Kamal Ghorui
HYDERABAD: Never did Hyderabad-based eye specialist Dr Umesh Bhammarkar, an avid international traveller who has visited 22 countries, imagine that his 23rd destination – Kuwait – would turn into his most harrowing experience.Dr Bhammarkar landed in Kuwait City on Feb 28 and was scheduled to return on March 1. However, barely an hour after he exited the airport, attacks began across the city, triggering chaos and uncertainty. What was meant to be a short trip quickly turned into a prolonged and distressing ordeal.Stranded amid the unrest, he attempted to return by booking two flights, both of which showed as operational. But on reaching the airport, he found it shut. With no immediate way out, he remained stuck, until he got a tourist bus taking tourists to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Eventually, along with a few other passengers, he undertook a 1,460-km road journey from Kuwait to Jeddah. The 26-hour bus journey across the desert was physically exhausting and emotionally tense. He described crossing the no man’s land between the two countries as one of the most frightening moments of the trip. From Jeddah, he finally managed to board a flight to Mumbai, reaching home on March 7, 2026.Recalling the experience, Dr Bhammarkar said, “When I arrived in Kuwait City, I was unaware of the situation. I was out in the city until evening, when my wife called to check on me. I then returned to my hotel and prepared to leave the next day.”With the help of friends, he later moved to a safer location before eventually boarding the tourist bus to Jeddah, bringing an end to a journey he said he would never forget.
