Wednesday 13 April 2016
Mumbai to Varanasi
I am sitting in the domestic terminal of Mumbai's new and award-winning airport. My flight leaves in about an hour. After having breakfast and leaving some luggage at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, my Audley agent and driver pick me up from lobby at 7:45am. They called at the hotel last evening to remind of the time. The agent doesn't go with us to the airport, but the driver is excellent and even gives some insight to the city as we pass through different neighborhoods on the drive north to the airport. Traffic is light and it takes only 45 minutes to reach our destination. The first part of the journey passes along Chowpatty Beach and I have excellent views of the Arabian Sea shoreline; and the attractive buildings lining this popular promenade. From 1:00am to 8:00am, all traffic lights in Mumbai stay on yellow so that no one is impeded by anything like safety for pedestrians. At 8am sharp, the lights switch back to their appropriate colors.
After the ride along the coast—including an excellent view of the temple on an island causeway that is often submerged at high tides—we join the expressway that crosses over the water separating two major parts of this city made up of islands. The suspension bridge and adjoining highway are quite a feat of engineering, even if, like pretty much everything else in this city, they are not quite completed. We are soon riding through new sections of the city, which exhibit the same combination of high-rise construction and low-level outwardly-spreading slums.
The domestic airport terminal is quite beautiful and very large, although not very crowded this morning. There is a long line for check-in, but my another Audley agent, the same one who met me at the dock yesterday, is on hand to find a short-cut through the long line, even though I am a mere peon in economy class. He gets points for a speedy process here but loses them when it comes to seat selection. The only available seat other than a middle row, is an exit row, non-reclining aisle seat. If he had given me the electronic flight information on Monday I could have gone on line and gotten a better seat. But he chose not to do that and I am stuck for two hours in an upright position.
This is an Air India flight and there seems to be a number of passengers for whom this is a first flight; somewhat chaotic with people trying to figure out where the seat number are. The flight is full so we should be departing at any moment, scheduled for 10:45. Had my first Indian meal, lunch on the air Inda flight: something brown and loose with meat –spicy; something white like garlic bread; potato wedges with herbs and medium spicy; something creamy and yellow with green bits for dessert (only slight spicy). I am making fun, but I did eat most of it. The cup of tea afterwards is the perfect beverage to wash it all down.
I will save the rest of the day and pictures for later.
Mumbai to Varanasi
I am sitting in the domestic terminal of Mumbai's new and award-winning airport. My flight leaves in about an hour. After having breakfast and leaving some luggage at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, my Audley agent and driver pick me up from lobby at 7:45am. They called at the hotel last evening to remind of the time. The agent doesn't go with us to the airport, but the driver is excellent and even gives some insight to the city as we pass through different neighborhoods on the drive north to the airport. Traffic is light and it takes only 45 minutes to reach our destination. The first part of the journey passes along Chowpatty Beach and I have excellent views of the Arabian Sea shoreline; and the attractive buildings lining this popular promenade. From 1:00am to 8:00am, all traffic lights in Mumbai stay on yellow so that no one is impeded by anything like safety for pedestrians. At 8am sharp, the lights switch back to their appropriate colors.
After the ride along the coast—including an excellent view of the temple on an island causeway that is often submerged at high tides—we join the expressway that crosses over the water separating two major parts of this city made up of islands. The suspension bridge and adjoining highway are quite a feat of engineering, even if, like pretty much everything else in this city, they are not quite completed. We are soon riding through new sections of the city, which exhibit the same combination of high-rise construction and low-level outwardly-spreading slums.
The domestic airport terminal is quite beautiful and very large, although not very crowded this morning. There is a long line for check-in, but my another Audley agent, the same one who met me at the dock yesterday, is on hand to find a short-cut through the long line, even though I am a mere peon in economy class. He gets points for a speedy process here but loses them when it comes to seat selection. The only available seat other than a middle row, is an exit row, non-reclining aisle seat. If he had given me the electronic flight information on Monday I could have gone on line and gotten a better seat. But he chose not to do that and I am stuck for two hours in an upright position.
This is an Air India flight and there seems to be a number of passengers for whom this is a first flight; somewhat chaotic with people trying to figure out where the seat number are. The flight is full so we should be departing at any moment, scheduled for 10:45. Had my first Indian meal, lunch on the air Inda flight: something brown and loose with meat –spicy; something white like garlic bread; potato wedges with herbs and medium spicy; something creamy and yellow with green bits for dessert (only slight spicy). I am making fun, but I did eat most of it. The cup of tea afterwards is the perfect beverage to wash it all down.
I will save the rest of the day and pictures for later.
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