Random anecdotes: journeys

I've been in a train of thoughtfulness, and thoughtlessness where you know you're are thinking something yet no specific thing have been thought out. Yes, it is confusing, and as confusing it can get. 

Nonetheless, I'll take this moment of complete unawareness of surroundings, and share some of the weird, blunders and funny stories.

- In a rush to reach office I keep on punching elevator's button. As soon as the elevator arrives without discerning I board elevator, and go to the top floor. It stops again on my floor, and traveling all the floors I begin my day. Sigh.

**

- This one is one of the tale tell things during lunch, everyone was praising and sharing their Uber ride experiences. Story is of coworker's husband and his friend.
Person with his friend books a ride in Paris, a car arrives. Without looking and asking if that's an Uber driver, they opened door, and boarded in. This would have been normal had the driver would have been a male. Instead the person driving car was female, and finding strangers boarding car she started screaming!!

After getting hold, and explaining situation calmed down.

**

- This one is from the early days upon arrival in States. Early morning, haste of reaching class. Laziness to wakeup, with little or no sense of the day.

Kitchen blunder. 

Kitchen had coils for cooking instead of a glass top or gas stove. This buddy of ours puts microwave plastic bowl full of milk on the coil, switched on and goes back to prepare for the day. 

After a while hall was full with pungent plastic burning smell. That eventually brought senses to everyone, and chaos followed.  

Guy who placed it came running, turned off the coil, and lifted bowl which had a fine coil imprint created in its base with plastic dripping. 

**

- This one is mine. Ahem.

I was traveling to India. Flight got delayed from the point of origin. Approximately 3 hours. Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, there was a lot of scrambling while disembarking, people looking for people who are in similar situation and reaching same destination. We landed nearly 20-30 minutes earlier to our connecting flight's scheduled departure. By the time we got off, I knew I have missed my flight, and met someone who was to catch the same flight.   

To our relief scheduled flight was delayed by another 3 hours. Yikes. For this was my first visit to Abu Dhabi I was busy awing shops, and airport. I so much like to waste time at airports. I was to buy some thing for my Mumbai friends. I went into a shop picked up things reading their price in USD which to my comfort were in payable zone. I move things, flash my card to cashier, and there it was swiped. I was dumbstruck when I saw 110 as  payment amount. I started sweating and was little upset how could the person swipe my card for $130 plus or something without asking. I was in WHAT! WAIT WAIT !!  mode. I took this on the cashier saying you should have asked before swiping. And how is this 100 plus something for I had picked totaling around 40?  

The person who accompanied me said, its done and cannot be reverted. This added more to my agony.

Sad and tired, I started thinking this thing turned out to be an expensive deal. Resigned to the bill I put my items in bag. Suddenly cashier says payment is in this nation's country and not USD. A little hope kindled in my heart, and upon asking him total in USD it was same as I had thought. Sigh. I lost and saved USD 80 in 5 minutes. 

**

- Tale continues at Abu Dhabi. 

Already jet lagged, and with an icing of 6 hours delay the whole journey was getting too hard on me now. All the excitement to reach home started sapping away.

I booked an aisle seat on window side, for I can get more room to my small legs. Move and block the way as and when I want and can.

I got my boarding card, and the seat allocated to my shock was different then I had booked. It was in a middle of 4 seater seats. Oops. I was like NO, this is the last thing to have happened to me in this journey. After some objection I threw in the towel, and was fine with it for the journey was merely 3-4 hours. Next comes the person I met, she was allocated seat next to me, and an aisle one. To her dismay this wasn't the one she had booked. Originally, it was a window sided. This person was a tough one, have had these things quite often, and knew how to tackle airlines, and the crew. Boarding the plane she refused to take the seat. Since the person sitting near me didn't want to sit I too denied, this time with some authority. Lo!  

We besieged crew, manager for seats but they couldn't get us the original one we'd booked. They convinced an old couple to exchange seats for they were willing to swap. WOAH! This wasn't what we'd wanted. We wanted OUR seats. We requested elderly couple to take their seats back. The whole drama was going on with only 2 of us in the entire plane standing, and whilst all other passengers kept staring at us. 

Finally, one of the crew member quietly offered that we'd be provided with business class meal. Things settled down, and we flew off.!

**

- This is an another blunder of mine. 

