Getting Ready to Fly from Saudi Arabia to India during COVID-19

Suddenly, even after 10 months, the people, roads, taxis, buildings, supermarkets, etc. of Saudi Arabia got started sensing fresh to me as if I am looking at them for the first time. The excitement was high because I was due to come home after 4 days, to my family, friends and city after being away for 5 months approximately. I was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on business visa for a project. I had to fly from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Lucknow, India on July 25, 2020. This means that it was July 21, 2020 today. Things of Riyadh started getting ready to be left behind. It was a beautiful hot summer evening of Saudi Arabia, and; I am getting ready to fly from Saudi Arabia to India during COVID-19.

I immediately informed to Barney about my return to India. Let me clarify here that Barney is not his real name. We were four friends (please note that all are males) staying in the same flat in an apartment at Malaz location in Riyadh near to Obeid Hospital and next to Al Drees Petrol Pump. We all travelled from the same organization but from different locations of India to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the same client-assignment and got introduced with each other in Riyadh.

Although I stayed with them in the same apartment for 1 month approximately and then I had to move to a different location in Riyadh but we remained connected. It would have been very sad and tough time in Riyadh without these guys. NOW…. THIS calls for an introduction of each of us in this context so that the visuals are become clearer. Here I would like to inform that these are the actual nick names by which we use to call each other:

(1)  Barney – He is given this name after a character from a very famous English comedy web series “How I Met Your Mother”. His thought-process and physic is similar and he also loves to wear suits like Barney. He recently got married.

(2)  Habibi – Tall, dark, handsome and hairy boy. We both use to call Habibi to each other. Sometimes we used to compare him with Anil Kapoor (a Bollywood actor) and call him Bal Kalaakaar (hairy artist) because of too much hair on his body. He was about to get married.

(3)  Janu – Specially on weekends, he sleeps till very late. I was recently shifted with these guys and it was weekend next morning. As usual he was sleeping, but Barney awakens early and makes tea. Barney approached to his room. He was inside the blanket as whole night the AC made the room cool. Barney slowly shakes to Janu and offered him bed-tea. It seemed like a romantic scene from some Bollywood movie. Hence the name given to him “Janu” that day. He is married.

(4)  Kullu bhai – That’s me. There is no specific reason of this name. By the way, there is a phrase in Arabic “Kullu tamaam” which means “All is well”. I am also married.

(5)  (The Fifth Character is also there; I shall introduce him in coming section…)

Yes, we guys were in good shape even being in IT for some years.

We, all five, were on business visa at that time.

I had shifted to Al-Aqiq location in mid of December’19, Habibi left for India in February’20. Barney had come to India in Holi (in March 2020) for leave of one week but could not return to Riyadh due to lockdown and ban of international flights due to COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. By the end of March’20, Janu left alone in the flat, so he also had shifted with some other colleague at different location at the end of March’20.

Barney’s luggage-

Since Barney was traveling to India for only one week so he did not carry his luggage. But now, starting of operations of international flights has become very uncertain and is expected to be bared in long run. So he requested me to bring his luggage to India. I was also very ready and confident to carry his luggage because I was having approximately only 5-7 kg of luggage for check-in whereas the allowed weight of check-in baggage is 25 kg with my airline. I knew that I had already dropped most of my luggage in India during my last family holidays to Dubai. Actually, I had gone from Saudi Arabia to India, then travelled with family from India to Dubai, then I came back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and my family went from Dubai to Lucknow, India. Everything was in place as per the plan.

Since Barney was traveling to India for only one week so he did not carry his luggage. But now, starting of operations of international flights has become very uncertain and is expected to be bared in long run. So he requested me to bring his luggage to India. I was also very ready and confident to carry his luggage because I was having approximately only 5-7 kg of luggage for check-in whereas the allowed weight of check-in baggage is 25 kg with my airline. I knew that I had already dropped most of my luggage in India during my last family holidays to Dubai. Actually, I had gone from Saudi Arabia to India, then travelled with family from India to Dubai. Then I came back to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and my family went from Dubai to Lucknow, India. Everything was in place as per the plan. Now, I just need to get ready to fly from Saudi Arabia to India.

