20th May, 2023: After seeing and visiting the most popular tourist attractions in Moscow and St. Petersburg, it’s time to wrap up our vacation. Mum still had a temperature and a cold on May 20th. I woke up around 7:00 a.m. and looked out our motel window, which revealed a clear sky. I had conflicting feelings about returning home. At 08:30, we began packing our belongings into the bags and decided to check in all four pieces of luggage to ensure a smooth trip. Mom seemed tired and unwell. I had to make sure we packed everything, including our clothes, new headphones, and memories, so nothing was left behind. We decided to go out for brunch at Domodedovo Airport.

As previously said, there was no elevator in this hotel, and the hallway was extremely dark. It took a long time to move all four bags to the main floor. We approached the reception area and there was no one at the counter. I left the room keys in a shiny metallic container and went outside. Meanwhile, we ordered a taxi to the airport through YandexGo for around 1,300 rubles. However, a marathon was run on May 20th (Green Marathon). The Sofiyskaya Embankment was closed to vehicular traffic, and there was a heavy police presence. The taxi driver was unable to arrive at our address, however the app claimed a free wait time. We had to carry our luggage when a police officer requested our passports halfway through. Then, as we were about to show him, he inquired whether they were “normal” and motioned us to leave. What did he mean by “normalnaya” in this context? I had no clue.

Barricades and tapes were placed along the route. The taxi driver became agitated and dialed my phone. What would I tell him if I didn’t speak Russian? A traffic officer lady waved at us and asked if we wanted to talk to him. She informed him that we were on our way and directed us to the underpass, where he was waiting. By this moment, the YandexGo wait period had passed, and 5 rubles were added every 5 seconds. We carried our suitcases through the streets until we reached the taxi driver, who quickly assisted us in loading our belongings into his car. Alexander, a Georgian, is our driver.

At 9:00 a.m., he drove through Moscow’s streets, which were unfortunately congested on the road heading to Domodedovo Airport. I tried to start a conversation with the driver. He was born in Russia to parents who emigrated from Tbilisi. I mentioned Borjomi, noted for its water, Khachapuri, Svitguri, and Batumi beaches, and he reacted politely. Of course, the person didn’t understand English, but he inquired whether we were going “back home.” That road connects with the MKAD, allowing you to travel to Tula, Ryazan, and Khashira.

Finally, we arrived at the airport, handed him the cash, and said our goodbyes. We proceeded to the entrance and got through security. After that, I needed to find the Air Arabia counters (because we were returning via Sharjah), which were numbers 83-89, but they hadn’t yet opened. The check-in time looks to be 10:30 a.m. While searching the airport’s restaurant website, I came across Paprika. I got to the first level and couldn’t discover anything. (I later learned it was on the second story.) Other cafes on the first floor included American Bar and Grill, Edim Letum, and Geographia, which I eventually chose.

I ate an Imeretian khachapuri and two salads, which were both delicious. Mum, on the other hand, was downstairs, waiting for check-in to begin. She called at 11:00 a.m. to let me know that the person at the desk would issue the boarding pass after looking at me. We got our boarding pass after 15 minutes. The next step is to convert the rubles back into dollars. We chose to go to the Sberbank exchange on the first level, where the upset woman was, because the first-floor currency exchange counter was vacant. I instructed my mother to go inside and swap it. She instantly came out and told me to exchange it with her. I believed the grouchy woman would always be like way, so I spent the remainder of my rubles in duty-free shops.

At one end of the airport, there was an AeroTel hotel, as well as phytosanitary and veterinary inspection booths. It also included a tiny mosque, synagogue, and church. A souvenir shop was located on the first floor, directly outside the Etum Latum restaurant. We then went to the first floor for another security check, when we were carefully inspected and had our cabin baggage, which included handbags, phones, belts, and a laptop, scrutinized. I took a left turn for international departures and ended up at immigration. A Russian female border official sat down and promptly collected our migration card, scanned our visa and passport, and stamped the exit stamp.

I passed through the gates and waited for my mother, who was at another counter. It took her a while. Why? My heart started racing. If this is the case, I assume it is tied to the incident in Vyborg. She emerged after 5 minutes, telling me that because her skin was burned, the police officer couldn’t recognize her in the passport and visa photos. As a result, there are uncertainties and delays. On our way to gate D9, we stopped at the Dufry stores and bought chocolates, Russian vodka, and dried fruits. There were innumerable other Dufry companies and souvenir shops spread throughout. Each T-shirt in that souvenir shop cost 2000 rubles, which was twice the price of the souvenir T-shirt I purchased on Teatralnaya Square. I also purchased a Russian newspaper (gazeta), which cost 92 rubles.

Geo-GRAPHIA restauarant – the image to the lower right. Rest of the pictures show inside the airport.

