The airport in Delhi is quite nice. I was warned that the airports in India leave much to be desired so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and modernism of this 'newer' airport.
Customs was a breeze; after which we proceeded to the Duty Free shop to buy the 'bootleg' liquor that the guys had requested. We bought a some Goose, Bombay and Jameson. Not a bad stash for a week in a dry state (we'll be back in Delhi half way through our trip and will pick up more for week two). We took our time and proceeded to Departures to check-in for our flight to Vadodara (aka Baroda). As we were waiting to check our bags, a lovely woman with the airline came up to Mike and asked his name. They were looking for us. Our flight was leaving in 15 minutes and we had not checked our bags, let alone gone through security. She and another airline employee rushed us to the front of the line and helped us check our bags. They then escorted us to the front of the security line. I passed through security - which included a full pat down in a secluded area (for women only). Mike passed through easily as well. Our booze did not! Even though we had not left the airport and had purchased our alcohol downstairs at the Duty Free, we could not carry it on. Normally, I would have been the one that noticed the problem, but with all the rushing and escorting, it completely slipped my mind. Both Mike and I had accepted the fact that we would be drying out in Baroda next week when the security guard suggested Mike rush back and check his carry-one. "It would be a great loss if you don't" were the guard's exact words. So, Mike ran back to check the bag, cutting in front of a lot of unhappy Indian travelers. (I sure hope they realize that we aren't usually this rude.) He went through security a second time and we were off. We (nearly) ran to our gate, arriving at precisely the time the plane was to take off, only to find that the flight was delayed 45 minutes. Thank goodness! Someone is watching over us - whether it's our god or the Indian's god.
While waiting to board, we experienced top notched people watching. We saw a guy with a full-on mullet. We saw another guy with white pants and white dress shoes. We saw a guy with his polo shirt collar 'popped' sporting a band tattoo on each arm. Then, the trifecta, a guy with a mullet, a polo shirt and tattoo (no popped collar) and white dress shoes. The last 3 decades were represented in that little corner of the New Delhi airport.
Finally it was time to board. During the chaos at security, Mike didn't get a tag for his backpack that proved it had gone through security. So, we had to step out of line while a guard went through his backpack, slowly and with meticulous focus. We were approved to board. We boarded the small Air India plane. It was old, dirty and smelled like what everyone said everything will smell like in India. We took our seats, me in the front with a bunch of strange Indian men, and Mike in the back with some more Indian men. Like I do when I'm in an uncomfortable position, I closed my eyes and kept them closed the entire 1 hour and 10 minute flight.
Before I closed them, I did gaze upon some of the most beautiful flight attendants I have every seen (and that's saying something since I fly Virgin Airlines occassionally.) Not only did they have beautiful faces, they were dressed in traditional sare's (I'm not confident of the spelling). For a country that is known for it's modesty, I struggle with the fact that traditional dress for woman exposes their stomachs, including their belly buttons. I'm going to look into this further - there must be a loop-hole in the whole modesty topic.
When we landed in Vadodara (Baroda), we were greeted by 4 TCS associates, 1 driver and 1 mystery girl. It was great to finally put names to faces. It was so nice of them to come out so late on a Sunday night. I can't wait to meet the rest of the team, as I can only imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I had been warned that driving/riding in India is an adventure. I think that is an understatement. From what I can tell, there aren't any traffic rules. Drivers use their horns to simply let someone know that they are near them and that any small movements could result in a 10 car pile up. There are an insane number of scooters, the most disturbing being the scooters driven by a man, ridden by a woman with a small child wedged between the two - no helmet, no seat belts, no rules. There were so many people on the road, the sidewalks - people were milling about all over and from what I have been told it is like this until 2 am everynight.
As we were approaching our hotel, the most sacred of acts occurred. A family of 5-6 cows stopped traffic and sauntered across the road. Baroda is a good size city but cows rule all in this country. It was clear that these cows knew just how special they were. It was quite a moment - a great welcome to India.
Mike and I settled into our rooms, had a couple drinks, ordered dinner and unwound a bit. So far, this trip has lived up to all my expectations. My excitement is as high as it was before I left. I am really looking forward to my first day in the office meeting all the wonderful people that work on my team.
