I've arrived half way around the world

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I have arrived. The trip was long, 30 ½ hours from initial takeoff to final landing, with 2-3 hour layovers in both Atlanta and Paris. On the flight from Paris to Delhi, our seats were in the upper deck of the 747, which was cool. The flights consisted of eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping.

Once we landed, we stood in a long line for immigration. It was stiflingly hot and I was grateful for having arrived in winter. I might’ve passed out if it were summer. We gathered our bags (of course, I had more bags than Ray and Michele) and headed out of the terminal to find our driver.

The first thing to strike me as I left the building was the smell. God help me, it about knocked me down. It was the POWERFUL stench of urine. Welcome to India! Or perhaps welcome to the gents’ outdoor toilet. The second thing to strike me was the air pollution. It thick like fog and immediately made my eyes burn. On the upside, the cooler temperature was very welcomed… And so goes my first introduction to the dichotomy of India.

We exited a ramp that was lined with what felt like hundreds of drivers holding up signs with people’s name. Thank God Ray spotted our sign/driver right away. We had a short walk through a dirt parking lot to the car where our luggage consumed every square in of space - thanks to my golf clubs.

Speaking of my golf clubs, we were struggling to make them fit in the car, which was like a small SUV, when unbeknownst to me a man approached to help. The next thing you know he is demanding a tip. Michele refused to tip and admonished him that he should tip her since he didn’t really help and that she and Ray made the clubs fit. The exchange went back and forth until everyone was in the car and we were moving… And so goes my first introduction to the tip hounds on India.

Exiting the parking lot was harrowing. It was literally bumper-to-bumper cars, sometimes 4 and 5 cars wide. Once we cleared the parking toll gate, our driver raced into late night traffic, swerving and weaving and driving into oncoming traffic as he raced us to the hotel in Gurgaon… Although I’ve heard many stories about the perils of driving in India, nothing prepares you for the real experience. It’s white-knuckling.

Tom would fit in perfectly here with his driving. You’ve got to be aggressive as hell and it’s absolutely essential to honk your horn every few seconds. There seems to be some bizarre horn language that the drivers understand.

Ray and Michele let me sit in the cat bird’s seat in the front so I could take in everything. Three things struck me the most… #1) The disrepair of the buildings along side the row. They seemed in shambles but were obviously open for business in the daylight hours. #2) All the trucks have ''Please Honk'' painted on the back. This is possibly the biggest waste of paint in human history. #3) All the world’s a man’s toilet. I probably saw a dozen men with their backs turned taking a leak. Didn’t see any women and thank God no male ''squatters''.

We arrived at the hotel, which is actually a local town and country club - sans golf course. Check in was uneventful and the rooms here are quite nice. Not much sleep the first night. Jet lag.

Sorry no pictures of the arrival. It was too dark and I wanted to take everything in with both eyes - not via the eye of a view finder.

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Photos

Where in the world?
A little geography lesson

Gurgaon, India
Gurgaon. I am here.

Comments

[Lainy]

Made me laugh out loud!!!
The part about the "please honk" sign being the biggest waste of paint made me laugh out loud! I am glad you're there and having your adventure. I am just sorry that you were greeted with the stench of urine.