Ha, 'English' sangfroid!
LIFE ABROAD - Part III:
A
crowded and confusing maze of corridors inside the Heathrow Airport did
not pose a problem for me as hundreds of passengers after landing kept
on moving towards immigration counters and baggage halls all the time
(every three minutes either a plane takes off or lands at Heathrow).
Metaphorically speaking, I appeared like a 'lost lamb in a flock of
sheep driven forward automatically without a shepherd'!
Immigration control was not sophisticated those days like now where
separate lanes facilitate a quick turnaround for British/European
passports holders to exit one by one as opposed to long queues for other
categories including Commonwealth citizens.
It is only fair to say that the British immigration officers at the
airport are highly professional and simultaneously courteous to
visitors. I say this now with years of experience having lived in the UK
for decades and travelled far and wide to and from UK to other
destinations since my first visit. I feel I am entitled as a 'foreign
traveller' to comment on my personal experiences how a visitor feels
confronting the British as opposed to officials at other major
international airports whom I have come across to be abrupt, suspicious,
stern looking with frowned faces with no smiles at all, which give the
impression to the visitor at the portal a country as unwelcome!
The Official entry permit from the British High Commission in
Colombo, supported by a chest X-ray helped me to get through the
immigration control with ease, but with an official endorsement on my
passport as per Commonwealth Immigration Act which read: "The condition
attached to admission to the United Kingdom is hereby varied so as to
require the holder not to remain in the United Kingdom later than
......... (given a date).
Modes of transport
Generally student visas were granted on a yearly basis and renewals
depended upon the confirmation from a seat of learning that the student
had been diligently engaged in studies during the preceding year with
proven attendance records. Visitors' visa depended on the circumstances
and the period of stay in Britain varied from three to six months
according to individual circumstances.
Some Sri Lankans were often confused with the 'entry permit' issued
at the British High Commission in Colombo (usually for six months from
the date of the official seal on a passport) with that of an 'imaginary'
notion of a resident visa to live in Britain, which was NOT the case.
The decision on a resident visa was at the discretion of Immigration
officers who were authorised to act independently by the Home Office in
the UK, in accordance with Immigration regulations at the port of entry.
Three to four decades ago one might say it was 'plain sailing' as
many travelled to Britain as bona fide students with requisite
documentation while the professional categories migrated with official
work permits for employment. Of late, things have of course changed with
tentacles of travel spreading into many forms and shapes.
Travellers to the UK for the first time had to depend on someone's
assistance at the 'arrival gate' in London to guide and escort to any
destination as a new comer could easily get lost in a concrete jungle.
After getting accustomed to CTB or CGR train travel in Sri Lanka, one
needed in London to get used to commute by different modes of transport
where systems varied and appeared more sophisticated.
The London underground 'railway line' up to Heathrow airport had not
been extended during my arrival, therefore had to use a coach service up
to Victoria in Central London, a name of a town which I had read in
books back at home from where one had access to London Transport Buses,
Green Line country coaches, British Railway and the underground (Tube)
trains etc.
Tube train will fascinate the new comer to London as this is a vast
arrangement of underground railways running throughout London area, even
crossing the River Thames and under the riverbed. It's a meticulously
worked out railway net work where one could travel from one end to the
other, changing at various intersections and come back to the starting
point without getting lost. Once on a BBC Sinhala Sandesaya programme
interview (many moons ago) discussing 'The London Underground Railways'
with the presenter Badra Gunatilake, I recollect how she introduced the
topic comparing underground railway and stations that surfaced to the
ground level from high streets pavements as 'ant hills' and the millions
of commuters who kept moving in and out of those as 'armies of ants'
during morning and evening peak traffic. That, I thought, was an apt
description of what one could observe during peak period travel in
London.
Various underground routes are identified on a conspicuous 'London
Underground map' indicating different coloured lines with specific names
(which will be dealt with separately in a different dispatch). These
maps are available to commuters free of charge at ticket counters to
help those who are not familiarised with the system to plan their
journey.
Foolish act
Originally the London Transport operated buses with conductors and a
driver to issue tickets but with the advancement of new technology and
to minimise operational costs, provisions were made seemingly to have
only driver cum conductor for an operation. Some buses in local routes
had barriers to prevent passengers by-passing without possessing a valid
ticket and for this purpose three pronged cross-bar type gates were
fixed inside the bus near the driver.
One experience that embarrassed me most within days of my arrival in
London was during travel in such a local bus on my own for the first
time. On a busy morning, I waited at a bus halt where a conductor cum
driver automobile stopped to pick me up. I hurriedly got in and paid the
fare and obtained a ticket too. What I did not realise was that I had to
push one of the protruding bars attached to the gate for me to proceed
forward. Quite ignorantly and being nervous and excited, as everyone's
eyes were cast on me inside the crowded bus, I struggled to 'squeeze
through' the tiny gap between the gate attachment rather than pushing a
bar forward to get into the passenger area as quickly as possible.
The 'English' sangfroid I must say was at its height at that very
moment as not a single mouth opened to advise, criticise or make fun out
of my foolish act except the bus driver placed his palm on his chin with
a wryly smile and patiently watched me with open wide eyes as I was
struggling to pass through the gate. Finally, he gave a slight push to
one of the bars of the gate to let this 'idiotic boy' pass through.
With all blood rushing to my face with embarrassment I kept my head
down till the end of the journey. I was learning fast in my new
environment and next experiment was to conquer the London Tube Train.
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