My Travelogue |
Tales of my first time
|
Homebound |
A collection of stories about my years of overland travel, holidays and short breaks, around the world.
This is the story of my first overland trip, Trans Asia 1975.
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Homebound
The Journey Home
Kathmandu
We arrived at the airport, after a short taxi ride.
Still worrying about whether there was going to be problems with the money. Lots of significant players knew that we either had money or goods that we should not be leaving the country with.
We had our packed lunch though, so all was going to be alright. It was meant to be for the short flight to New Delhi, instead of the food served on the plane. We had heard rumors that, as the food was locally sourced, it had the normal local problems. High potential for upset stomach! Not a good idea just before a long flight.
As it was we sailed through passport and customs. Security was perhaps a little up close and personal, but not for long. We were on our way. A wait for the plane, then a short walk across the apron, and up the stairs. We were on the plane. Not a large plane, Kathmandu airport was neither well equipped nor large, and with the mountains surrounding it, small was best.
The roar of the engines and we were in the air, climbing out of the valley, beside the mountains, then clear of the 'low' foot hills, and off towards New Delhi. What a view. Only 1.5hr flight, no time and we are landing again, in India. Bye bye Nepalese Airlines, Bye bye Nepal. Thanks for a wonderful stay. My first ever flight. My first time aboard a plane.
New Delhi
Our time in New Delhi hardly counts as a visit. We were transit passengers. We did not enter India officially. I seem to recall that we could have left the airport briefly, but we would have to be returning so soon after leaving that it was not worth the hassle.
Air India was to be our carrier. My first flight on a Jumbo. The first of many. We had already eaten our packed lunch, so we were going to eat the food that they were going to serve us in flight. Fingers crossed.
One of the engines had just blown up
We did not have to worry about that though. About four minuets after take off, there was a loud bang. One of the engines had just blown up. With a full load of passengers and fuel, the plane was struggling. We did not have to worry about the food. It was more serious than that, much more. We leveled off, without having gained much altitude, dumped a load of fuel, and proceeded to turn around, and head back to Delhi. Following in the tail of a proceeding Jumbo. The pilot's announcements were clear and calm, first in English, and then in Hindi. Just as well as there were the beginnings of panic in the back.
No circling in a stack for us, we came straight into land. Hurtling past the blue flashing lights racing us to the end of the runway. We won, the fire engines came second. We were going much faster because with one of four engines out of commission, only two engines could be used for reverse thrust. We came to a holt at the end of the runway, the very end. Waiting, not for more blue lights to arrive, but amber. Waiting for a 'tug' to push us back from the brink of the runway, and on towards the apron. We did not need to use the shoots, it was a normal disembarkation, just with a lot more relief.
This is an impossible coincidence. The probability, well, just plane improbable. After our return to the UK, Pete was employed by a construction company in East Anglia. Pete told me that he was talking to somebody there, and somehow, the conversation was about planes. It could have been as simple as "My dad's a pilot ..." It turns out that he is the son of the pilot of the plane with the engine that blew up. What a coincidence. What is even more surprising is that the way he told it to his son, he thought that was the end for him. Crash, no survivors! Tomorrow's headlines, around the world. This did not come across in his announcements. Cool, calm, and collected, it the face of adversity. So, well done that man, we all lived, thanks to his skill.
So, well done that man, we all lived, thanks to his skill.
Arriving immediately after another Jumbo, un expected as we were, put a huge strain on the airport systems. Everybody from our plane was waved through customs and immigration without a by your leave. We checked that we could do the same, being transit passengers, we did not have Entry stamps in our passport. No not a problem, waved through with the rest.
We were all bundled of to various hotels.
There the efficiency declined. Very little information was getting through to passengers. A few people managed to get on to earlier flights to London, probably just filling up places on other Air India flights. The was no mention of extra or special flights. They probably did not have a spare plane.
Now, as I understand it, the Jumbo Jet was originally designed as a six engine aircraft. Accordingly, it has the structure required to mount six engines. However, six engines would have made it un-economic, and it could pass most of the FECA tests with just four.
Having the extra pods proved very useful, as that was how our replacement engine arrived, a Jumbo with five engines.
We tried to get an earlier flight, to no avail. We had arranged to meet up with Ferrari man based on our booked flight. We didn't have a way of contacting him in time. We missed the meeting, and the opportunity dissolved. Probably just as well, in hindsight, too good to be true.
Four days after we had taken off from Delhi airport, it was our turn again. The plane had been repaired. Back to the airport we go. Less urgency from the airport staff this time. Understandably, we were expected, not the surprise out of the sky.
We had to go through the process of checking in and getting our passport checked and stamped. Slight problem. We did not have a entry stamp into India, nor the exit stamp for our flight that was abandoned.
Shock, horror, we were illegal immigrants!
Arrested again
We were arrested, and taken off to the police station in the airport. We were questioned, and questioned again. We could not get them to understand that we were transit passengers and therefore did not enter India, officially, at all. Only after the plane returned, and we went to the hotel. We kept hearing announcements on the airport tannoy that our flight had been delayed, just as well as it would have gone without us otherwise. We did get tea, and they were fairly affable, albeit intransigent regarding our arrest.
