Woman Hollerin': Arrival in India

I had harder time getting to Champaign, Ill., three years ago than I had getting to New Delhi. After an easy drive to the airport in San Antonio (thank you, Tobin!) we had an easy flight to Chicago, a snack in O’Hare and the easiest 14-hour air trip I can imagine from Chicago to Delhi. No one questioned Judy about the extra box she took on board and even the babies sitting near us were quiet. I noted especially that unlike flights between Russia and the United States, no one got drunk. Not one person.

And the flight arrived early.

The first people we saw were a unit of Indian soldiers who sent us in the right direction toward baggage claim. We had to fill out a health form attesting that we were not feeling symptoms of the flu, and the rest of the passport and customs check was easy, too. In the passport line, a blond woman dressed in black turned to us and said, “I recognize the smell of India. I love it.” (I think it smells like burning trash. In any case, the smell doesn’t seem unique to India.)

Our pre-arranged taxi met us at the airport. We had a smooth ride through the crowded evening highways of New Delhi to Connaught Place. We say a young woman in a golden sari riding behind her boyfriend (I suppose he could have been her husband or brother) on a motorcycle and a caravan of bicycles carrying several wooden chairs each. With this much traffic at 9 p.m., I can imagine how many cars we’ll see tomorrow.

We saw a lot of places with guardhouses and razor wire. The U.S. embassy is among that crowd.

Our hotel is on a pretty quiet street with a lot of restaurants and shops. This area has quite a few Western chain food places. We passed Wimpy not long before arriving. The reception man took us to our room and in explaining the amenities, he pointed out that we have a view. Of Papa John’s across the street.

We’ve had a call from our guide already. We’ll be meeting at 8 a.m. to get started early before the heat gets too thick.

Judy and I both are still not really believing we are here in India and that it was so easy, so far. The hotel sent us a glass of apple juice on the house as a welcome. We are settling in.