That souvenir shop sells extremely expensive matryoshka dolls. I ordered another one because I already had one. It appeared to be less well-made than the previous. This one costs 1,200 rubles. As we waited, a continuous stream of passengers approached the gate. We boarded at 1:30 p.m. The airplane had not yet arrived. Indeed, such delays are common with Air Arabia. The flight landed at 2:00 p.m. A inebriated passenger approached me, slurring in bad English and making strange gestures. We walked through the airbridge, saying our final goodbyes to the airport.

Unfortunately, our return reservation did not include a window seat. We went up to seats 13 ‘D’ and ‘E’ when we boarded the plane. We sat down after filling our cabin belongings. A Russian lady sat next to me on the window seat. The inebriated passenger sat in the row behind us. When the captain announced that the boarding was complete, I noticed that the two seats in front of the inebriated person were unoccupied. A man seated in front of me shifted seats to take the window seat, which was later frowned upon by AirArabia crew members. I opted for a light lunch because my breakfast had been so wonderful. Our pre-ordered meals did arrive. For me, ‘dal makhani,’ and for my mother, a veg burger.

Mum seemed unwell and didn’t eat her food. She was feeling nauseated, so she drank a few sips of the orange-flavored drink and inhaled its aroma, which made her feel better. Regardless, she was in pain. She gradually fell asleep. The Russian lady on the seat next to me. She did not consume any pre-ordered meals or listen to music. She was glancing out the window and wearing expensive sunglasses. I introduced myself, and she reciprocated. Irina was a businesswoman who had been living in India for the past two years and had visited Moscow numerous times for business.

I launched a debate on a range of topics. Surprisingly, she could speak English. I was interested by her comprehension of how things worked, as well as her perspective on the world and events. What was I thinking? Because the route takes five hours through the Caspian Sea, Iran, and the Persian Gulf. We discussed India and Russia in general, as well as specific areas that she and I visited. She proposed that I take a Trans-Siberian Railway excursion to Vladivostok and then return by a historic rail line (the Ruskeala Express from Sortavala to Petrozavodsk). She also said that visiting Chechnya and Dagestan was safe. According to her, the vast majority of the news we read is Western propaganda. For the record, I am not taking sides in this matter.

Then I told her about the war in Ukraine. Even a Russian found the encounter emotionally charged. She accused the Western world of failing Ukraine by allowing it to join NATO, as well as the country’s mismanagement by its administration. The flight quickly turned dark. We talked a lot more, but I’m not going to go into detail. Anyway, we arrived at Sharjah Airport about 21:30 p.m. The desert looked lovely at night through the window. As passengers disembarked, I thanked the cabin personnel in Russian. We then boarded the airport bus. There was significantly more activity at this airport than at Domodedovo, and the majority of the staff were Indian. There were a few Arabs, mainly police men and high-ranking officials.

Now for the essential stuff. The flight back home left at 22:10 hours, giving us just over 30 minutes to make it. Bells began to ring loudly in my head. Peppers had a pre-booked service, so we ordered “chicken biriani” with Pepsi and yogurt. To satisfy my appetite for dinner, I ordered more foods. It was obviously hasty. Then we had to race back to gate 29 because boarding was about to end. The personnel took us through the process smoothly, allowing us to bypass the security check-in line and, happily, into our queue. Meanwhile, I noticed from the opposite side that the airplane to Colombo was calling for a ‘final call’. A Russian couple ran to the gate and luckily boarded on time.

We entered the vehicle for our return journey and immediately boarded the plane. The majority of the crew were Indians. Unfortunately, we didn’t get window seats on this trip either. The plane took off soon after. The captain indicated that when the monsoon approaches, there will be turbulence and a difficult landing. People were a little concerned after that. Anyway, we got our pre-ordered fruit salad. Mum, as usual, scented the juice before drinking it. I knew Russia’s weather would break her. As the plane took off, the recorded song ‘fatiha’ played.

And then I fell asleep. Around halfway through the flight, the people behind us began making loud noises on their phones. I attempted to contact them to minimize the noise, but was unsuccessful. The child behind us let out a piercing scream. That was enough for me, so I called the staff and asked her to tell the loud parkers. They complied, but then repeated it, which didn’t bother me since we were just 20 minutes away from landing. The sky was pitch black as the captain declared that the gentle landing had commenced. The flight was turbulent throughout, and we had to wear seat belts for the duration of the time. We landed around 03:30 p.m. local time, despite the difficult landing. We went to immigration, where authorities stamped our passports and let us in. I’m officially back in India. We then proceeded to baggage claim, collected our belongings, and walked out of the airport to the BMTC facilities, where KIA buses depart. We took the KIA-8 bus back home.

Our bus ride contrasted with our electric bus ride in Moscow, and we quickly noticed a few differences. My mind hoped for something better. We arrived home exhausted and drained. Mum was relieved, in any case. Dad picked us up from the bus stop (which was not a bus stop because the bus driver dropped us off in a risky location—it was in the middle of the road!) and drove us home.

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