Flight to Delhi

Continental recently began offering a direct flight from Newark to Delhi. For many, this 14-hour journey would not be appealing. Some people would prefer a stop over to break up the trip. For me, a non-stop is a dream come true, literally. It’s because I can sleep most of the time and the flight is over before I know it.

At Newark Airport with my kurta and one carry-on bag.

In this case, I think I slept at least 9 of the 14 hours. The rest of the time I spent watching the Bourne Ultimatum (a movie that I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed in the theatre but in this captured setting, I rather liked it) and eating the three meals provided. I have a knack for waking up when the food cart rambles up the aisle. I’m so Pavlovian!

While the middle seat next to my window seat was empty, the poor Sikh gentleman sitting in the aisle seat was battling what I hoped was simply a cold. (I guess not only was he Sikh, but he was sick.) I’ve never seen someone with such a runny nose. I ordered glasses of water to drop my Air-borne tablets into in hopes of boosting my immune system. I also rubbed my lip balm just under my nose – I have a theory that by doing this, I prevent myself from breathing in nasty germs. I can’t verify that this would make it into the medical journals, but it’s never failed for me. Every time I remember to do this, I don’t even get a runny nose on a flight, whereas if I don’t do it, I invariably at least end up with the sneezes.

Despite leaving an hour late due to a safety issue (the flight attendant call buttons in the bathrooms were not working), we landed in Delhi just 10 minutes late.

Making my way from the plane to the jetway, I noticed the smell of India wafting through as there was just a slight crack between the two doorways. How could a country have a smell that permeates even the airport? It was the smoky smell of a fire pit – the millions of them that were surely burning all over the country at this hour as families and individuals attempted to stay warm or simply cook their dinner during this winter’s night.

Customs was relatively quick (slowed just slightly by the fact that two flights arrived simultaneously) and the news of Benazir Bhutto’s death played on a large screen TV.

Not having checked bags to worry about, I headed to the exchange counter to change a small amount of cash (the exchange rate at the airport is generally terrible but I wanted at least a few hundred rupees to start my journey).

As I left the airport terminal, I spotted a large sign – BETH. My ride was waiting for me. For the first couple of days, I stayed with a friend’s family who lives just southeast of Delhi. My friend’s brother (and driver) picked me up. And during the one hour drive to his home, he gave me a lesson on the current development of Delhi, explained some of the larger issues of corruption and said that India, dirt and all, will always be home to him. He politely asked a couple of times if I would prefer to sleep but I was so excited to be here that I just soaked up all that he was sharing with me.

And thus, my India adventure begins.

Happy Travels!

You can also read about my India travels on my blog at the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

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