My First International Journey

Hi friends, hope you all are doing well! Today I want to share with you all an interesting travel experience that I cannot forget during my lifetime. This experience is what I can call as my first International journey all alone. This was the journey that first introduced me to the city of Tbilisi. This memorable journey occurred in the year 2010.

Getting ready

It was during the month of October that I gained admission to study in the Tbilisi State Medical University located in the capital of Georgia called Tbilisi. 'Till then I never knew that a city called Tbilisi existed. Fate plays in some unique ways in every persons life but in my case it played in a different way. It made a city which I thought never existed into more or less my permanent place of residence, at least for the next 6 years.

After the admission procedure was over I felt that I was a doctor from there on whatever happens. Since it was my first time in a foreign land the university gave me a list of essential things that would be needed to survive in Georgia. Since I didn't know anything about the place I was supposed to buy whatever it was mentioned in the list. The list included everything from A to Z. My mom thought that I shouldn't suffer in a foreign place without the necessary amenities, so she began buying things from the list one by one. It took almost twenty days for me and my mom to sort out the list and do the maximum shopping possible.

Back in the year 2010 there were no direct flights from Chennai to Tbilisi. If you needed to fly from Chennai to Tbilisi then you had to make a stop in Dubai and follow the same route that I mentioned in my previous article. As it was my first year in Tbilisi we had a lot to carry with us and in flight routes through Dubai the maximum allowance itself was just 20kg. With the list we have we can't carry anything in 20kg bags. Therefore we had an alternative route of travelling to Tbilisi through Turkey. Turkish Airlines operates flights between Mumbai International Airport and Istanbul Ataturk Airport. From there other Turkish Airlines flights travel from Istanbul and reach Tbilisi. This route is more favorable than the others because it is the only airline that gives 40kg baggage allowance for Tbilisi. Considering our needs it was the best option for us, and also both the flights are Turkish Airlines and therefore I didn't have to worry about unnecessary things once the bags were checked in.

After considering all these facts, a ticket was booked in the Turkish Airlines. But there was another drawback in it: the Turkish Airlines flight departs only from the Mumbai Airport and therefore I had to arrange for a suitable local transportation means to reach Mumbai. When I checked the railway thinking that I could reach Mumbai by train the result was a total failure, as the Mumbai airport is located miles away from the Mumbai Railway Station. Finding a taxi or auto rickshaw from Mumbai after getting down from the train will cost you 1000 Rupees, plus your train fare will come somewhere around 4000 Rupees.

Therefore we thought about booking a ticket in a domestic flight to Mumbai but there again lies a problem: domestic flights in India only allow a maximum weight of 20kgs and I have 40kgs in my main baggage. Some said that showing the international flight ticket will get me an opportunity to take the excess baggage without a fine, and trusting all these things I finalized my ticket booking - from Chennai to Mumbai I would be travelling in Spice Jet and from Mumbai to Tbilisi my flight will be with Turkish Airlines.

Day of the journey

Now that the flight ticket was ready and the baggage was packed I was waiting for the date of departure as I really wanted to experience my first international journey.

It was a rainy day in Chennai and the streets were flooded with water. I had my flights departing from the Chennai Domestic Airport to Mumbai that evening around 7'O clock. Keeping the weather in mind we started early from our home. My mom, dad and my brother accompanied me to the airport. It was raining heavily in Chennai and we couldn't see anything on the road. We were already out of time and reached the airport in a hurry. My baggage was so heavy that I was not able to lift it up. All of my family members waved bye to me with some emotions after which I had to walk to the check-in desk to get my boarding pass. The attendant at the check-in counter asked me about the excess baggage and I explained my situation to her, showing her the international flight ticket. The attendant was convinced and she checked in my 40kgs baggage. I was heavily relieved once my baggage got checked in.

I went back to my mom and spoke with her for a little while and as time ran out I had to leave saying bye to my mom, dad and brother. The flight name was announced over the mike and I was waiting for the gate to open. The gate was opened in minutes after which I boarded the airport bus that took me near the aircraft. Out of enthusiasm I tried taking a picture of the aircraft when one security officer came running to me and said no photographs. However this was the flight in which I began my journey:

I boarded the aircraft and I had a window seat booked for me till Mumbai. As I got into the flight I searched for my seat, kept my hand baggage in the overhead cabin and got seated in my place. I was gazing out of the window at the wonderful look of different airplanes at the Chennai Domestic Airport. I took out my mobile phone and told mom that I got seated in the flight! She was happy and told me to call her back when I reached Mumbai.

