What a day it has been! (Actually more than “a day” when one factors in the time changes…)
It is currently 10:28 PM Gurgaon-time, Tuesday, September 14, 2010, which is 10.5 hours ahead of Minneapolis-time. I am so wired from the trip (and many cups of Masala tea en route) that I’m certain it will require considerable reading and another glass of Cabernet before I’m ready to call it a day…which is pretty amazing, considering it was a 14.5 hour flight and I only slept a little over one hour.
When my son-in-law, Juan, dropped me off at MSP, an evacuation of the terminal, including the American Airlines area, had been called. The TSA staff didn’t seem too concerned, so I decided then and there that it was no portent of what was to come…
This being my maiden overseas voyage, I did manage to require some “extra attention” going through security…hey, a woman my age is not about to complain about a frisking. (Just kidding – I didn’t get THAT lucky!) Just a minor oversight on my part regarding my laptop…
The flight to Chicago was quick and uneventful. From Chicago O’Hare, I boarded a 777 bound for New Delhi, India. I have never been on such a huge plane! I had a window seat and the neighboring seat all to myself. We were asked to close our window shades as the sun would be rising en route, but I left mine open just a crack, because I didn’t want to miss the beauty of a sunrise. (A small rebellious streak managing to sneak in…)
When the sun rose, we were flying over Greenland’s mountains. I don’t know why, but the sight choked me up…maybe it was the realization that I was finally pursuing an adventure like I’ve dreamed of for some time. Traveling…seeing the wonderful, beautiful world out there, experiencing other cultures, “living wide”…I’ve been saying that life is too short to live it conservatively, and I’ve finally done something about it.
The warm colors of the sunrise in various hues across the clouds was breathtaking, but soon it was gone. Like so may other times in life, if you don’t grab onto the moment, “seize the day” – “carpe diem”, you miss that rare opportunity, and may never get another chance. It was a very poignant moment that is tugging at my heart even now as I write.
I kept reading and drinking more Masala tea and periodically checking what was going on outside my window. Eventually the clouds broke over part of Russia, near where the GPS tracker indicated Yekaterinburg and revealed a crazy-quilt-like patchwork of fields and forests with a serpentine river that stitched it all together. It was mesmerizing to me. I kept thinking of where I was, where I had been, and where I want to be…hmmm…lots of reflection going on, and I’m not talking about the sun on the wings of the aircraft…
Upon landing and disembarking, I felt for the first time the feeling of truly being a foreigner, despite the kindness and helpfulness of the Indian people – from airport security to the young police women by pillar 15 to the taxi driver.
Ali, Oliver, and their friend (and current “nanny”) Sinclair, met me at pillar 15 and took me to my room at the Courtyard Marriot. It was SO GOOD TO SEE THEM! They left me with some tantalizing naan and some kind of amazingly delicious curry to help lull me to sleep. Oliver woke up at the hotel, received his usual celebrity-style attention (almost – it’s quite funny how people flock to a baby), and laughed when I gave him razzberries on his chubby thighs and kisses on his neck. Oh, I love that little cherub, otherwise known as Oliver!!!
This room is fabulous – I want to remember the design and incorporate it into my own home someday! Note the glass-enclosed shower, with blinds opening into the bedroom (if that’s not sexy, I don’t know what is), good clean lines of design, no wasted space…
The taxi ride was crazy – lane markers are simply suggestions, as are traffic lights. I can’t count how many times I said “Holy shit!” or “Oh my God!” on the way to my hotel. To say that traffic is utterly insane is an understatement! Oh, and there aren’t seatbelts. Holy cow! (Now that may prove to be an apropos saying).
It’s already been a fabulous trip, and I haven’t even seen daylight...
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