-in) and he gawped. Smiling patronizingly, he said, "no, no that is an e-ticket".

"Nope, trust me it is a boarding pass – I got it after I checked in online. Because I do not have a bag to drop in – I don't need to go to the counter here."

He explained how the boarding pass worked and showed me a sample. I smiled back and said I know what it looks like. I was trying to save time and time was eluding me. I should have turned around right then and gone straight to the Emirates check in counter and done the conventional thing. But I am stubborn. So I persevered.

He called his supervisor. He took a look at it. I reassured him that I had actually travelled on a very similar document from Dubai. The guy shrugged his shoulders and stamped me through after having a look at my visa for UAE.

I went towards security check and the guy stopped me and asked me why my luggage had no tags. Go back to Emirates counter and get luggage tags. I walked back – the guy at the exit said I could not go back – but handed me a couple of tags. So I went through to Security. The bags went through. I went through. They checked me and then out came my boarding card. She gawped. Trust me – there is no other way to describe the look on their faces. It is a disbelieving look. She took it to her supervisor – I think they were at the end of their shift and so they didn't want the hassle so they asked me to go back to the counter and get a rubber stamp from the airline. Bureaucratic red tape.

So back I walked. Now I was a bit worried that I might miss my flight. I was told that once I had gone through immigration – I could not leave. So I hung around while they decided what to do with me while time ticked by. After 20 mins – the guys mentioned that they were not security guys at all and that I needed to go elsewhere. I glared.

Nabbed a policeman and explained how electronic check in was legitimate and they checked me and stamped me through security. I went to the departure gate and suddenly I was not as sure as I should have been. So I called Skywards because I had no Emirates 24 hours customer service number. I told them that I had checked in online but because I had no luggage – I went straight to immigration. She reassured me that I was fine and I could board the flight.

I wasn't. When the Emirates team came to the boarding gate – I asked them again. And they were horrified that I had made it to the gate without a "proper" boarding card. They did make sure that I was on that flight – I have to thank Emirates and their customer service for that. Unfortunately because I had convinced them at immigration and security, they let someone else through as well.

Am I glad I'm home. Let's say I am not checking in online again except in Dubai.

Trip to Mumbai – day 1

My first trip in 20 years and more than 25 in the business community, I arrived in Mumbai feeling like a fish out of water.

The first thing that hit me was the level of humidity. That would normally not have phased me but 20 years in Dubai has softened me with air conditioning at the end of my finger. I think it surprised me more because I did not expect it this early in the year. Fortunately for a "phorener" like me, the client had sent an air-conditioned car to pick me up. As we drove from the airport to the office, I recognized very little and yet they stayed the same. The streets were still teeming with millions, horns blaring, five lanes (and I use this term very loosely) where there should have been three dominated surprisingly (or not) by the very nifty drivers of the auto rickshaws (three wheeled taxis). I tell you I could not drive here. It would frighten me. There is barely a few inches of space between cars (and I am not exaggerating).

Once I reached office, I was comfortable because this was "my territory". It was a reasonably productive day until I went to the motel nearby where I was staying. My bag had been dropped off by someone from the office so I thought all I had to do was pick up my key and go for a much-needed shower to take off the layer of dust from my hair and face. Not quite so quickly. They could not find my name. They were looking for a booking for Mita but the name there was Srinivasan. I said that was my surname but they focused on me being Mita. And of course, I was down as a Mr. I think someone probably subconsciously decided that a Mrs could not be here on a business trip. Especially one with an Indian surname. Did I mention that it was a very small motel in the suburb? After a lot of kufuffle, I did manage to get a key to my room where my bag was already there. On a plus side – it was Spartan but clean and I hope cheap. I did notice that there was a price of Rs. 5500 scribbled below my name. If that was the rate paid for this – it is seriously overpriced. Next time I will find my own hotel.

The evening was spent in a taxi from Malad to Altamount Road to meet my 85-year old aunt. She looked well and very happy to see me. She had wanted me to stay with her but it might have been a bit expensive and strenuous because at the end of the day I was here on work.

A language problem at home

Visiting Mumbai after more than 20 years, I could have been visiting a foreign land.

As I landed in Mumbai's International Terminal yesterday, the humidity, dust and ancient taxis, roads and other systems were a shock even for me. There have been changes but I could have been in a time warp on that drive from the airport to my client's office in Malad. Ancient taxis built for midgets jostled for three-wheelers (auto rickshaws), motorcycles, cycles, people, thankfully no cows, and posh foreign cars. There were very posh high-rises standing cheek by jowl with shacks hosting little shops.

What I was most surprised is my inability to find the right words in Hindi to communicate. At the best of times, my Hindi (or Marathi or Gujarati) wasn't anything to write home about but it was harder this time around. English has always been my first language but I never had much problems communicating in my native languages of Bengali or Hindi but I was surprised at how bad I was this time around.

I'm sure the words will be back.

in hot (ish) and humid Mumbai

Gmail is back to normal