I started out early on the morning of the 18th. I was dropped off at DFW for my flight to Boston, the rendezvous point for the group. Ready to go, I checked in my luggage and got my boarding pass, when I suddenly noticed I had forgotten my camera in my uncle’s truck. Sheepishly, I dialed Uncle Bob’s number and explained what a dufous I was. He generously drove all the way back up to the airport to get the camera to me.
Camera in-hand, I left for Charlotte, NC, my layover stop on the way to Boston. Charlotte’s airport is pleasant place to have a layover. The chicken pesto sandwich from the deli near gate C18 was superb -- layer upon layer of veggies on a wheat ciabatta bun. Rocking chairs and office trees make for a nice way to unwind after the stress an airport can cause.
After taking a few deep breaths, I was on to Boston to meet up with International Scholar Laureate group. The flight from Charlotte was slightly delayed, so I was a bit late checking in for my international flight. Luckily they still accepted my information and a quaint little elderly French couple helped me decide what items to pack in my carry-on luggage. Without their wisdom, I would’ve been in dire straits.
After clearing security, I proceeded to the gate where I found our faculty advisor, John. I’m fairly sure I was the last one to check in, so all my travel compadres were sitting together. I noticed something was a bit different about them, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. John cleared the situation up when he announced that I was the sole male of the group! Unsure whether that was a blessing or a curse, we boarded the plane headed for Paris.
A window seat on a nearly seven hour flight gives a man a lot of time to think. And what a beautiful way to think! I really felt like I was in a dream as we cruised above the clouds.
When it was completely, dark the view was the most stunning, but due to technical limitations of photography, an extremely low-light, far-focus shot is hard to capture with the vibrations the jet engines make -- so, this sunset picture will have to suffice. It’s a marvel of human engineering that a hunk of steel can take people 30,000 feet above sea level, and never have the slightest failure even on a 4,000 mile trip. My TV can’t even power up correctly sometimes! The international plane tirelessly churns through the sky for 8+ hour stretches all the while with perfect precision.
Morning came just a few hours later since we were flying east, into the sunrise. A portend of things to come, there were ice crystals clustered on the windows as we descended to [Pair-ee]. When we touched down,
the air was much cooler than we experience in Texas during the summer -- 48°! As we walked to the shuttle, I felt like I was in one of those intense
cool sensation commercials.
The airport itself only exaggerated my day dreams when I stepped into this scene in one of the bathrooms.
The stalls were transformed into a summer clothesline. Even the pricing was out of this world. At the shops around the gate, a 20 ounce bottled soft drink or water could be purchased for €3.40 -- at the current exchange rate, that's $5.25! I decided that if I was going to spend so much, I might as well get something different so I savored a delicious hot chocolate.
Our layover in Paris was about 4 hours, so we had plenty of time to kick back in the waiting area at the gate. A fellow traveler patiently waited for the plane to arrive. His calm disposition was inspiring to us weary Americans -- it was the middle of the night back home, but the day was just beginning in Paris.
We all piled onto a new plane for our 8 1/2 hour flight to Delhi. Most of us slept the whole way, so when we landed at 10:30 PM, we were wide awake and refreshed. After picking up our luggage from the Baggage Claim we headed for the customs department. Once, there, I was anxious to see what time it was, but I wasn't sure I could trust the clocks they had mounted on the wall (Hint: look at the minute hands).
We were greeted by our tour guides who gave us the run down of everything we'd be ding the next day. A traditional flower necklace was placed around each one of our neck and we each received dot on our "third eye". The guide explained that these were traditional welcoming . We then boarded the bus bound for our hotel.
The Taj Palace Hotel was about 25 minutes away from the airport and gave us a good opportunity to sightsee as we drove through the city. Giant semi trucks coexist with bicycling rickshaw drivers and most of the roads that we took were under construction. It will be interesting to see the other ways India's economic boom is affecting the people, the culture, and the landscape here.
Immensely worn out, I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I'm looking forward to getting cleaned up with a nice hot shower and sleeping in a bed tonight. Those tightly-packed plane seats just can't match a mattress, a pillow, and some sheets!
Poverty in India is ever-present and pervasive. There is no place left untouched by its hands. Driving down the road, the same pattern repeats over and over again. This tessellation is something like children, cows, mangos/bananas, men, trucks, debris, dogs, men, bikes, rickshaws, dirt, women in colorful saris, children, cows...
Examples include wedding supplies, paper, and saris – each one had a street of its own, and for each good there were 10s of tiny shops that all had the same products.
