The trip was heading home to India from Canada. The flight cost three times the usual.

The protocols were such that food was served at the beginning and at the end of the flight. No announcements were made and people were angry.

It was a direct flight so the journey was 16 hours long. The condition of the plane was worrisome and I was scared that we might not make it.

When we were eventually served food several people complained of finding unspeakable things in their food. I didn’t bother eating my meal. Tensions were high. When we landed we had to wait for a two hours before we could get off the plane. I almost missed my connecting flight in Delhi.

When I reached there I did not have a local phone number and I couldn’t purchase one as all stores were closed. For some reason my number was not working despite having the international plan. None of the staff at the airport helped me. They didn’t even help me get access to wifi or hotspot so I could reach out to my family.

Somehow I made it to Mumbai airport. A fellow traveller let me use his phone in exchange for speaking in Marathi with the official at the gate who was screening all people for symptoms. He was allowed to leave and I was able to reach out to my dad. Horrible day but I learned a lot about humanity that day.