Next day, on 22^nd July, I went for shopping some dates (actually 7 kg, 7 boxes of 1 kg each) and some chocolates, to present family and friends. Hence, it was 8 kg of shopping in total. I was still happy that my own check-in luggage has become only 15 kg and I can carry rest of the 10 kg of Barney’s luggage. Still everything was in place as per the plan.

Since I knew that I have very less things to be packed so it will take only few minutes. So I planned to start packing the next day. But the plan was demolished when reality appeared. On 23^rd July morning I opened my big bag to start packing for check-in bag, then I got shook. Because I found that I dropped none of my luggage to India during my last holiday to Dubai. Then I recalled that my family had to travel from Dubai to Lucknow, India without me and they already had enough luggage with them. So I had to bring all my luggage back to Riyadh which I never opened, that’s why I did not remember that. Anyway, I packed my luggage. The weight of the check-in bag with only my luggage was more than 25 kg and more than 8 kg in my cabin bag including laptop.

Barney’s luggage which I had to carry with me, was retained at Malaz whereas I was presently staying at Al-Aqiq. So, I finally said good bye to my house-mate at Al-Aqiq and headed towards Malaz with my finally packed luggage.

Farewell at Fufa Ji’s place-

Here comes the fifth character “Fufa ji”. He can survive only on lemon-tea. This name was given to him as per the “Fufa” (husband of father’s sister) character in Indian wedding ceremonies. He wants to enjoy, dance but will deny and at the same time he expects someone else to insist him to indulge. If others are not insisting, then he either considers it his insult of getting ignored or pretends in such a way so that others should insist him to get involved.

Our Fufa Ji’s favorite activity is to sow coriander (Dhaniya Bona (Hindi words)). He is also married and eldest among five of us.

Initially, Fufa Ji and we used to stay at the adjacent apartments at Malaz. Both of these two buildings were 90% occupied by our organization’s employees.

Janu and Fufa Ji did plan my last two days in Riyadh with them at Fufa Ji’s place. I reached at Fufa Ji’s place at around 4 PM, then Janu also reached at around 6:30 PM. Mr. Malik and other friends also joined us.

Mr. Malik had digital weighing machine. My check-in bag was 29 kg and cabin bag was 8 kg. I made a phone call to Barney and told the situation. Then we decided that I would carry only some of his costly electronic gadgets which can be accommodated in my cabin bag. Then we shuffled some items between cabin bag and check-in bag to reduce some weight from check-in bag. It was tough but we made it.

Beer lookalike non alcoholic drinks of Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, non-alcoholic soft drinks alike beers were arranged for the party. Alcoholic drinks are punishable offence in Saudi Arabia. But they have all such drinking fantasies which they fulfil by lookalike design, color, bottles but without alcohol in them. Normal people will not be able to identify any difference at first sight.

We purchased onion, vegetables, bread, sugar for the next day. Next day Fufa Ji cooked Poha, Pakoda and sweet bread (fried bread dipped in sugar syrup). Janu also stayed 23rd & 24th Jul’20 at Fufa Ji’s place.

It was the day of departure from Saudi Arabia. At 7 AM on July 25, 2020, I was heading towards King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh by Uber taxi to board the Indigo flight from Riyadh to Lucknow.

I was thinking in the cab that I was so desperate to go back to India for last few months, to my close ones and days were not passing; but now I am on the way towards my destination which I have been thinking day and night. Those thoughts seemed like dreams of the past. I am awakening now, feeling the passing roads and buildings, the same way as it was on the day when I landed in Riyadh the very first day and everything was so new to me. The only difference is that they were welcoming me on that first day and are saying me Good Bye today

Uber taxi is still running towards the airport…

Next blog is on my experience that “How I got flight ticket in Vande Bharat Mission“