The PA system announced our flight was about to commence boarding. We had been under arrest for over an hour by now, patience was wearing thin, and we could be about to miss our flight home. More delay, would we have to buy more tickets?
We changed who we were. No longer the arrested tourists, illegal immigrants.
We became people who know what they want. We told our guards to bring the station commander to us at once. The roles changed instantly. They obeyed. Five minutes later, we were free to go. We told the police to pick up our luggage and carry it with us to the plane as we could not miss it. They obliged, and cleared the path for us, just like the celebrities we had become.
Amazing, sometimes attitude works. The offices that arrested us had become totally compliant. I would not like to try that today though!
The plane was ready for us.
The flight was amazing. We saw the sun rise three times. We left Delhi at night, landed in the Middle East, probably Dubai, then again at Frankfurt, and finally London, Heathrow.
We had too much weight in terms of luggage allowance, our rucksacks were totally full, and overweight. We also thought that returning to the UK at the end of September / beginning of October, from Nepal / India would be a shock to the system, it terms on temperature and humidity. The cultural shock, we could probably deal with,
We dressed accordingly, heavy boots, big thick outer coats, many layers.
The best UK summer in years greeted us. The record breaking summer of 1975, albeit followed by the record breaking 1976.
Immigration, no problem. We were in a short queue for UK residents. Customs next. We went through the red lane, something to declare. A huge hall, ready to deal with masses of people. In the event, just the two of us. There were more custom offices than us. We told them where we had come form and the sort of things we had bought. Nepal is a developing country so there is little to no tax on imports. We tried to declare our money, which was in excess to the £300 limit. Generally, they were not interested, and just sent us on our way. I think it was because we volunteered. It would have been different if we had attempted the Green Channel.
We were officially in the UK again. We changed our remaining dollars into pounds. That was a bit disappointing, the four day delay had a significant impact on the $/£ exchange rate. We missed Ferrari man and lost a considerable sum in those 4 days delay.
General rule, don't make decisions whilst jet lagged, they are unlikely to be good ones. Wise words. We knew this, to be wise words. However, after waiting at a bus stop for a while, we ignored those wise words.
Ah, why a bus stop, to get from Heathrow. 1975 was before Heathrow Express, and before the London Underground Piccadilly Line had been extended to Heathrow Central. The Tube had just made it to Hatton Cross, but I think Hounslow was still the bus terminus. BOAC, now British Airways, had for many years operated a terminal in central London at Victoria. There was a coach transfer service between Heathrow and London, but I don't recall if it was open for non-customer use, or even if it was still operating. The BEA/BOAC Central London Air Terminal, (not to be confused with the West London Air Terminal) also had a medical centre, where we got some of our jabs before travelling. As an aside, The first Concorde delivered to British Airways was registered G-BOAC. Hard to imagine today, but Heathrow was served by bus, so bus it was.
Back to the bus stop. We waited awhile and then walked to a nearby car dealer.
We had just spent six months negotiating for everything
Guilty pleasure! We had just spent six months negotiating for everything, the poor guy did not have a chance. Two hippies walked into his showroom, with huge backpacks and a plastic briefcase. Totally overdressed in parka coats and boots on a hot summers day, well late summer, but still over 70. Must be time wasters. We looked at a white Rover 3500 V8. We started talking him down from the asking price. Still not taking us seriously. We managed to get a fair bit off. But there were two of us, and we were going to separate locations, for the first time in months. What was the additional discount for two? Now he knew we were wasting his time. Two cars at the same time! Looks like they could not afford the bus fare let alone one car. Nothing else going on, may as well play along. We were now talking seriously reduced prices. This was fun. Wise, or not, fun. Final play. How much for cash, readies, an drive away now. His face drained, now we were into the impossible, beyond the improbable. More discount. Silly price now. We thought we could get the price down no more. A quick look at each other. (Non verbal communication after months on the road). "Okay, you've got a deal." We shook hands all round and the deal was set. I opened the briefcase and took out some of the cash. Counted out the amount, put the rest back in. Pete Counted it again, then counted it into the waiting palm. His face was a picture, total shock.
I'm sure he did not make a loss, but it was fun.
We borrowed his phone to call our insurance broker. Yes, the old fashioned concept of a broker who you knew, and he knew you, long term relationships, with trust. Trust paid off, we were insured before the end of the phone call, with no actual money having changed hands.
Rucksacks in the respective boots, coats off. Relaxed and settled into our new cars.
We set of to our separate homes.
Adventure over,
for the time being!
Until the
next time ...
Tales of my first time
Trans Asia 1975
The end of my first e-book
Itinerary
Planned as a simple flight from Kathmandu, to New Delhi for a transfer to a single plane, but with two landings, for the flight to London.
| Kathmandu | |
| New Delhi | |
| London |
Often all is not as it is planned!
| Kathmandu | |
| New Delhi | |
| London |