Travel woes and lessons learned

I’ve just returned to Kabul after 16 days leave and I’m happy to be home – as it is a sheer joy not to be going near an airport or an aeroplane in the near future and no longer to be living out of a suitcase… It was lovely to be out of Afghanistan, as no matter how well you think you are doing a break from the stains of living here is very welcome. However, for me it was the departure that was the cause of major stress. On waking up on the day that I was to leave I was greeted with the city covered in snow and still more falling steadily from the grey skies. I didn’t even get the chance to check-in as while still in the queue the flight was cancelled and rescheduled for the following day. Normally, this would have been an irritating inconvenience…but for the first time, I was travelling with the need to be somewhere at a certain time – to meet friends to go on holiday. So I rescheduled my flight out of Dubai – and hoped that the forecast would be right and the snow would not continue into the following day. On the way to the airport for the rescheduled flight the sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining brightly. Thankfully, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan allows for planes to fly on a Friday – and thankfully, Kabul international airport is not so busy that it cannot find slot for an unscheduled flight…

We were due to depart at 0930, and at 0930 we were called and I breathed a deep sigh of relief, thinking that the bad luck was over… But instead of boarding the plane we were taken to a separate building to be given breakfast and to be informed that we would have a few hours wait before our departure. The reason for the delay? It obviously wasn’t the visibility as it was clear and bright… We listened in disbelief when the airport officials said that we were waiting for the sun to melt the snow on the runway. Kabul International Airport is not the most sophisticated, as perhaps you might expect…however it is used by the international military and the UN and these organisations have contributed to improving the infrastructure. So the fact that we were waiting for the sun to clear the runway was a little hard to take in – and to be reassured that the snow would melt in the number of hours claimed. The airport apparently does have a de-icer, but it was in a state of disrepair, in the middle of winter.

After a couple of hours wait our disbelief was confounded and it was announced that the sun had indeed burned brightly and melted the snow on the runway. Though happy to be finally beginning my journey, I knew that I had missed my connecting flight once again in Dubai. On arrival at Dubai’s Terminal 2, it was remarkably busy given the odd locations it services (see previous post Making money from trouble). The queue at the transfer desk swamped the official on duty, his continued calls into his radio for assistance were finally met only after he had dealt with all the harassed travellers desperate to make their connections.

I was able to reschedule my flight, though the new flight was to arrive in London an hour before I was due to depart with my friend on holiday… So very tight, and only possible if very lucky. And for my extra delight I had 9 hours to kill in Dubai before departing at 3am. On arrival in London I was spared the mad dash as we arrived late and so I already knew that I had missed the connection. I took my time and rescheduled yet another flight to enable me to finally get to my holiday destination. On arrival at the baggage reclaim I realised that the laws of probability had finally caught up with me. Given the number of times that I fly I often stand at baggage reclaim thinking that it must be my time to have my luggage go missing. And this was that time.

Lesson learned 1. If you have enough time (and the visa) to transfer between the two terminals at Dubai on the outside, carrying your luggage yourself, then do it.

Lesson learned 2. It is amazing how easy it is to travel with only a few items. And don’t pack anything you would be sorry to lose permanently.

Lesson learned 3. Put your mobile phone charger in your carry on luggage (this is a lesson that I really should not have had to learn through experience)

Lesson learned 4. Don’t make connecting travel plans when leaving Afghanistan in the winter, unless it involves a long lay over in the first destination.

Lesson learned 5. A bad experience is never totally negative. Due to checking in 9 hours before the flight, I was allocated (without asking) what some people consider to be the best seat on a plane (in economy at least), the window seat by the emergency exit – the one with the leg room. So I was able to sleep a little. And with missing my connection in London I had plenty of time to shop – to get a few essential items that I no longer had due to the missing luggage.

My return journey was smooth – the hotel in Dubai relaxing and all flights were on time. Kabul was an almost pleasurable 6°C on arrival. And I travelled in the knowledge that my bag had been located in Dubai and should be waiting back in Kabul for me. However, it seems that my luggage decided that it prefers the warmer climes of Dubai and so far still hasn’t turned up. I am still trying to discover how a found bag can again become lost, though no-one has been able to enlighten me on this one. In the meantime, I have been asked once again for the tag number… I hope that my bad luck is now over and that I will be reunited with my luggage, when it is ready to return.

And my holiday? It was lovely to be in warm sunshine, be out in the fresh air (away from the dust and smoke of Kabul), to be able walk around and to travel to places at will – without needing official permission. It was great to see family and friends, to eat good food and to have 24 hour power and central heating. And it is these simple things, those that normally one would take for granted, that give such pleasure.