“No visa problem for them; after all, they are aged”, said Chennai travel consultant Vasanthi as she handed over the visa-stamped passports of the two elders who were accompanying us on our 6-nation Asia tour the next day. There were fears about the seniors adjusting to our hectic schedule during the next 13 days as we would criss-cross countries and oceans during the travel. Of the five of us, four had already been to China together in 2006, and had adjusted to the smells of strange and non-vegetarian cuisine around us as we partook of pure veg food. However, the fifth member this time might have problems, we were told, being used to only *thair sadham,* curd rice, even during his recent tour in the US. We briefed him on the adjustments that he needed to do in the next two weeks. No problem, he assured us.
We were into our second week when we flew into Kuala Lumpur from Indonesia. Malay *Imigresen* official Kamatchi Ammal stamped our passports and smiled a welcome. It was another ten minutes and we were through customs when we realized that one of our elders was missing. We waited for him
outside the arrival terminal, and there was still no sign of him. While our friends Venkat and Krishnamurthy looked for him at the restaurants outside, Ann and I went back in, on our search, past customs, on to the duty-free shops and to the “lost and found” counter (!). Finding no trace of him yet, we went to the toilets and fearing the worst, opened every stall inside, checking in vain, for the missing man.
I then took the escalator up and went back to check with the *Imigresen* official, Kamatchi Ammal, who advised me to meet her superior. Meeting the senior officer, I showed him the missing elder’s photograph fearing we might have lost him on our way out. He then took me to the police room where I gave a complete description of the man, his photo and passport number, handing over my Malaysian cell-phone number to the police officer, requesting him to help trace the missing man, and call me if he had any news. By now, our elder had gone missing for over an hour and I slowly took the stairs down and beyond the customs enclosure when my phone rang with bleak news from friend Venkat
that the senior was not sighted yet.. When my cell rang again, a voice confirmed my identity and said that there was someone anxious to speak to me.. a booming voice followed, and lo, it was an excited
*Govindanna*calling me on the good Samaritan’s phone, informing me that he was stuck alone at the bus terminal outside, wondering why we were not there yet! Boy, were the four of us relieved at the return of my prodigal brother? *Terimah Kasih, *thank you, I later told the good Samaritan with the phone, rushing to see my *anna..*
Later, when we went on the city train, while discovering the Malay capital city of the two rivers, all of us, including host Meyyappan had a hearty laugh with *Govindanna, *asking him how he hit upon the idea of walking to the bus terminal, and the tension-filled hour he gave us when he went lost, until we finally found him…Enclosed is a picture of our group… It might be shaky; a by-stander at KL *Sentral Stesen* clicked it, but ours was one group delighted to have *Govindanna *(front, right in pic.) back with us that evening ….
 Happy ending :) From MJ Krishna, travel writer
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