Dhahran British Grammar School Expedition 2006
Wednesday March 15
Each trip we make gets a little better. We had stressed to both travel agent and parents that everybody needed to be in the school car park on time. This was the first time it actually happened, notwithstanding the fact that neither Saad nor his parents had thought to bring along his passport!
Everybody was in high sprits as we crossed the causeway, even as we told them about the no swearing rule. On our school expeditions there is a fine of one US Dollar for each oath overheard, and as we hold their spending money, students have no option but to comply.
Maybe Saad’s forgotten passport was an omen. For the next twenty-four hours it would continue to cause problems. They started at group check-in. The clerk picked out the passport immediately and started to check if Saad needed a visa. He said that airlines have to be very careful because if they transport a passenger to a country where he or she can’t gain entry, the airlines are fined and have to take the person back to the country of origin. After some time he decided that “Visa on arrival” was the possible and we were on our way.
Aristo’s carry on bag was almost as big as him. That wouldn’t have been a problem if he had kept still. As it was, he darted around the airport swinging his backpack from one side to another, leaving in his wake a trail of disgruntled and battered travellers.
Doha airport was packed – Wednesday night and the end of the Bahrain Formula 1 contributing far more passengers than this small airport was designed to take. We stood around near the gate, buffeted by the flow of travellers and tried to keep Aristo still. We might have been waiting there yet if Sue hadn’t asked someone if he were waiting for the same flight. In actual fact, Qatar Airways were holding the flight for us and the jam was because they couldn’t open the gate to the next flight until we were through.
We bumped into Ray Timm at the airport in Doha. He was on his way to a climbing competition with a bunch of kids from Jubail Academy. They had to spend the whole night in the airport as the official that was supposed to grant them an entry permit had gone home.
Unlike Qatar airport, Kuala Lumpur airport is huge and splendid – a futuristic design that makes an impressive statement about Malaysia. There is even a sky train, which we rode several times as we forgot to get off at the right stop. This is no third-world airport, but one of a country that has a firm vision of the future – Wawasan 2020, or Vision 2020.
No vision when it came to allowing Saad into the country however. Sue called me back at immigration saying that Saad needed my help. I spoke to the immigration official in Malay, which to my surprise wasn’t too rusty. Indian nationals, I was told, must apply for visas before departure unless they have visas for Singapore, Thailand or Indonesia. As there was no such visa in Saad’s passport, it would not be possible to grant him a visa on arrival in Malaysia.
Explaining that Saad was part of a school group and that we all needed to travel together cut no ice whatsoever. Explaining that Saad was an expatriate child and would be returning to Saudi Arabia where he and his parents lived only made matters worse. The immigration official was resolute – no visa would be granted.
Sue took the rest of the kids through to collect their baggage and check in for the next flight. Saad and I went along to the immigration office.
Long negotiations followed in which I tried to explain every good reason why Saad should be given a visa. The officials were adamant though – an Indian national returning to Saudi Arabia could not be admitted into Malaysia under any circumstances.
I rang John Chapman, our Headteacher, and explained the situation. We agreed to send Sue on to Sarawak with the group and that I would stay on with Saad, flying back with him to Saudi if necessary. In the meantime, Clive at Al Suhaimi Travel in Al Khobar booked Saad on a flight back with Emirates. Both Johan and Clive checked out the visa requirements in Saudi and confirmed the information that we had been given previously – that Indian nationals could obtain a visa on arrival in Malaysia.
My mind working overtime, we returned once more to the immigration office, all to no avail. It was the LAW, there could be no visa. I asked to see the head of department again and was told that I could wait for him but it was by no means clear when he would return from the opening ceremony for the newly completed terminal. Such vagueness didn’t fill me with much hope. There is a Malay saying jam getah or rubber time. When I used to live in Malaysia I found that appointments in were usually kept, but punctuality was not taken at all seriously; sometimes friends would turn up for dinner a day late and think nothing of it. We were told that we would just have to wait, and, as the officials we had been dealing with would be ending their shift at 3pm, we would have to explain to them why we wanted to see the head of immigration. This gave me an idea. If we went to lunch and then came back after 3pm we could try the whole process of negotiations again, with a new group of officials.
It was fortunate that Saad proved to be such a relaxed student when faced with a crisis. We chatted pleasantly over lunch. Although obviously disappointed about the fact that he had been stranded in the airport, he remained positive. The fact that the trip of a lifetime looked increasingly less likely by the minute didn’t faze him at all.
At 3.15 we were back in immigration. This time, when I explained, the officials were more knowledgeable. They went to the trouble of explaining that Indian nationals returning to Saudi Arabia must apply for visas before departure. Unless, that is, they are expatriates, in which case a visa on arrival is possible, at a cost of MR51. Even after this breakthrough however, it still took a couple of hours to get the visa stamped in his passport.
Once in Malaysia, changing flights was no problem. By 11.30pm we were in the Harbour View Hotel with the rest of the group and our adventure had begun.
