Gilgit Trip: Direct From the Domestic Departure Lounge

I wrote all this on small pieces of paper while i was on the airport. The different numbers indicate that I wrote different chunks of this text after different intervals of time. Read on and share the experience. :-D

Chunk 1:
Right now I am sitting in the domestic departure lounge of the Islamabad International airport. I am here to catch my flight to Giglit. Today the weather was OK when I left home. The roads were also not heavily flooded so it was easy getting here. Unlike yesterday when we couldn’t get through due to water on the roads even after changing the path a lot of times and even moving on the wrong side of the road.

The original time of the flight as 6:45 am, but just now they have announced a 1 hour delay. So now the flight is “expected” to leave at 7:45 am. The delay was caused by bad weather in Islamabad.

Chunk 2:
People of different types, shapes and sizes are arriving. They might be scrutinizing me while I am observing their antics.

Chunk 3:
One family has just moved to some seats nearby. They seem very ‘Islamic’. The first thing the ‘father’ uttered to his little son, right after sitting, was “where is the Qibla?”. The little kid was off course baffled. And the ‘mother’ said something like, “I was doing that ‘vird’ throughout and did it a lot of times.” After this I was waiting for some more similar remarks. But they have shifted the mode to everyday life non-religion oriented topics.

Don’t think I mind being religious or people who are religious. I think it is an integral part of our lives, well knit into the daily routines. I also am in favour of wearing the Islamic religious labels on me. But the projection in this manner does seem odd to me. Seems one is merely trying to tell, rather prove, to the whole world tahy they are very religious.

Maybe that family was not one who was trying this ‘stunt’. Maybe I was too much was in their earshot. Maybe I misinterpreted the way they communicated. May Allah forgive me for making wrong opinions about people, even if they were strangers.

Chunk 4:
That family left. Now there is a plastic crockery banging family nearby. The kids are banging the plates so hard that it is giving me a headache.

Lots of kids in the lounge. All making their own kind of noises. Some are very loud while some are calmly and quietly patrolling around. I like kids and right now I prefer the quieter lot.

There you go! One of the rowdy noisy kids just broke a glass bottle. One of the tiny pieces slid right up to my right foot (that is off course inside a shoe). Didn’t harm me or anything but yes I am very annoyed at all this clatter.

Chunk 5:
Just looked at the schedule monitor and it gave me the same old news again. It displayed the same delayed time of my Gilgit flight (which is now by the way not 7:45 am but 8:15 am). Oh well I hope it doesn’t take longer than this.

Chunk 6:
I have just talked to my friend in Gilgit to get a weather update. She told me that it was dry but slightly cloudy. I’m taking this to be a good sign. Let’s see!

Chunk 7:
Just now a bald guy has passed by. He was not only bald but was wearing jet black sun glasses. Awww geee is my shining light too bright so as to make people blind. Hehehe

Chunk 8:
I wish the next step after “check in” would start soon which is “boarding”. I really want to have an airplane ride today, just like the one I had on Sunday.