It has been more about 24 hours since I left Bir and I have had about 4 hours of sleep during this time. First it was a two hour car ride from Bir to Dharamsala through the mountain roads of northern India. The car ride was fine and the flight to Delhi arrived on time. I had booked a room at the in-airport hotel and was looking forward to a relaxing 12 hour layover before my next flight to Tokyo.
At the Delhi airport, I quickly found a shuttle bus from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Delhi to check into a room I had reserved (and paid for). This was a big mistake! When I got to the international terminal, I was told that the hotel was actually in the domestic wing and that they would not allow me into the international wing because I was too early. The problem was that I could not go back to the domestic terminal because they would not let me in there either.
What to do? A kind airport worker called a local hotel and reserved a room for me. The hotel even sent a car to pick me up. The hotel was fine and it allowed me to sleep a little. Then it was back to the airport, a dinner of a paneer pizza, and then an 8 hour flight to Tokyo.
The flight into Tokyo was also was also on time. But when I landed in Tokyo, I tried to get to my new gate in the international transfer area. I was carrying a scroll that the monks had given to me as a gift. The security agents at the transfer area said that I could not carry on the scroll because it was too long. I explained that I had carried the scroll with me from Delhi to Tokyo, but they said that Tokyo has its own rules. They even brought out a measuring tape to show me how long it was. So, I had to enter Japan through customs and immigration, make my way to the ticket counter and check the scroll as an oversized, luggage item. Then it was back through Japanese security and immigration to where I am now: at the gate waiting for the last flight home.
Although this experience has been tiring, it has allow me to practice patience and to adapt to problems. And I have been able to practice my rusty Japanese language skills that have been good enough to communicate.
One more flight to go: Tokyo to Seattle -- departure in about 2 hours. Let's hope for an uneventful last leg of the trip.
At the Delhi airport, I quickly found a shuttle bus from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Delhi to check into a room I had reserved (and paid for). This was a big mistake! When I got to the international terminal, I was told that the hotel was actually in the domestic wing and that they would not allow me into the international wing because I was too early. The problem was that I could not go back to the domestic terminal because they would not let me in there either.
What to do? A kind airport worker called a local hotel and reserved a room for me. The hotel even sent a car to pick me up. The hotel was fine and it allowed me to sleep a little. Then it was back to the airport, a dinner of a paneer pizza, and then an 8 hour flight to Tokyo.
The flight into Tokyo was also was also on time. But when I landed in Tokyo, I tried to get to my new gate in the international transfer area. I was carrying a scroll that the monks had given to me as a gift. The security agents at the transfer area said that I could not carry on the scroll because it was too long. I explained that I had carried the scroll with me from Delhi to Tokyo, but they said that Tokyo has its own rules. They even brought out a measuring tape to show me how long it was. So, I had to enter Japan through customs and immigration, make my way to the ticket counter and check the scroll as an oversized, luggage item. Then it was back through Japanese security and immigration to where I am now: at the gate waiting for the last flight home.
Although this experience has been tiring, it has allow me to practice patience and to adapt to problems. And I have been able to practice my rusty Japanese language skills that have been good enough to communicate.
One more flight to go: Tokyo to Seattle -- departure in about 2 hours. Let's hope for an uneventful last leg of the trip.
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