Journey to India

I'll be travelling out on Monday morning, April 6th. Not too early thank goodness. The flight is with Turkish Airlines which is a bit of an experiment, but generally they get good reviews, so we'll see! Anyway, they were £300 cheaper than BA.

I arrive into Istanbul late afternoon, then a couple of hours wait before leaving for Delhi. It's about 4 more hours flying time but taking account of the time shift, it will be 3 am Tuesday before i reach India. No pickup arrangements at Delhi but I'm not bothered about that: I've done it so many times now that I know the routine. You have to book and pay for your taxi inside the terminal, just after customs. The chap will give you a voucher with a taxi number, then you head for the taxi rank and search for your car. Generally, about 20 locals will offer to help and carry your bag and of course they all want some cash, even if there's only one bag to carry. In fact, they want some cash even if the bag's on wheels and all they do is walk alongside!

When you find the car, if you're lucky the driver will be there as well. If not, he'll be close by chatting to one of his mates (but it's always wise to check in case he's having a kip on the back seat). The rael fun is finding the hotel, especially if you're not staying 5 star. Most drivers know which district to head for but once they (hopefully) get close, they generally resort to asking for directions from anyone and everyone. Then they gradually home in on their target - I say gradually because that last part can take up to an hour, so patience and a sense of humour are vital.

That's how I expect it to turn out but every trip is an adventure.

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