Greetings from Bangalore!

Business Class - Boeing 777

Hello from India where we are a little tired but in good spirits!  The 16-hour flight to Dubai literally flew by.  After settling into my business class seat next to the window, my eyelids grew heavy and I fell asleep as the plane was taking off.  I awoke just as the attendant came to take my dinner order – tomato bisque and seafood biryani – and while I ate, I watched episodes of the cute British children’s show Postman Pat (think of Bob the Builder but he’s a mail carrier with a black & white cat) and the latest Mission Impossible.  

Postman Pat

View from the Plane

 The snow capped mountains of Canada from the window were so pretty – yes, the flight path went unexpectedly north since Dubai is on the other side of the world!  Shortly thereafter, I fully reclined my seat and when I woke up - I am guessing - 12 hours later, other passengers were already partaking of breakfast.  I intentionally had not once checked my watch or viewed the map showing the flight’s progress because on long flights, I have a tendency to get transfixed and continually check the number of hours remaining.  Shortly after breakfast, the plane began its descent as the city lights below came into view and we landed smoothly in Dubai at 8:00pm Saturday night.  

On the plane to Bangalore, during the pre-takeoff announcements, I heard them say something like “… please cover your nose and mouth.  If you wear contacts, we suggest you close your eyes.  We are sorry for any discomfort this causes you.”  Suddenly, two flight attendants quickly walked through the aisles holding a small aerosol can in each hand high over their head.  It sprayed a mist upward throughout the cabin.  It was a strange sight.  I held my breath for as long as I could.  The businessman from India who was sitting next to me did not seem alarmed.  I asked, “What was that?”  He explained that before taking off, it is required that they spray a disinfectant to kill any mosquitoes or bacteria.  

It was a rough and bumpy descent as the plane landed in Bangalore 3 ½ hours later at 3:00am.  It immediately felt warm and muggy.  

The ride from the airport to the hotel turned out to be the most “adventurous” part!  If you read my earlier post about the Palm Meadows website, I mentioned how scared I was watching the video of the driving route from the hotel to various points of interests.  Well, I found out that is how they normally drive... but worse.  In the darkness at 3:30am, we sat in silence for the next hour as our driver honked at other cars – I lost count after 17 times – and high-beamed large slower trucks.   There were a surprising number of vehicles on the road for that early in the morning.  Without warning, a speed bump would appear – actually, more like speed hills that were badly scraped from the undercarriage of cars who drove too fast – and most roads did not have marked lanes so people drove haphazardly at a rapid speed.  I felt like I was a part of a video game for a car race where the vehicles jockey for position to take the checkered flag.  It was all a bit unreal especially in a jet-lagged state of mind.  We saw a motorbike carrying 3 adults (husband & wife and perhaps their mother who was sitting at the rear), plus a boy about 8 years old who was sitting between his father's arms as the Dad steered the motorbike.  My colleague Lisa and I stared at each other in silence after we saw it.  Mom, if you're reading this, don’t worry... we are safe. :)