I met Ovick, R.S. Kakoli, and Anjan for breakfast at 7:00. The staff made us omelets and jelly toast and brought me weak black coffee in a big mug. It was excellent. After breakfast, we loaded up the jeep and headed to the airport. We took two cars because 5 helpers came, Shantanu - the staff boss, Anjan and Kakoli. When we got to the airport, we extended mutual best wishes and agreed there should be a next time.

Everything was running smoothly until I went to the counter to get my boarding pass. Apparently, Ovick and I were not on the flight list. R.S. immediately walked behind the counter and started yelling, in the typical Indian manner, to anyone who remotely looked like they had some influence. Apparently you need to confirm your flight a few days before departure and then reconfirm a day before you leave. It seemed like a lot of confirming, but because we didn't reconfirm, India Airlines sold our seats to someone else.

After about 20 minutes of running around and yelling (R.S. at the airline manager) a man came up to us and made Ovick and me follow him to the counter. He immediately checked us in and sent us on our way. I have no idea what happened, but I'm guessing the airline official was treated like any other government official. R.S. declined to comment.

The plane ride from Calcutta to Bangkok was probably the craziest plane ride in my life, but I suppose it was a fitting conclusion to the trip. The airplane was filled with businessmen in the "import/export" business. These guys go to Bangkok about once a month, spend a week buying goods and bring them back to sell in the markets. I sat next to one guy whose brother and father works for the airline, so he gets all of his tickets for free. My guess is he has enough connections through his family that he never gets hassled by customs.

Anyway, once we were in the air, the passengers were using the flight attendant call button as if it were the horn on their car. The flight attendants were constantly running around bringing everybody beer. At the beginning of the flight, the flight attendant walks down the aisle and hands out candies. The intent is for one or two pieces per passenger, but on this flight everybody took a handful. The poor lady had to fill up her basket three times before she reached the back of the plane.

When dinner was served, the flight attendants first served a tray with the bread, plates and cups and then served the main meal from a separate cart. While they were serving the people in the back of the plane a loud argument broke out. About five men were screaming at the flight attendants and they were screaming back. I asked the guy next to me what the problem was, he said the men were upset because the food was being served too slowly.

After lunch, Ovick went to the bathroom. Because everybody was drinking so much beer, the line stretched halfway down the plane. Everybody was screaming and pounding on the door. When Ovick came back to his seat 15 minutes later, it looked like he just came back from war.