Back to Kolkata

Hi there

I'm like a Cheshire cat grinning from ear to ear. I am so pleased with myself.

It oh so pays to persevere especially when you are so passionate about a cause. I am in transit at Bangkok airport trying to check in xs luggage to Kolkata. Thai airlines allowed me the xs because I wrote to them & asked but I forgot to write to the next airline,Jet Airways. I have a suitcase full of children's clothes & soft toys & Jet wants to charge me $132. Pleading did not work so I threatened that I would go through customs, collect my luggage & check in from the departure lounge.If they refused, I would, without a doubt, empty the contents at the check in desk for all to see.

I asked "will you not be embarassed?".

Maybe they thought I wouldnt go through the trouble as I only had 90 minutes before departure. I even hesitated, wondering whether I really wanted to go through all the stress but then thought that this $132 would go further than the clothes & toys.

I headed towards immigration & passed a long line of people waiting to get a visa into the country.I thought, damn, I dont have a visa to get in. Then I saw huge long lines & thought, there's no way I could do it.

Then I remembered I had an E ticket with no proof of onward travel so I had to return to the transit desk & ask them to print off my onward flight !!

I waited 10 minutes as the man went for a tea break.

I stood on line at customs a further 10 minutes when I spotted a woman who could expedite what could have been another hour's wait !!

She rushed me through. I then searched the whole baggage section for my luggage that had arrived over an hour ago & found it at the other end of the hall from where I began !!

I raced upstairs to check in. They immediately issued my ticket & put a tag on the first bag saying you have xs to pay & was about to move the bag off.

I said before you do that, here is the second bag. I then proceeded to tell them how I received permission from Thai Airways when they interrupted & asked for a letter. I said it was on my laptop which they asked if they could read.

They felt my letter written to Thai Airways was adequate but could I forward it onto them. I was not computer savvy enough to know how to connect to the wireless service available so was asked to go to the cafe & purchase an internet card or print off the letter. I asked did they not have a USB cable I could connect my laptop to their printer. I was rapidly running out of time when the check in woman asked if her personal USB flash drive would work.

I was so relieved to finally get this ordeal over & done with. Whilst this was all happening, my bags were long gone on the conveyor belt headed for the plane.

So if you or any friends you know are about to volunteer for charity work in any under developed countries, ask the charity to write a letter to the airline requesting extra luggage allowance to bring in much needed clothes, toys, soap etc

Watch this space for the next entry of my work for Vital over the next 2 weeks !!