I have officially arrived!
I've got two words to say about the flight... Business Class!! What a difference that makes on a long flight (a little over 20hrs). We had lay down seats equiped with massagers and our own personal screens with movies,tv and video games. And..if you got tired of looking at your neighbor.. push a button .. and a privacy wall would go up :) Perhaps I could suggest these at work - I think they would be ideal in a cubicle setting as well.. ha! It was easy for me to sleep because the seats were actually comfortable and the cabin was darkened and had little twinkle stars on the ceiling. The plane/flight was impressive- Kudo Emirates!
We had a short layover in Dubai - only enough time to visit a few gift shops and enjoy a Stella at the bar. The airport itself was beautiful and had all the top end stores for shopping... I would have loved to venture outside just to catch a glimpse of one of those fabulous hotels!
Soo.. the India airport was not quite as impressive as Dubai. The second I stepped off the plane.. the heat hit me.. sweltering, sticky, stinky. But a lot like Missouri ;) We made it through customs and baggage claim... no problems. We stepped outside and there was people everywhere! It was an intimidating feeling... it was also 3am in the morning. There was well over a thousand people waiting outside the airport.. standing..sleeping on the cement.. they looked like they had been there for days. Apparently they were waiting for their international outbound flights - which only leave during the night hours and there is no indoor terminal waiting area. So in about 8 weeks - I will be one of those people.
Holy HELLo..Nobody quite prepared me for the driving. I mean I heard it was bad - But fearing for my life ?? Apparently lanes and blinkers are optional in India. it is more of a weaving system with heavy usage of horns. There were men on mopeds with their wives hanging off the back (no helmets) and bicycles that appear out of nowhere and are suddenly part of the traffic. Little kids were riding in the back of truck beds... it was heartbreaking. I had to shut my eyes.
The hotel was about 20 heartstopping minutes away from the airport. The hotel we are staying at is 5 star.. very nice and caters to western visitors. As you pull into the hotel there are guards that stop you- check ids and your car. To go inside the hotel you must go through a metal detector and your bags are scanned. All this additional security actually made me more nervous. This is a known "western" hotel ... is our safety such a concern that all these additional measures are necessary? hummm...
I have not ventured outside the hotel yet.. I have mostly just been getting settled and recovering from the jet lag. So far the Indian people seem very polite and respectful. In the hotel they treat us like royalty. :) I can get used to this.....
My first work day begins in less than 12 hrs !
I've got two words to say about the flight... Business Class!! What a difference that makes on a long flight (a little over 20hrs). We had lay down seats equiped with massagers and our own personal screens with movies,tv and video games. And..if you got tired of looking at your neighbor.. push a button .. and a privacy wall would go up :) Perhaps I could suggest these at work - I think they would be ideal in a cubicle setting as well.. ha! It was easy for me to sleep because the seats were actually comfortable and the cabin was darkened and had little twinkle stars on the ceiling. The plane/flight was impressive- Kudo Emirates!
We had a short layover in Dubai - only enough time to visit a few gift shops and enjoy a Stella at the bar. The airport itself was beautiful and had all the top end stores for shopping... I would have loved to venture outside just to catch a glimpse of one of those fabulous hotels!
Soo.. the India airport was not quite as impressive as Dubai. The second I stepped off the plane.. the heat hit me.. sweltering, sticky, stinky. But a lot like Missouri ;) We made it through customs and baggage claim... no problems. We stepped outside and there was people everywhere! It was an intimidating feeling... it was also 3am in the morning. There was well over a thousand people waiting outside the airport.. standing..sleeping on the cement.. they looked like they had been there for days. Apparently they were waiting for their international outbound flights - which only leave during the night hours and there is no indoor terminal waiting area. So in about 8 weeks - I will be one of those people.
Holy HELLo..Nobody quite prepared me for the driving. I mean I heard it was bad - But fearing for my life ?? Apparently lanes and blinkers are optional in India. it is more of a weaving system with heavy usage of horns. There were men on mopeds with their wives hanging off the back (no helmets) and bicycles that appear out of nowhere and are suddenly part of the traffic. Little kids were riding in the back of truck beds... it was heartbreaking. I had to shut my eyes.
The hotel was about 20 heartstopping minutes away from the airport. The hotel we are staying at is 5 star.. very nice and caters to western visitors. As you pull into the hotel there are guards that stop you- check ids and your car. To go inside the hotel you must go through a metal detector and your bags are scanned. All this additional security actually made me more nervous. This is a known "western" hotel ... is our safety such a concern that all these additional measures are necessary? hummm...
I have not ventured outside the hotel yet.. I have mostly just been getting settled and recovering from the jet lag. So far the Indian people seem very polite and respectful. In the hotel they treat us like royalty. :) I can get used to this.....
My first work day begins in less than 12 hrs !
If you want to skype.. add me juliet.swinger!
ReplyDeleteJuliet: Great overview about your arrival. I do want to say that your font on the latest post is harder to read than the first post. Maybe consider going back to the other font for these old eyes. In any event, take lots of pictures and we're so glad that you made it there safely. Hugs, Diana
ReplyDeleteExcellent intro. One blog down, quickly catching up. =D
ReplyDelete