I was heading for a week long vacation. Having reached airport early on time, checking in shaving razor, and saving Uber ride's cost I was on cloud nine, and super excited for my journey. Seldom happens such streak of successful events.

I confirmed flight at the assigned gate, and knew I had time. I started roaming. Saw eateries at the end of terminal, and begun starving. I ordered something and was eating in leisure. Till this time I was under the impression crew is supposed to call (on phone), and make an announcement if the flight is all set and missing any passenger. Talking to the waiter, I threw hands in the air and said I've time don't worry. 

Gaining sense of time I ask the waiter to make it to go. Seems all good until now.

After reaching the gate the last crew member shut the door, and asked are you: "Mr. "? 

"Yes. Why?"

"You missed your flight."

All the food eaten started feeling like a knot in my stomach. I asked if they could open the door? Nope, that ain't happening. Dejected. I starting venting heat on airlines crew, as to why they didn't make an announcement, or called me. They told in domestic flights they don't make complete airport/terminal wide announcement but just restricting to gate's particular space. By this time I was in despair, all the week's planning, and trips seemed to shattered away. 

After couple of minutes, lady at the counter says we've another flight to your destination in 90 mins, and they can put me on that flight. 

I thanked them, and finally reached to destination.

**

-  After traveling frequently I and my friend finally started to squeeze in on our finances. For this time we booked through Airbnb. Yes, its cheaper than hotels you would find in any city. The quality, and trustfulness are a great subject of debate. 

Ours was another adventure this time. 

We cabbed to destination, entrance door had to be opened with a pass key. We got in, and settled in the place. 

It was a night's halt. We had to catch early morning connecting bus to next destination. We walked to gate, and there was no gadget or place you could punch in code to get out. There wasn't any gate for pedestrians we could find. It turned out that the large entrance door would open to society's cars equipped with sensors. We texted the host, but less likely to have received reply in early morning 5 o'clock. 

Unwilling to miss our connecting bus, we tossed our bags under the gate, and like an army soldier ventured our body parts out whatever space was available, and allowed. It was tricky, either belly would allow to pass through or we get stuck. Holding our breaths we crawled out of the moronic gates.
Bad, and negative reviews were ought to be slapped on host's Airbnb account.

**

- Always keeping a buffer time while driving, and booking zip car. I reach back 30-20 some minutes earlier. Being all by myself, and keeping in mind I arrived earlier I go upstairs with some of my groceries, and stuff. I take another flight doing the same. I return to parking area, and see the booked car about to leave parking lot. I rush to car, signalling, running, panting, tapping on the glass. Guy pulls off.  I explained him situation that I got to check if I had left something in trunk, or back seat. Nothing was left.
The guy took car for ride before my time had ended.

**
- In this late winter, and early spring I had gone to see comedy show by Vir Das. Timing of the show was falling in my biological clock's food schedule. To avoid ordering anything, and, or starving during show I had something before leaving.
It turns out that 2 items were mandatory per person. I was evading waiter to not to order, and over stuff myself, and save few bucks. Waiter asked once, I asked for more time, another time couldn't say more time, reluctantly I ordered coke. Across the table there were 2 ladies. Waitress placed coke and something on table, said something I didn't register amid laughs, and noise. Considering I ordered, and the order is on table, I pull coke glass toward me, and start sipping. After sometime another coke came, I took that as well, for it was mentioned explicitly 2 items person. Show was about to time out, bills came. I got bill of lady across the table. It mentioned coke, and nachos. I signaled waitress, mine is not here. She brought mine, with one item - Coke. Hiding my sheepish look I paid mine and felt as if a brick had fallen in stomach. Bills got cleared, and I told lady I drank her too, and offered to return money. Lady denied.
Signs could be misleading, alas.!

**
These are couple of incidents I've had luxury to be part of. Oft we come across such events in life out of sheer negligence, over carefulness, and utter carelessness. Nonetheless all experienced alone, somehow I enjoy these them in retrospect. I like to tie and tailor them together, for I can keep these moments forever. These are such instances which can bring smile in an out-an-out monotonous times of mundane life, crunched up financial situations, highly stressed out and hectic work places, unexpected, unseen, unheard situations, sucker manager, spinning the wheel, and what not. 

Thoughtfulness along with thoughtlessness is important to lose yourself in an unknown territory, allowing you to delve, and discover these times. Perhaps, get back the spark?