A Passage through India

Welcome to India, where travelers are immediately ushered to the swine flu checkpoint. They have infrared cameras, which I guess can tell if you are unusually warm. This basically involved filling out a form saying you aren't sick, which the immigration officer later threw on a big pile that looked like it was destined for the trash.
If anyone from British Airways is reading this blog, you should know that the elegant hospitality of the first leg of the trip isn't carrying over to the rest of the journey. No British Airways staff seem to have heard of the Face to Face contest, much less the possible upgrades and use of lounges that were offered when we booked our tickets in the US. Checking in at Heathrow, the agent seemed very inexperienced and didn't know what to make of my ticket to Chennai without a visa for India, because I am only a transit passenger going to Sri Lanka, for which I have a visa. After many phone calls to supervisors, she checked my bag to Chennai and said I would have to figure out how to pick it up when I got there for the connecting flight. She couldn't check it through. I then enquired about upgrades, and asked again when I found a "senior" agent at the lounge desk. "That would be a no," he said snootily, even though the lounge was empty. Face of Opportunity? "Never heard of it, dear." They really should have given us lounge vouchers or something, instead of leaving it up to local discretion.
Anyway, I had a very civilized flight in World Traveler Plus and a helpful flight attendant from Chennai assured me everything would be okay. Sure enough, I was waved out of the immigration line, not having a visa, and have waited in a series of interrogation-type rooms, until finally being escorted to a "transit" area under lock and key. There's nowhere to change money, I can't use the Sri Lankan airlines lounge because I have an economy ticket, British Airways hasn't offered me use of their lounge, but there's at least wifi in my empty waiting room and a very friendly mosquito trying to bite me and tell all his friends about the tasty American transit passenger. A helpful British Airways agent named Aditi has walked off with my passport and assures me I will soon hear from a Sri Lankan agent who will rescue my bag, return my passport and print my boarding pass. I know I'm in India because of the Hindu decorations in the hallways, but I'll be very glad when I'm reunited with my bag in Sri Lanka!