If you can notice from the picture you can very well see that the surface is wet. Even during the journey lightning and thunder added up to the turbulence. The captain of the flight was a cool man whom I was able to see as I was getting down. The journey was very short, lasting only about one and a half hour. During the journey an air-hostess asked me if I needed anything to eat and I asked her for a bread sandwich. After giving me a box of sandwich she gave me a bill and I was shocked for a minute and then I understood that it was a local flight and moreover the aviation companies who run cheap fare flights try to capitalize by using such techniques.

At Mumbai

After one and half hour of journey in thunder and lightning the aircraft landed in Mumbai Airport. However it was the domestic terminal and I needed to reach the International terminal. In order to reach the international terminal the airport provides an internal transportation facility to reach the International Airport. I arrived in Mumbai at 9pm, however my next flight was only in the next morning at 3am. I went to the internal transfer desk from where I was guided to a bus. Boarding the bus took me to the Mumbai International Airport in 15 minutes. When the bus reached Mumbai Airport I got down and put all my luggage in a trolley and pushed it all the way inside the airport. As soon as I entered the airport I moved towards the Turkish Airlines counter where I was asked to check in. I showed the attendant all the documents that were needed and he gave me the boarding pass.

The next problem to cross was the immigration office. There was a big queue waiting to complete the immigration. As I was standing in the long queue I started to fill in the form and finally I was all ready to face the immigration. The immigration officer asked me to show my passport and other documents, such as the visa which I don't really have. Georgia in 2010 gave visa only on arrivals and I started explaining him about the university admission and about the visa that would be issued at the airport. After few minutes of discussion the immigration officer allowed me to pass through the immigration.

After passing through the immigration office I climbed down the stairs where a waiting lounge and many stores for eating, relaxing and having fun were. It was a long wait for a flight, I sat on the visitors chairs for a long time. It all appeared as it is shown in this picture:

There was a duty free shop as well inside the waiting area of Mumbai International Airport.

Having nothing to do I was just sitting on the chairs and sometime without realizing it I went into a deep sleep. At 2am the boarding for the Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul was opened. This was the call I was waiting for such a long time. As soon as the call was made I made it to the gate where many people were standing in order to complete the security check. After the security check was over I boarded the flight and I was not given a window seat. On boarding the aircraft I could feel the difference between the domestic and international aircrafts: each seat had a pillow, blanket, and headphones, all of which are essential during such a flight. After a tiring night I was really exhausted, so I took the pillow out of the cover and placed it behind my neck. The passenger announcement was made about the onboard safety instructions. It is actually a long journey and I was waiting for the flight to take off. Once the flight started to move I called my mom and said bye! The flight was up in the air in no time. This is what I remember about this flight because as soon as the flight was in the air I pushed my seat back and rested my head. I slept like a log in the flight. Even for lunch when the airhostess asks for the lunch I just couldn't steadily say thanks to her. I was the same till the flight landed in Istanbul. I could not remember a single thing that happened in flight from Mumbai to Istanbul as I was sleeping very badly in the flight.

It was a very long journey and the flight monitors had a special feature. I was able to use the flight cameras to view what is in the front and what is below the flight. After a long tiring journey the flight landed smoothly and safely in Istanbul International Airport. When the flight came to a stop at a gate the passengers in the flight got up one by one. Even I was in a hurry of getting some fresh air therefore I took my bags from the overhead cabin and made my way out of the plane. From the gate I was able to admire the beauty of the Istanbul International Airport. I was able to see which you see below from the gate!

At Istanbul

I made my way slowly into the airport where I had to wait for another few hours for the next flight to arrive. The flight to Tbilisi was at 3'O clock in the afternoon. Until then I had to spend the time inside the airport. As this was the first time in a foreign land I didn't know what to do but I'll tell you all exactly what I did. The airport was so big it had flights connecting to all parts of the world. There were specific sign boards placed everywhere which made it easier for the passengers.

