just one more detour: ahlahn wasalan: off on the wrong hajj

i have emerged from a bad dream to find myself overnighted in manama, breakfast pint, and not sure quite how i got here.

yesterday was the day of rush. taught a full class load, last checkout from the Taif house, snailed away to jeddah to run last minute errands during which of course i encounter the worst traffic-and bad decisions galore led me to my last ride to the airport with my beloved overseer-rushed. this guy, as greasy and snake-like as they come, proceeded to step in every conversational poo possible. i tried to steer to the smallest of talks, avoiding the discrepancies in my final arrangements, just wanting to get to katmandu. this guy wanted to brag about his generosity, his well to do kids and several other chest-puffing topics. man was i glad when we arrived at the airport, bitting my tongue the hardest its been, not to say good bye and good riddence you freakin' awkward jagoff.

dropped off, only to find in the disorganized chaos which is jeddah international, that my flight didn't exist. was told to wait, sat and had a coffee, and luck would have it that a brave, responsible soul looked for me to tell me that my flight left out of the *hajj terminal*. hajj is the religious pilgrimage that every muslim is required if able to mecca/makkah.

hajj terminal-not your normal airport drop off.
once i found this out, i quickly grabbed a cab and headed to the terminal. unlike any terminal i have ever been-possibly the largest in the world-or at least the largest disorganized terminal in the world. all of the other passengers-to-be were pilgrims on package tours-sans me. because of this, i was forced to walk from the parking lot-which isn't a big deal-unless you are carrying 60 lbs of baggage. so i had to tote this across this large expanse of a parking lot, like a national geographic woman-with-baggage-on-her-head-shot looking for any indication that i was in the correct place. let's be clear here-i was feeling like it was over, that *they* finally succeeded in preventing my departure. the saudi-wide conspiracy to keep me in kingdom has finally succeeded. i was frantic, thinking that not only would i be missing my flight, but as saudi visa laws are so particular, that i could be in some trouble as well. somehow i managed to find airport personal that was slightly willing to let me know where i should go, and was directed to one of the largest airport spaces i have ever seen. i really wish i was able to take pictures, but saudi (especially an airport) is not a very photo-happy place.

so i finally found the gulf air ticketing area, which was a swarm of equally confused hajjis, looking like they wanted to go as much as i did.

note: now looking back, it must be said that the spectacle that is the hajj terminal was something to behold. thousands and thousands of people from all over the world, every nationality, occupying a grand space. all of them, after completing one of the most important events of their religious life. the it was awesome to say the least. i appreciate it now, but toting 60 lbs of luggage (this will have to change as soon as I encounter cheap reliable shipping) on your head.

after some searching and pleading, i discovered that i had entered into a space reserved for muslim/hajjis only, and that i might be stuck in a limbo of difficult departure. i was told to wait till the agents cleared the queues (massive), and it began to really hit me that i may be stuck in saudi for some undetermined amount of time. it was like someone didn't want me to leave saudi-or at least they sure weren't making it easy for me to leave. so after the clearing, an amazingly kind baharani man by the name of Yusef took me under his wing and promised his best to help me get on my flight. i was a special case-it was a rare occasion to see a hawajed (non-muslim) in the hajj terminal, so he was unsure what to do with me. damn cheepo.com, for allowing me to buy the freaking hajj ticket (but it was sooo cheap) and not alerting me to the fact that my ticket was a hajji ticket. he went off to plead my case to saudi immigration, and also enlisted the services of another very kind bahrani, mr. adam. with both of their help, as well as a super kind guy from medina, i was able to clear immigrations and all the thoughts of me trying to somehow get in touch with someone from work (i surrendered my company phone when i was dropped off-so no contact details for anyone)-i was in-between laughter and tears-that state where the absurdity of your dilemma makes you laugh, but the reality of your situation could make you cry....because, as you know, i wanted to *leave* saudi realreal bad.

worried about being late for a flight and missing it? take a hajj flight. 100% guaranteed, at least according to the nigerian guy (and yes, he did start up a conversation about making an easy million and how i could get a piece of it-what was my email?) and he was telling me of his four experiences through the terminal. interesting guy, by the way. after he realized i would not trade $400 to pay for account fees to earn millions, we had a really great chat. one of those momentary random travel chats which connect you with someone that you will never see again. he told me about hajj and the changes he has seen in the four times he has been to mecca/makkah. all the development that he had seen-as well as the increase in 5 star hajj facilities. things like the dubai-like zam zam hotel, where rooms go for $1000s a night. what a world-where we have 5 star pilgrimages.

so made the 10pm flight at 3am. full hajj flight, filled with all kinds of humanity that make up the muslim world (which means every nationality imaginable). was bumped up to business, which enabled a sleep, and then manama, bahrain and a crappy airline castoff hotel. yet another step in the comedy of departure was the failed wake up call and almost missing the flight to katmandu. but luckily they drive in bahrain as they do in saudi, and so i actually had enough time to have my first freedom beer, and a good chuckle about the previous 24 hrs. oh and another bump to business now has given me cause to say: whoo-hoo i am free and finally at the beginning of an adventure. now if only i could get a scotch and water from the stewardess.......