Day 17 - Heading Home

Right now, according to the interactive journey map on the seatback in front of me, I am somewhere over Kazakstan. I’m still about 2517 miles from London which is where I have a 2 hour layover. His flight was delayed so hopefully I’ll be able to catch my connecting flight. This plane is much more comfortable than the one I flew to India on. Much more comfy…
So at the airport this morning, it was really odd. First of all, it seemed like a totally different place than the one that I came out of 2 ½ weeks earlier. It seemed newer, more modern, and more “civilized”. Having now traveled domestically in India, it was interesting to see international travelers and the process versus that of domestic travelers. So at the airport, as I’m sitting there, I met a guy who works in the fashion industry – a very nice man who travels to India pretty frequently. So as we are talking, in front of our row of seats forms the line for gate 9 – the flight that is going to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I wish I got a photo of this, but I thought it might not be such a good idea.

So the announcement is made, and a line of men push and shove together in front of our row of seats. It was all men – no bags in hands (well, a handful had a plastic shopping or small duffel but they were asked to go towards the end of the line of men) – dressed simply and some a bit scruffily. No words spoken – just a tight line of mostly Indian men. My fashionista friend explained that this was human trafficking. These men have signed a few year contracts to work on construction projects in Saudi Arabia. Once they arrive there, their passports are confiscated until their contract is complete. They are given an income but living standards are very poor and probably are not treated very well. It seems exploitative, but at the same time, it’s probably providing a necessary income. It was sad to watch this line of men. After the men were all aboard, a handful of women and other much nicely dressed and proper looking men joined the fleet. It was a crazy and scary scene. I just sat there staring. I felt like I had stepped into slave times – pile the working men into the back. In our 2.5 weeks in India, human trafficking referred to women and children forced into the sex trade. Seeing male trafficking was eye opening.

Okay, signing off until I hit home. Can’t wait to be back. And can’t wait to share more about the trip after I’ve had time to digest it all.

...interestingly, later in my flight, I picked up my old Time magazine from October that I had packed in my carry-on, and there was an article about construction projects in Saudi Arabia - sounds like they are doing some big development projects there... interesting...