King Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 This is “The Best†experience I’ve ever had on my trip. It was so funny I couldn’t stop laughing for about a week. I had to fly to Chennai from Bombay for work purposes and I think I was booked on one of the flights owned by a beer making company. There were few poms on the flight too, I could say from their accent. It was quite a tidy trip all the way but for one of the flight crew asking me where I bought the Russell Athletic top I was wearing :tounge_smile: Now after reaching Chennai I was there waiting for my little baggage to come through. The flight was full and obviously there were quite a few fellas that seemed to be in some kind of urgency and had queued up next to the conveyor belt. Needless to say some of us less daring types were left way behind and eventually had to squeeze through the crowd to get anywhere near the conveyor belt. 10 minutes passed by but no signs of baggage coming through. 20 minutes passed by but still no signs of baggage coming through. At this point in time some lost it a bit and started complaining in several different languages in high pitch. There was no sight of the flight crew to help either. There were a few suggesting the luggage from the flight has been dismounted and put on a carrier but was yet to reach the conveyor belt or something. 30 minutes passed by and now a lot of passengers lost their cool, they wanted their baggage then and there. Some cussed the govt and some the airport officials. Don’t ask me why there were cussing anything and everything on earth but sure they were doing it. A word came about that the conveyor belt wasn’t operating. There were couple other flights landed by then but they had no problem with their luggage as it was put on a different conveyor belt. At this point in time a gentleman did the unthinkable. He climbed on top of the conveyor belt and headed towards the ripped opening at the start of the conveyor belt (look at the picture below to get an idea). No kidding I thought. He pushed through his right leg first, then his body through and eventually his left leg was with draw outside too. He went straight through the ripped opening and found himself outside the airport where the flights were parked i.e right under the flight and next to the carrier that had all the baggage from the flight dumped. We could see him as there was just a glass wall separating us from outside of the airport. With a huge smile on his face frantically waved to one of his folks to get near the conveyor belt from inside. His folks promptly did that and the fella from outside picked his baggage pushed it through the opening. Once he was done he came out of the opening on the inside and you could see a sense of achievement on his face.:martini_shaken: He instructed the rest of the passengers to do the same. I thought everyone looked up to him like a cult hero bar few sissies like me, couple of other families with young sons/daughters and the poms :tounge_smile:. Now the rest of the baggage turned out from the carrier outside the building to inside the air port through the conveyor belt opening in no time what with the rest of the passengers following the suit. At times I felt couple of them or three could get struck in the opening trying to get in at the same time. I thought people here really must be busy. Coming from New Zealand where typically we are not more than couple of families watching Spiderman 3 on day 3 of its release or about 10 guys traveling on a flight that can host over 100 guys this was an experience never heard of. I’ve watched Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, 300 and couple other movies in the recent times and I bet there were not more than about 10 present in the movie theatre during my visits. Now here I am in Chennai where there are so many people way too perturbed about the ½ hour they have lost waiting for the baggage to come through and are walking up and down the conveyor belt, sliding through the opening of the conveyor belt fetching their baggage. At times I could see more than one fella trying to get outside through the opening to fetch their baggage. None seemed to have time and every one seemed to be in some kind of rush. Now I thought what happens if someone picks my baggage by chance or deliberately and walks out of the airport? What am I going to say to my employers about the important papers I lost because I chickened out and didn’t try to do the same i.e go through the opening of the conveyor belt and fetch the baggage. I thought couple of times I should do it too but then wasn’t daring enough to try that. :confused_smile: In about 10-15 minutes time pretty much everyone from the flight we traveled had left bar couple of families, I and 3-4 poms. We were looking at each other every now and then, smiling, reassuring we are one of the patient ones and eventually the baggage will come through. Another 10 minutes passed by but no sight of the baggage. Now the ladies from the other couple of Indian families that were waiting long enough had it by now. They forced their hubbies to go pick the baggage which they did. Just before leaving one of the little fella from that family suggested we folks should do that too. Meanwhile the poms saw another chicken in me and asked me if I was optimistic about the baggage coming through. I just shrugged the shoulder and they pretty much understood I was wet behind ears in things such as this. We started to now strike a conversation