Friday, August 14, 2009

Arriving In Dehli!

So, I had the great fortune of flying business class to Dehli! How did I pull that off....working for Pfizer for over 5 years and accruing frequent flyer miles that I never used until now. Hey I figured why not use them on this trip. Anyhow the 14 hour plane ride was not bad at all and they really treat you well in business first! I had just eaten my last American meal at the Outback with my mom and gram having some good 'ol baby back ribs and little did I know that I would be having a 7 course meal on the plane! I wish I had known, I would have saved some room, but instead I was stuffed to the maximum after the 3rd course!

Anyway, I arrive in Dehli and it is 7:51pm Fri. I look out the window and everything is dark so I really can't say what Dehli looks like from the plane. Once I arrived everything went smoothly. Going through customs was fine, getting my bags was fine, even getting to the lounge. Then came a little drama...

Cross Culture Solutions (CCS) the program that I am volunteering with told us that there would be someone in the lounge waiting for us to arrive, so I get to the lounge looking for a sign that says (CCS) and I am wearing my CCS shirt and I do not see anyone. Then there are 2 exits one on the left, one on the right. I decide to go on the right, when I get outside boy is it humid and there are a ton of people waiting for their people to come...no CCS sign. I go to the left exit again super humid a ton of people waiting for their people... no CCS sign. So, I go into my bag and pull out the info on what to do when no one is there waiting for you. Thank goodness right where I was standing there were phones so I call one of the CCS guys. They say "Oh you are early, someone will be there to pick you up in the next 10-15 min, stay in the lounge area, don't go outside to the exits someone will come in and get you." I said ok great, I'll wait in the lounge.

So I go to sit in the lounge and just wait, watch people as they arrive etc. A half hour passes and I'm like well, this is India they say you have to be patient and when people say 10-15min, maybe they mean 30min. Then an hour goes by and still no one has come to get me. I then decide to call again. The guys says "Chandel I am so sorry tomorrow is our Independence day and they have extra tight security, they are not letting anyone into the lounge area, you have to go to exit 2, they are waiting for you out there." I said oh ok, that's why I was waiting an hour.

Come to find out, the guys that came to pick me up had been there for just about an hour themselves waiting for me outside b/c they couldn't get in. Suffice it to say, it all worked out in the end I am now safely at my Indian flat writing my fisrt blog in India.

Oh and one last thing...if you think NYC driving is bad I think Dehli might top it!! The ride from the airport to the flat was certainly a bumpy one...craziness!

3 comments:

  1. Hey Channy- It looks like you have arrived in fine fashion. Keep us updated on your experiences. We look forward to reading about your time in India.
    D.

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  2. Hey Shoney!
    Great blog!!
    Keep it up. We will enjoy stayng up to date on your trip and all the happenings

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  3. Ahh...it's times like these where I really appreciate the invention of the cell phone. :)

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