Flying from Urumqi to Korla, the
birthplace of Genghis Khan - the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the
Mongol empire - was quite an experience.
On the day of our flight, it snowed
very heavily. The streets in Urumqi – the capital of Xinjiang, China - were
covered with snow and the airport was snowbound. We were not certain whether
our flight could take off in the evening. The ride on snow-covered streets from
the university campus to the airport took longer than expected but we managed
to check in five minutes before the counter closed. While we were waiting at
the departure gate, it was announced that the flight would be delayed by an
hour. We were quite relieved as a lot of other flights were either delayed very
much longer or cancelled
When we had embarked at last, the plane
taxied towards the runway but it soon stopped. A flight attendant then
announced that we would be delayed for a few minutes. My seat was next to the
emergency exit and on looking out I saw a worker clearing snow off the
wing of the aircraft with a jet stream of water. Finally, the aircraft was
allowed to taxi on the runway and to take off.
We were soon airborne but it was to
the white beyond. We could see nothing but white from the fuselage window. We
encountered a lot of turbulence and the aircraft seemed to rock a lot. It was a
most frightening flight, indeed.
It was a relief to land at the Korla
airport. It warmed us up to find a large group of relatives waiting to
welcome us. It was the start to a spectacular and exciting stay in Korla. We
were accorded a warm and fantastically generous hospitality.
ltbs
There are those who give with joy,
and that joy is their reward.
Kahlil Gibran
