Singapore, 1.40am. Only five more hours till boarding call.
You have to laugh. We were prepared for some logistical problems on our trip to India, but we didn’t expect them to start so soon.
Our flight to Singapore was delayed by six hours in Sydney. We sat on the Airbus 380 for four hours while engineers tried unsuccessfully to fix a ‘technical problem’. After a couple more hours in the terminal we boarded another plane.
Still, better to sort out these issues on the ground rather than ten thousand metres above it.
We’d missed our connection to Mumbai of course, and we staggered into Singapore’s Changi Airport knowing we faced a seven-hour wait for the next flight to India.
The airline sensed growing discontent. Pleasant young Singaporeans in red jackets handed passengers complimentary gifts – small padlocks. Just the thing we needed. We’d been warned our luggage wouldn’t get to Mumbai until a day after we did. Won’t it be great when we’re reunited with our bags and can lock them up?
The Transit Hotel was fully booked, so no chance of getting a bed for a few hours’ sleep.
Instead we managed to talk our way into the Krisflyer Gold Lounge, which is where I’m filling a few minutes by typing this and taking the above photo. Boarding in just over five hours. I can hardly wait.
Richard Tulloch's LIFE ON THE ROAD 
Hopefully the five hours have raced past quickly, and you are now all safely on the plane to India. Holding thumbs!
Playing with the combination of your new padlock only fills in so much time, Reggie. After that…
How thoughtful of them to give you padlocks, though… Thrilling stuff… 😉
Commiserstions! May this be the worst that happens to you and the sleeping beauty on the trip
Time for self contemplation? Some deep terminal meditation sessions?
Perhaps you could chain and padlock yourself to something in protest?
You just have to be very Zen about travel, otherwise you’d go crazy. Enjoy India (when you get there!)