Passports can be a pain

A couple of months ago, I travelled out of New Dehli, India. My wife and I had checked in, received our boarding cards and were on our way through the gate to passport check. There we saw a desperate American. He had not been able to find his passport when it was to be shown. This was Sunday afternoon, and he had been in passport check since Saturday evening. Without a passport, he was naturally not permitted to board the plane, and without a passport, they would not allow him to re-enter India.

We notified the American Embassy so that when it opened on Monday morning, they would see to it that he got a new passport; in the meantime, he simply had to remain in his tiny no man's land. (When he needed to go to the toilet, he was accompanied by an armed security guard.)

After witnessing this event, I always double check that I have my passport on me.