Carry-on Baggage
Being an American woman who is married to an Indian has brought
me many travel adventures. Here are two of my fondest memories
concerning carry-on baggage:
We went to Chennai, India, in 1998 for our Indian wedding. The
shopping there was great and I soon went overboard in finding
gifts for friends and family.
At one shop I spotted a one-foot
tall, 10-pound terra-cotta horse that I was sure my then nine-
year-old cousin would love. Not wanting to take a chance with
it in my suitcase, I proceeded to hand-carry it half-way around
the world, wrapped in some cloth, and either sitting on my lap
the whole time or under the seat in front of me. In the
airports either my husband or I would trade off if we
had to use the restroom, etc, and it had its own seat in the
waiting rooms. When we finally made it back to the U.S. I
handed over the terra cotta horse and the story of its journey
to my delighted cousin. At least she knows she's well-loved!
On a trip to Texas to meet with some Hindu friends (also coming
from other states), one of them bought a large bronze image of
Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. She decided to carry it on
with her to avoid potential damage. Because she was running
late for her plan, we rushed through the airport. We were fine
until we went to the x-ray machine. The man who was reading the
x-ray machine was Indian. He asked my friend to unpack her carry-
on bag so he could get a better look at this solid metal
object. At this point we were sure she would miss her plane.
When she pulled out the Ganesha image, he realized what it was
and proceeded touched its feet and then his own eyes in an
Indian gesture that means "pardon me." Acting embarrassed, he
told her she was free to go on her way and she barely caught her
plane! I guess the Remover of Obstacles was working!
Amber
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