My India Journal part 4 of 8

The shuttle took us over to the Domestic terminal where we waited for our 6:00 am flight. This was the first place that I experienced the “Ladies” line for security. From that point on, every security check in India involved me stepping behind a screen to be frisked and have a metal detector passed over me. And that’s after going through the normal metal detector “door frame.” They screened our carry-on luggage and stamped the ID tags on each piece as having passed inspection. Before we got on the plane, we had to show that ID tag to the people at the gate. Great security! It was also the first time that the vast majority of the females were wearing the traditional Indian outfits. This airport had showers, but I had no towel. I was really feeling greasy at this point and considered showering and just dealing with not having a towel! For the most part, we slept/waited in the chairs next to the gates so we wouldn’t miss an announcement. At one point, though, we found an alcove along one hallway that seemed to be for people who wanted a quiet place to sleep. It was great except for the people snoring. J The floors were so polished at this airport that they were slippery! I had worn shoes that I knew I could run in if I had to, but just walking was kind of dangerous! I’m glad I didn’t have to run! I caught up on all of our paperwork, making sure we had everything in order according to the way Dillon had told us to arrange things. We ate come granola bars/crackers that we had brought with us and Byron bought us some canned drinks. The cans actually had pull tabs! I had forgotten what those looked like! I tried to take a picture of them, but of course, the flash reflected off the lid so I couldn’t make out anything. One thing I thought was neat was that they had employees of the airlines go through the airport calling out the passengers’ names that hadn’t boarded yet, looking for them personally. Now that’s service! Finally, they called our flight and we boarded another shuttle that took us out to the plane. Standard operating procedure, I guess. The female flight attendants on this airline wear bright yellow suit jackets, and with their black hair and gorgeous complexions, the result was stunning. Byron kept looking at them saying, “That one looks like Elizabeth!” I didn’t mind that because they were all beautiful! After we took off, the flight attendants took off their yellow jackets to reveal black blouses underneath. I don’t know why, but I just thought that was kind of funny. A wardrobe change mid-flight! They put the jackets back on again for landing. The first thing they brought us was a choice of pre-snack/meal beverage. The choices were orange juice that looked more like mango juice or a lime drink. I chose the orange and was delightfully surprised. It was delicious! Before we ate breakfast, they brought around cold towels to wash/refresh with. That was nice after so much traveling! I couldn’t eat too much of our Non-Veg breakfast because it was too spicy for me. I loved the yogurt, though! I ate Byron’s too. J We landed in Delhi with no problems, snuck out of the airport, and paid for a taxi to take us to the US Embassy, Gate Six. Silly me. I thought that if you got a job as a taxi driver, you’d know the streets of the city you work in. That must just be an American thing. He had to stop several times for directions. Thank God for putting people on the street that actually knew where the Embassy was! The taxis in themselves were a story. Lane markings mean nothing. If there’s a space for most of the width of your vehicle, it’s yours for the taking, as long as you honk to let the people on either side of you know that you’re coming up beside them. I kept thinking back to the blogs that I had followed and the comments about the driving and just thought, “They made it without a problem, so we will, too!” A little naïve, perhaps, but at that point, whatever kept me from going insane with worry is what I had to do. The fumes from the diesel vehicles bothered me, but the other smells – spices, incense, filth, dust – got to me more. I was very thankful for a strong breeze!