Until tomorrow....Namaste
Customs was a breeze; after which we proceeded to the Duty Free shop to buy the 'bootleg' liquor that the guys had requested. We bought a some Goose, Bombay and Jameson. Not a bad stash for a week in a dry state (we'll be back in Delhi half way through our trip and will pick up more for week two). We took our time and proceeded to Departures to check-in for our flight to Vadodara (aka Baroda). As we were waiting to check our bags, a lovely woman with the airline came up to Mike and asked his name. They were looking for us. Our flight was leaving in 15 minutes and we had not checked our bags, let alone gone through security. She and another airline employee rushed us to the front of the line and helped us check our bags. They then escorted us to the front of the security line. I passed through security - which included a full pat down in a secluded area (for women only). Mike passed through easily as well. Our booze did not! Even though we had not left the airport and had purchased our alcohol downstairs at the Duty Free, we could not carry it on. Normally, I would have been the one that noticed the problem, but with all the rushing and escorting, it completely slipped my mind. Both Mike and I had accepted the fact that we would be drying out in Baroda next week when the security guard suggested Mike rush back and check his carry-one. "It would be a great loss if you don't" were the guard's exact words. So, Mike ran back to check the bag, cutting in front of a lot of unhappy Indian travelers. (I sure hope they realize that we aren't usually this rude.) He went through security a second time and we were off. We (nearly) ran to our gate, arriving at precisely the time the plane was to take off, only to find that the flight was delayed 45 minutes. Thank goodness! Someone is watching over us - whether it's our god or the Indian's god.
While waiting to board, we experienced top notched people watching. We saw a guy with a full-on mullet. We saw another guy with white pants and white dress shoes. We saw a guy with his polo shirt collar 'popped' sporting a band tattoo on each arm. Then, the trifecta, a guy with a mullet, a polo shirt and tattoo (no popped collar) and white dress shoes. The last 3 decades were represented in that little corner of the New Delhi airport.
Finally it was time to board. During the chaos at security, Mike didn't get a tag for his backpack that proved it had gone through security. So, we had to step out of line while a guard went through his backpack, slowly and with meticulous focus. We were approved to board. We boarded the small Air India plane. It was old, dirty and smelled like what everyone said everything will smell like in India. We took our seats, me in the front with a bunch of strange Indian men, and Mike in the back with some more Indian men. Like I do when I'm in an uncomfortable position, I closed my eyes and kept them closed the entire 1 hour and 10 minute flight.
Before I closed them, I did gaze upon some of the most beautiful flight attendants I have every seen (and that's saying something since I fly Virgin Airlines occassionally.) Not only did they have beautiful faces, they were dressed in traditional sare's (I'm not confident of the spelling). For a country that is known for it's modesty, I struggle with the fact that traditional dress for woman exposes their stomachs, including their belly buttons. I'm going to look into this further - there must be a loop-hole in the whole modesty topic.
When we landed in Vadodara (Baroda), we were greeted by 4 TCS associates, 1 driver and 1 mystery girl. It was great to finally put names to faces. It was so nice of them to come out so late on a Sunday night. I can't wait to meet the rest of the team, as I can only imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I had been warned that driving/riding in India is an adventure. I think that is an understatement. From what I can tell, there aren't any traffic rules. Drivers use their horns to simply let someone know that they are near them and that any small movements could result in a 10 car pile up. There are an insane number of scooters, the most disturbing being the scooters driven by a man, ridden by a woman with a small child wedged between the two - no helmet, no seat belts, no rules. There were so many people on the road, the sidewalks - people were milling about all over and from what I have been told it is like this until 2 am everynight.
As we were approaching our hotel, the most sacred of acts occurred. A family of 5-6 cows stopped traffic and sauntered across the road. Baroda is a good size city but cows rule all in this country. It was clear that these cows knew just how special they were. It was quite a moment - a great welcome to India.
Mike and I settled into our rooms, had a couple drinks, ordered dinner and unwound a bit. So far, this trip has lived up to all my expectations. My excitement is as high as it was before I left. I am really looking forward to my first day in the office meeting all the wonderful people that work on my team.
Until tomorrow....Namaste
Sheesh! Glad you made it there safely! I'm thinking of popping some Jameson so its like we r drinking together :) take care!
ReplyDeleteSorry to be clueless but who is Mike? A colleague I assume, but details please? :)
ReplyDeleteTiff
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