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Friday, April 05, 2013

How my return to Saudi Arabia got delayed

Upon returning from Matheran in the afternoon of the 28th of March, I realised as I lay down to relax that my back was in severe spasm. I could not fall asleep because of the pain. Quickly, I ingested a pain-killer + muscle relaxant (I had already taken three doses earlier - one yesterday evening and one yesterday night at Matheran, and one more today morning before departure), and worried about how I would be able to travel with so much luggage and all that. 

After about an hour, I felt a little better, and I took a decision to postpone my return journey by cancelling my ticket and booking a fresh one for a week later. I would diligently work on my back pain and try and become fit before going back. Hence, I called up Mr. Afeef Kagdi, a travel agent, and learned from him the address of the Saudi Arabian Airlines office in Mumbai (It is called the Indo-Saudi Services and is located on the ground floor of the Raheja Center at Nariman Point.) I went by cab all the way to their office with my confirmed ticket, passport and visa, and met one Mr. Abdul Qayum. who cancelled my ticket immediately, but said I would be put on the waiting list as there were no confirmed seats for the entire next week. 

I returned home, and over the next four or five days, I took SWD, IFCT and other modalities of physiotherapy with my friend Dr. Murtuza (at the Jain Polyclinic near my house) and at Masina Hospital, where a Dr. Tabassum attended to me. The Xrays shows a slight instability of the lumbar spine, but my orthopedic surgeon Dr. Yusuf Bagasrawala felt that this could be treated with just medicines and physiotherapy. 

On Tuesday evening, I got a call from the ticketing agents that a place had been found for me on the flight departing Mumbai for Jeddah on the 4th of April (Thursday), and so, I began my departure "sequence" from then on. Finally, I left Mumbai on the 4th, and reached Ta'if the same evening by my own car. After a night's refreshing sleep, here I am, writing down these blog entries for your consumption. 

Do read the previous entry on Matheran trip HERE

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