I landed safely in Delhi! and I promise to have actually read about 200 pages of the culture shock books on the flight. I read slowly... so how did I get so much extra time to read?
Fact: If you leave Canada on Saturday and hope to land on Monday, your plane will almost run out of fuel, arrive 6 hours delayed, land at a different airport, you will learn what 300 above temperature passengers smell like while sitting on the runway, and love every minute of it.
Let me quote Gitanjali Kolanad's "Culture Shock, A Guide to Customs and Etiquette."
"If you want to plan your trip around auspicious days, my book tells me that in general, Mondays and Saturdays are inauspicious for journeys to the east."
Just as we are 1 hour from the Delhi airport, I notice on the map screen that our plane is going in little circles. Literally looked like the end of a yo-yo. Then we start heading due south for Ahmedabad. Equivalent to saying you will land in Washington but instead go to Chicago. No explanation from the captain. We land, refuel, wait, wait, wait, move a little, wait, and take off.
I love that my first blatant lesson in India is to appreciate that nothing runs on your schedule, so slow down and enjoy the ride. The moment yields more than the future.
Since the flight landed at 4:30 am rather than 10:30 pm, and my next flight to Chandigarh is at 2:30 pm, I scrapped the idea of staying at Anoopa Hotel in Delhi for 700 Rupees (+500 to 1000 more in taxi fare) and got the hotel nap and shower deal. 3 hours for 2000 Rupees, yeah its a rip off and a total cop out from actually stepping into the delhi heat, but at least I have a bed, wifi, and a good shower for the next couple hours. And it was right in the arrivals area. Delhi, I will be back to explore you later.
Looking back, I kind of wish I was taking the bus to Chandigarh, oh well, King Fisher Airlines gets to serve me a up a cold one.
Courtney, I wish you the best on your Yoga instruction/retreat, thank you for the insight and sharing the humour of the delays, hope your daughter doesn't miss you too much. Sikh man who didn't speak English and double fisted bottles of wine all plane ride, thank you for your ramblings, on the way back I may understand at least one word. And LC Laurier, thank you for the epic JFDI list, my first Hindu words are Namaste and namaskar (I pay my respects to you, and response), expect pictures soon :).
Last part: Recommended reading - "Culture Shock" by Gitanjali Kolanad, "Child of Dawn" by Deepak Chopsa, and most definitely "The Holy Cow and other Indian Stories" by Tarun Chopra. That last one is just a great context builder.
Land Three times in India in one day! What a lucky guy.
Let me quote Gitanjali Kolanad's "Culture Shock, A Guide to Customs and Etiquette."
"If you want to plan your trip around auspicious days, my book tells me that in general, Mondays and Saturdays are inauspicious for journeys to the east."
Just as we are 1 hour from the Delhi airport, I notice on the map screen that our plane is going in little circles. Literally looked like the end of a yo-yo. Then we start heading due south for Ahmedabad. Equivalent to saying you will land in Washington but instead go to Chicago. No explanation from the captain. We land, refuel, wait, wait, wait, move a little, wait, and take off.
I love that my first blatant lesson in India is to appreciate that nothing runs on your schedule, so slow down and enjoy the ride. The moment yields more than the future.
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| 50 Square feet of Paradise |
Looking back, I kind of wish I was taking the bus to Chandigarh, oh well, King Fisher Airlines gets to serve me a up a cold one.
Courtney, I wish you the best on your Yoga instruction/retreat, thank you for the insight and sharing the humour of the delays, hope your daughter doesn't miss you too much. Sikh man who didn't speak English and double fisted bottles of wine all plane ride, thank you for your ramblings, on the way back I may understand at least one word. And LC Laurier, thank you for the epic JFDI list, my first Hindu words are Namaste and namaskar (I pay my respects to you, and response), expect pictures soon :).
Last part: Recommended reading - "Culture Shock" by Gitanjali Kolanad, "Child of Dawn" by Deepak Chopsa, and most definitely "The Holy Cow and other Indian Stories" by Tarun Chopra. That last one is just a great context builder.
Land Three times in India in one day! What a lucky guy.
Welcome, my friend, to the land of 'we-shall-confuse-the-hell-out-of-you'....
ReplyDeleteYAY! You finally read the damn books!
ReplyDelete