We’ve been in India for only four days so far but they have
been filled to the brim with activity.
But first, the trip.
Traveling to India with two children proved to be challenging, but far
less so than I anticipated (for the most part).
Of course, we couldn’t leave Minneapolis without some kind
of crisis. I manufactured this one, of
course. When we started the check-in
process, I realized we were down one passport.
Now we’re all freaking out. I
remembered that I made photocopies of the passports the night before and must
have left the last one on the scanner at home.
Crap. Called my neighbor and
luckily he was home and willing to retrieve it and bring it to the
airport. Disaster averted.
Our first leg was to Chicago – a short trip that was
uneventful. From there we connected to
Amsterdam on KLM. The flight was pretty
good, but a bit stuffy - after more than 20 winters in Minnesota, this one
being one of the coldest – I found the temperature on the plane to be
considerably warmer than my home. When we landed in Amsterdam we had a 5 ½ hour
layover. The first thing we did was find
a spot to nap in (lounge chairs in a relatively quiet spot.) We had some
breakfast, did a little shopping (cheese & chocolate) and then boarded our
second flight. Eight hours later we
landed in Delhi. We got our bags, got a
taxi and proceeded to my cousin’s house, getting in at about 3:30am local time. Some warm milk and toast, then bed.
Waking up that first morning in India is always sort of
magical for me. There are the sounds –
the birds, bhajans (hymns) played with morning prayers, horns honking, street
vendors calling out announcing their wares, and cups of steaming hot tea with
biscuits to start the day.
Our first day in Delhi was a Monday, which is sort of like
Sunday in the Western world in that many businesses are closed. One area that is open on Mondays is Connaught
Place, so we took the kids and my nephew’s wife (does that make her my
niece-in-law?) Came along. We shopped
for some clothes and table linens and got the kids some ice cream and headed
home.
More to come…. But for now we’re settling in well and the
girls are having a ball. They love the
food, their baby cousin, and are even tolerating the Delhi traffic. We're looking forward to power shopping and sightseeing in the next few days. Stay tuned…and be sure to check out Rain's blog: The Return of the Desi Larkhi.
What would an adventure be without beginning it with a missing passport?! It reminded me of a time when my sister and I were returning from London one year. I made it through the first of many check points and my sister was waylaid at the first because she couldn't find her passport in her bag. Unable to turn around and help her, I stood there panicking, sweating, and wondering I was going to lose my sister to the Brits! When she found it, the officer grimaced and asked her, if she was born in Mexico, what was she doing in London?....awkward, panic, emotion, and suspense...all part of the adventure.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the first magical morning in India made me sooooo want to travel again! Now, India is on my bucket list! Have a wonderful time :)