Leaving India

After lunch, I just cooled down under AC and slowly packed. Loaded van at 4:45; drove to Nagpur airport. ETD moved up from 7:15 to 6:50pm. So good thing we were a bit early. Flying to Mumbai, hit a little turbulence. I had been reveling in the 2 weeks’ great experiences, esp today’s events. When the turbulence hit, I just said, “Go ahead and take me Lord. It’s okay now.” Now I’m in Mumbai international. Start boarding for Frankfurt in about 20+ minutes.

No pics this time. Just a few thoughts, then I can go on to the Germany part of the trip on the next post. For this entry: I had forgotten about the turbulence until I re-read it just now. I suppose we all struggle with some things. I've had my struggle(s) for years and I wonder how that will all turn out. Yesterday, I visited my previous church, Sunset Pres. Pastor preached in a series on Integrity, with the theme of "Finishing Well." I needed to hear that message. Glad I made the 73 mile trip. Now I need to sort out what to do with the message.

But on the trip from Nagpur to Mumbai, I was maybe literally on cloud 9, but figuratively I was definitely there. So the turbulence brought an interesting reflection. Wish I could stay in that place (viz., India not the airplane)--figuratively, if not literally--the rest of my life. But that is not realistic thinking. It is just a wishful thought.

Today, maybe you can tell, I'm kinda down. Need to get back in gear.

A little bit should be said about the Mumbai airport. On the flight to Mumbai a young wife and her daughter sat next to me. We each minded our own business until we started approach. They were Indian, but live in Botswana! I did not try to hide my surprise that they were headed there. When we started to leave, I got their bag down from the overhead. It was heavy enough that they had arranged someone else to bring it on board and put it in place. So I was trying to be gentlemanly and get it for them. No prob. And they thanked me. And we got on the bus that took us to the terminal (no walkways at Indian airports). As I arrived at the terminal, I realized that I had forgotten my hat and my crossword puzzle book. In my haste to get the lady's baggage, I forgot these vital items of my own! I talked to the man at the info booth. He sent me to the customer service table for that airline. She told me to go to the info booth. I said they sent me to her. She was not excited, but agreeable and led me to another attendant, a young man. They made a series of calls to the plane. Attendants there located the items. But they were distracted and delayed bringing it. Finally, the young man told me to wait where I was and he would go get the items himself. My impression is that India operates on the basis of tips. So when he finally returned with my prized items, I held out a tip for him. He recoiled in horror. Absolutely refused anything of the sort from me. Explained that it was his "duty" to do this. Okay with me. I could use the money on other things, which I did. But I was surprised.

Transferred from the domestic terminal to the international. I was not looking forward to this phase of the trip. When I waited at Mumbai International on the previous trip, it was a nightmare. I was virtually pennyless (rupeeless) and there was NOWHERE to relax. Construction everywhere. Actually, no construction at that time of day. But everything boarded up or curtained to allow for construction during the day. And no place to eat. After all, I could have used a credit card if a place had been open. So on that visit, I just wandered the corridor for hours--hungry, thirsty and tired.

This time, what a difference! Construction/remodelling completed. Restaurants of all international varieties were open all night long (can you picture an Indian pizza hut?). I was there from about 9:30p.m. till about 2:00a.m. I found a booth to call home. It was during the school hours; so I called Mom instead of BW. Mom was in the middle of an awards ceremony and photo session. But when she saw the number on her cell, she excused herself and we were able to talk for a little while--long enough for me to tell her that I was on the verge of leaving India and could she please relay that to BW. Then I spent virtually my last rupees to buy a meal of noodles and chicken. Walking a little farther, I spied a "slumber room." Laid down there for a while on one of the recliners available. Airport personnel kept coming in and looking at the various people, making sure no one missed their flight. But they never disturbed anyone sleeping. I wondered how they knew who to look for.

After a while, I decided to go to the men's room and discovered the answer to my mystery: A young lady approached me from behind and confirmed my name. She already knew who I was. Then she informed me that my departure gate had been changed. I realized that at some point, they had photographed me and linked my photo with info about my departure flight. When they needed to locate me, they just looked for my ugly mug and relayed the message.

Perhaps you can tell I was very much impressed with the Mumbai International Airport, and the domestic terminal as well.

Next time: Germany.
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