In Delhi and to the Hotel

Our first adventure was leaving Customs in Delhi and going towards the airport exit. After turning the corner from Customs and passing through the baggage claim, we came to a door with armed guards and a sea of drivers on both sides of a railing. Sort of like one of the tunnels leading to a football stadium where the players pass through the middle. In this case, we were the ones passing through. I scanned one side and Don the other looking for our names on the hundreds of white signs being held up. Neither of us saw either of our names. Once you "run the gauntlet", that's it. No passing back and re-entry.

No driver, now what to do? After discretely waling behind each row of waiting drivers and scanning the other side, we did not see our names again. We did yet another pass and saw nothing.

So, Don's iPhone wouldn't work and I was appointed to call for help. I phoned Robbin who called the Servcie Desk in Chennai. While she did that, I called the number on the itinerary and got several messages saying I wasn't dialing corrctly.

Finally, I got a person after 6 tries and the the voice took my booking number and called the driver. About that tine, Robbin had gotten through and the Service Delivery Manager in Chennai also got the driver - on his cell phone.

What we didn't know was there was a second gauntlet of drivers and ours was outside gate #2. We left the termnal and saw the driver right away.

From the airport to the hotel was about a 30 minute drive. As Todd said, driving is a combination of horror and comedy. Never attempt this feat yourself - you will perish. More on this later in Bangalore.

We got to the hotel, passed the bomb sniffing dogs and mirror scan of our car. We were serched again and led inside. Because we had a double room upgrade, we were led to a another araa and registered privately. It was very formal and very ornate. My room was spectacular and truly fit for royalty. The bad news was I only had one night and had to pack for departure early the next morning for the flight to Bangalore.

More on that later. It is about 6:45am and I am to meet one of the providers today for breakfast and a tour of their place with a full day of activity. I'll post more tonight when I get a moment to catch my breath.

Flight over the North Pole

The actual flight from Chicago to Delhi was great. The 777 is huge and I was in Business Class. Attached are some pictures of the area. It is quite spacious and I slept for nearly 8 of the 14.5 hours in the air. They fed us three times but I slept through the middle feeding. I heard it was pizza. The other meals were Indian in nature and very good. I have little trouble with food anyway.

The seat has motorized controls and flattens out to a bed. They supplu a duvet and pillow which you can see in one of the pictures. Overall it was quite comfortable. I am looking forward to the trip back for the comfort and food alone.

Once we landed in Delhi, clearing customs was a breeze. We had prefilled out the paperwork and I was stamped on my way in minutes. It is unusual to see guards with AK-47 guns everywhere so the passengers tend to say Yes Sir and No Sir when directed one way or another.

1st Leg - DFW to ORD

The first leg, from Dallas to Chicago, is complete. We arrived in Chicago about 5pm. Our 777 dwarfed the other nearby planes. In the waiting area by Gate K-19, there are not enough people to fill this beast. Maybe they bus them in from somewhere else.

Here is a photo of the 777 outside the airport gate window. The glare is bad and this is not a good picture but they frown on going outside to get a photo from the tarmac.

The other picture is of my clothes compression bag into which I squeeze all my clothes and press the air out. It reduces the space but not the weight. Kingfisher Airlines in Delhi weighed my bags and insisted on checking them. I did and the process was painless.

More later. We'll depart at 7:20pm Friday and arrive in Delhi at 8:30pm Saturday. It is going to be a long flight and they promise meals and sleeping quarters. We'll see.

Overview

On Friday, April 9, 2010, I will starting an adventure to India - my 1st trip. The journey will be from Dallas to Chicago and then on a Boeing 777 from Chicago direct to Delhi, India. The route goes from Chicago north over the North Pole to the capitol of India. There will be a brief stay overnight in Delhi and then it is on to Bangalore (or Bengalaru using the local language and customs). Bangalore will be home for a few days while we visit some current & potential new vendors and then it is on to Chennai. In Chennai, the object is to visit with the new Outsource provider for the company. From Chennai, the journey goes back Bangalore followed by a short drive to Mysore. Mysore is home to a noted Palace and spectacular Formal Gardens. After spending a night near the Garden grounds, it will be back to Bangalore and then to Delhi for a return flight back over the North Pole to Chicago and then Dallas.