As I was standing in the center of the airport I was just deciding which direction to go, then I just took left and started to explore the airport. In Turkey you shouldn't miss trying Turkish ice creams, and inside the airport a single ice cream costs around $4. Apart from the taste of the ice cream, the fun that the vendor provides is the most interesting part of it. You will definitely never forget the experience of buying a Turkish ice cream. There were also several apparel showrooms, jewelers, footwear showrooms, bag showrooms and many more inside the airport. The duty free in the Istanbul international airport was also amazing, it had a wide collection of both local and foreign goods!

The above logo of the duty free stores created in a fountain was an amazing thing to see in Istanbul International Airport. I was then exploring through the different items that were displayed in the duty free: there were some traditional Turkish drinks which are recognized for its medicinal value, delicious Turkish Delight sweets found in the duty free shops, and the shops also displayed a large collection of fashion accessories.

At the very end of the airport were a series of restaurants located side to side. Some famous restaurants like burger king are also found here. On one side you will see a traditional Turkish food shop and the rest of the shops there have different varieties of food available at different prices.

Time was running out and I had a look on the screen to see if my flight had arrived. The screen displayed nothing but the gate number which was at the other end of the airport, so I started walking towards the displayed gate number and on my way to the gate I saw this beautiful BMW car exhibited in front of Istanbul Duty Free:

After having a look at this beautiful and elegant car I started to walk towards the gate. When I reached the gate I got to know that the flight is just scheduled and it will take at least an hour to arrive. Therefore I had to sit idle there. I was having a bad headache and therefore I wanted to have a nice glass of tea, so I went to a Turkish restaurant in the airport where I bought a glass of hot delicious Turkish tea that cost around $5.

After having the tea I walked back to the same place near the gate and sat in the visitors chairs put in front of the gate. Standing from the airport I was able to have a look at the town of Istanbul from a distance. Hope you will like this view!

The city of Istanbul as viewed from the Istanbul International Airport

The above two pictures will show you the car park of the airport and in the background is a large city in Turkey called Istanbul!

The final trip to Tbilisi

As I was having a look at the city the gate opened and with the hand baggage I entered the gate where I had to undergo another security check. This time something funny happened: there was a small design made of metal in the jeans I was wearing that day. When I passed through the security check the metal detector began to make noise. I got really nervous! The officers asked me to repeat it once again but still it made the noise. They asked me to remove my shoes, belt and purse and then walk through the metal detector, yet the alarm kept sounding. Finally I remembered about my jeans. I showed them to the officers and they laughed - even I laughed at my own stupidity. After the security check I was waiting in the chairs by the gate to enter the flight which you can see below:

This was the gate where I was waiting and behind it stands the flight that will be taking me to Tbilisi. After few minutes boarding started for the flight and everyone got in the flight. I was having a window seat in this flight. Unlike the others this flight did not have individual screens but instead it had a common TV screen for every three rows.

The flight started to depart from its position. It made its way slowly to the runway and in no time the plane was in air. The journey was not a long one but still this time I didn't sleep, I was quite fresh and I can remember what happened. There was a good movie playing and there was no other option other than to watch the movie to while away the time. The movie had three audio languages - Turkish, English and one more which I couldn't remember. As the flight was travelling in air the crew offered some food like vegetable salads, fruit salads, drinks, water, desserts, biscuits, butter, olive oil, bread, salt & pepper. They also offered hot drinks so I got a cup of tea without milk.

The flight began to descend as it approached Tbilisi and the landing was smooth and safe! The flight was stationed at a gate and everyone began to collect their belongings from the overhead cabins. Everyone left the flight through the gates and are now at the passport control. As I told you before, I could only get a visa on arrival, and therefore I showed all my documents to an officer who verified it and issued me a visa for three months. After passing through the passport control I moved to the lower floor where the luggage kept revolving in a belt. I took my bags and put them on a trolley, and rolled it out of the airport where my seniors were waiting to guide me as it was my first year in Tbilisi!

That concludes the first international flight experience and at the same time the experience I gained during my travel through Istanbul. Hope you liked it and thank you for reading it patiently. Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions.

Until I publish my next article, keep smiling, and cheers!