Finally, flying with Gulf Air offers something nice! A stop at Abu Dhabi’s tree-like airport. No matter how terrible the airlines, they do pick some of the better airports for refuelling. I’m blessed by sheer luck in this case, for the lack of it might have left me stranded at the rather weird airports in Doha or Bahrain. Though I havent been to the airport in Dubai, I guess it’ll be better than AUH, for my experience says that the busier the better.
The decor is quite pleasing, definitely pleasing if you had been suffering at the Indira Gandhi International Airport a few hours earlier. Compared to the whitewash the New Delhi airport is, this one faintly glows in combos of golden, yellow, light orange and the type. It is like the sets of Jeeto Chappad Phaad Ke, but a lot more sombre. Besides a small cafe, most of the airport is shops, shops and more shops. The seating facility isnt great. But then, who really needs to sit when you for the past three hours you’ve been sitting in a cramped airplane and been left out for just an hour or so before you get back!
As I mentioned earlier, the roof and the primary pillar remind you of a tree and the airport officials certainly live up to these standards with their jungle manners. I’ve had a taste of this patriotic Arab etiquette more than once. The first time is most clear in my memory - the plane had landed , the pilot announced that they would stop over for two hours for god knows what reason. A dock was attached. As we walked through it we could see two men at the other end, perfectly Saudi style - beard, moustache and and a struggling belly. One of them went inside and we thought that just like in the plane, the other guy was standing there to welcome us. He walked up to us poor passengers, we thought he would say ’’marhaba’’ but what he uttered was ’’go baeeck!’’. So after some heated questioning we were sent back only to be called in later. Mismanagement galore...But that doesnt really trouble you much unless you are ’poison pen’ amrita. I’m not, so I indeed had a pleasant experience there (if you ever read this am.., i’m just kidding!)
Cheers,
tribal chief