and we were I reckon trying to convince ourselves this is only a little glitch and the baggage should come through any minute now. Now the poms had it too. One of the fellas volunteered to go in and he was happy to grab my one too. He asked me for an identification of my baggage and I said to him whatever remaining there can only be mine after he has picked his. He seemed to enjoy standing on top of the conveyor belt and flashed a little smile to suggest he was feeling good about what he was doing. Now he pushed his right leg inside and was about to get his body in but just by then the conveyor belt started out of nowhere. He looked absolutely stunned and fell off the conveyor belt after trying to balance himself with one leg on the conveyor belt the other air borne while his hands were all over the place trying to hold on to anything he could get his hands on. He hit the ground pretty hard on his backside and I didn’t know how to react. This was way too funny and I was struggling to hold on to my laughter. The rest of the poms couldn’t handle it either and burst out into a huge laughter. The one that crashed on the back side stood up and checked for the damages and there were none. We felt good he didn’t break anything. I’ve traveled many a times but that was one hilarious instance ever.:hysterical: The luggage came through fine in about couple of minutes and out we walked. I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Great read, Ravi! I can actually believe that happened. Indians are so "enterpreunerial!" Poor Pom! :haha: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 Great read, Ravi! I can actually believe that happened. Indians are so "enterpreunerial!" Poor Pom! :haha: That was no story that really did happen :wink_smile: Indians are so "enterpreunerial!" :haha: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Outsider Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Nice read, Ravi. :haha: Speaking of Indians and entrepreneurial, this happened to me a few years back in Rome. Went to the Vatican and upon reaching there realised that I had facked up by wearing shorts as they wouldn't let me in. It was my last day in Rome before going to Florence so I pretty much gave up on the idea of seeing the Vatican as the to and fro from the place I was staying was a good 2-3 hours and I wanted to see other places as well. As I was leaving, I noticed Indian and Bangladeshi dudes having set up shops on the street to the church selling $5 trousers made out of some wierd material. They even had small curtained enclosures for people to change. I quickly put in the $5 and was a happy camper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FakeId Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 I had to go the visa office to get my visa extended and on reaching there i was told they dont allow u to take ur phone, ipod, keys anything electronic or metallic in side. i was like wtf coz i was alone and cudnt leave my stuff with anyone. Then someone in the Q told me there a store up ahead where u can leave ur stuff and they $5 . I wasnt surprised to see that it was owned by an Indian :giggle: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted June 24, 2007 Author Share Posted June 24, 2007 Amazingly enterprising Indian businessmen, they seem to set up business house for every possible thing on earth going by Shwetabh and FakeIDs accounts. Truly enterprising Indians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Indians and patience don't always go hand in hand. Great post Ravi :hysterical: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 :cantstop: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketics Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 LOL ravi nice post there.. thanks for sharing that one of ur memorable moment.. it certainly hilarious.. i can picturize it.. how it would have looked like that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gator Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 Nice read, Ravi. :haha: Speaking of Indians and entrepreneurial, this happened to me a few years back in Rome. Went to the Vatican and upon reaching there realised that I had facked up by wearing shorts as they wouldn't let me in. It was my last day in Rome before going to Florence so I pretty much gave up on the idea of seeing the Vatican as the to and fro from the place I was staying was a good 2-3 hours and I wanted to see other places as well. As I was leaving, I noticed Indian and Bangladeshi dudes having set up shops on the street to the church selling $5 trousers made out of some wierd material. They even had small curtained enclosures for people to change. I quickly put in the $5 and was a happy camper. doubt if they were indian..... italy is brimmin with banglas.... especially, rome, milan and vatican.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Outsider Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 doubt if they were indian..... italy is brimmin with banglas.... especially' date=' rome, milan and vatican....[/quote'] 100% Punjabi, the guy I bought my trousers from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetle Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 What man Ravi!!! You had a legitimate excuse to walk on the conveyor belt and you didn't take it!:PAlways remember....jisne kee sharam...uske phoote karam....:alberteinstein: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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