I boarded the 747 from Frankfurt to Bangalore just before noon.\u00a0 Seeing so many Indians waiting in line, it was my first taste of the culture change that was to come.<\/p>\n
The plane was packed, but I got a window seat thankfully, so I settled in for a snooze. I found that the 747 gave a bit more room, and the seats were a bit more comfortable.\u00a0 It helped that I could lean against the window.<\/p>\n
There are 2 lines of thought when dealing with timezone change.\u00a0 Try to stay awake to synch with the destination timezone, so that when you arrive at nightime, you are ready to sleep even though your body says it’s still afternoon.\u00a0 Or zonk out and sleep as much as you can.\u00a0 I tried the former for about 4 minutes, and basically zonked out for most of the flight.<\/p>\n
Plus when you are asleep on the plane, the monotony of being immobile is a bit more bearable.<\/p>\n
A few hours in, I looked out the window and saw the black sea.\u00a0 It looks like a beautiful area for a future visit.<\/p>\n
Once we reached India, we started to hit some turbulance around Mumbai.\u00a0 It’s monsoon season so Mumbai is heavily flooded.\u00a0 I think over the season they get 2 meters of rain!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had taken a gravol earlier so I was still fairly sleepy.\u00a0 At this point, I really didnt care how bad the turbulance was, but it was pretty constant from Mumbai to Bangalore.\u00a0 It’s a strange sensation… it’s dark outside, you’re strapped in looking at the seat in front of your, but you’re getting bounced around in all 4 axis.\u00a0 There’s no visual frame of reference for all this motion you’re feeling.\u00a0 Gravol is your friend.<\/p>\n
Finally… lights from below.\u00a0 Nothing like the lights from Calgary or New York, but concentration of dim lights scattered here and there.\u00a0 As we drop into final approach, I see signs, roads, and buildings very close beneath us… where’s the runway?\u00a0 The ride is bumpy all the way down… finally the rear wheels touch, and we feel this left-right-left swaying from a cross-wind. Yee haw!! touch down at midnight.\u00a0 We disembark and the first thing you notice is the humidity in the air, and the different smells.<\/p>\n
The airport is well… a lot like the airport in Cancun- an older building made of plaster and stone.\u00a0 We’re herded like cows to the immigration lineups where there’s about 6 stone-faced officers with stamps.\u00a0 There’s a sign that says <paraphrasing> “less talk, get through faster”<\/p>\n
I’m like the last person to get through immigration as I was seated at the back of the plane.\u00a0 Next is baggage carousel, which after looking at the size of it and the sheer number of passengers crowded around it, I’m so glad i just brought 2 carry-on bags.\u00a0 I change my CDN to Rupees… hand the man 100, and I get 3500 rupees back in 1000 and 100 bills.\u00a0 My wallet feels full.<\/p>\n
Final hurdle is the customs, give the man the slip saying I’m not bringing anything of worth into the country, and I’m through the doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At this point, I’m supposed to meet the hotel driver holding a sign with my name.\u00a0 I see about 7 well dressed drivers in uniform… nope, my names not there.\u00a0 I pass through some more doors and see more drivers with signs… nope not there either.\u00a0 At this point I’m not worried, but am wondering what to do. I walk to the main doors to peek outside, and I see hundreds of dark faces peering back at me.\u00a0 Wow, Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…<\/p>\n
I was hesitant to walk out into the throng, as I haven’t left the building and I’ve been asked if I want a cab 3 or 4 times.\u00a0 I double check to make sure I didn’t walk pass my driver, and I head outside.\u00a0 Thankfully I spot my “Indian-fied name almost immediately- Mr. Deerek Lau”<\/p>\n
Walk fast down the ramp and into the parking lot.\u00a0 Looking around, I see building architecture that you just don’t see anywhere in NA.\u00a0 Different materials- stone\/plaster\/wood.\u00a0 The parking lot is controlled chaos with cars, scooters, bikes, and those 3 wheel jobs zipping around.\u00a0 I hop into the backseat and off we go to the hotel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver is nice, I can kinda understand him… he’s already offering to take me around the city on a tour sometime.\u00a0 I found that a lot, Indians are masters at drumming up additional opportunites and business.<\/p>\n
The trip through the city is wild- the traffic- I’ll write about that later- is almost indescribable… and I thought Paris was tough.<\/p>\n
So we’re winding through streets that look pretty rough- rubble on the side, some buildings look like they’ve been bombed, lots of signage selling various products… and all of a sudden the car makes a right turn through some gates, and voila, I’m at the Chancery Pavillion.\u00a0\u00a0 It’s a nice hotel, even by NA standards.\u00a0 The doorman opens my door, and offers to help with my bag.\u00a0 Pet peeve, when I’m carrying a small 19″ carryon, and a backpack, I don’t need help to carry it 10 yards to the front desk, or 5 yards to the car.\u00a0 I know it’s part of the service culture, but really…<\/p>\n
As I enter the building, I notice it again, that smell.\u00a0 Every building you enter has a fragrance to it, and it’s different from building to building.\u00a0 It’s like a spicy, heavy perfumy smell.\u00a0 It’s like Potpourri mixed with feenugreek seeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time i check in and get to my room, it’s almost 1:20am.\u00a0 I plug in my laptop, and of course there’s a fee to use the internet.\u00a0 Most NA hotels are free, but here it’s 200 rupees ($6 cdn) an hour.\u00a0 The hotel is 260USD\/day, which if you think of what that means to the average Indian, it’s a staggering amount.\u00a0 I later find out that my driver rents a place for his family of 4 for 1200 rupees a month.<\/p>\n
I get on MSN, send some emails, unpack a bit, and I’m ready for bed at 2am, and I’m getting up by 8am to meet the driver.\u00a0 20 hours on the plane, 26 hours of straight travel.\u00a0 ZzzZZzzZZzzz…
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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