It’s half past five am in India and I’ve just left the new Bangalore airport (which is amazingly beautiful by the way) heading to Mysore. I’d really like to capture the humor of this trip in its entirety so I suppose I’ll start from the beginning. However, before I do begin my 2008 travels in India blog, let me just say that I am so very happy to be in India right now! Ah, as the customs forms always proclaim, “Incredible India!” And incredible indeed – there is something magically simple, primitively beautiful, serenely loud about this place….words do no justice to the calm anxiety…the ordered chaos….does it sound as though I am contradicting myself? Right on – welcome to India :0
Let us start at the Orlando International Airport…Kwang drove me as he always does J and dropped me off to stand in line as he parked the car. Since I had two extremely heavy pieces of luggage and my backpack, I asked him to bring my other carry on in with him when he parked the car. He told me I should take it now as he’d probably forget, to which I replied that would be impossible – “just grab the damn bag babe!” Also reminded him to grab the plastic bag we brought with us, as I knew somewhere deep down in my bandhas that my bags would be a tad too heavy. You can call it instinct if you wish, but I call it seasoned experience ;) Never fails that my bags are overweight, but when packing for three months I find it quite difficult to pack light.
For the first time in my life, I only waited about 25 minutes in the international departure line for check in – seeing as we are home to Mickey Mouse, it nearly always takes an hour or more to find out my bags are too heavy. Kwang walked up with a precious smile on his face (oh how I’ll miss that smile) – and my jaw dropped – I was dumbfounded! “Kwang, my other bag!!!!!” His cute little smile turned to a “Oh Shit” face (you know that face), and he quickly turned back around and headed back to the car for my other carry on, oh the one with my computer and camera and brand new neck pillow ;) Once he returned for the second time, he had my bag (thank goodness) and he even remembered the plastic bag (which I was certain he’d forget). Was a good thing too b/c my bags were overweight, not by too much this time though (yeah me, one day I’ll have this down to an exact science). Kwang was happy to take the protein bars I had to discard to “make weight” – (like a fighter preparing for a fight in the UFC). I only had to shed about 6 pounds this year, not too shabby I must admit. But that wasn’t without a little rearranging of the two bags of course, as one was under weight and one quite a bit over. That done Kwang asked if he could have a security pass to go to the gate and wait with me – I gave her puppy dog eyes and he explained we’d be apart for the next three months – as if for the first time ever! She bought it ;) We’ve always had to say goodbye before security before, but Kwang recently took his grandfather to the airport and they let him through security with his grandfather b/c he didn’t speak English. Kwang didn’t know if we would be able to swing it today, for obvious reasons, but we did and that made me uber happy!
I’ll go ahead and tell you that this year’s flight resembles that of last year, but with even more fun twists and turns. I was supposed to fly Orlando to Miami, Miami to London, and London to Bangalore. As it neared 5:30pm, when the plane was to begin boarding, it became shockingly obvious that something was wrong. As it turned out there were mechanical problems with the plane that was to take us to Miami, so that flight was cancelled. People were rebooked and moved around like nothing I’d ever seen. Dealing with people by city, I was rudely told to sit down as they were dealing with South America connections first and would call me when they got to London! Around 6:15pm they called for London connections and re-routed me – I was now going to fly to Orlando to Chicago, Chicago to London, and London to Bangalore. Flight was to depart at 7:05pm. All is good, but what about my luggage? I asked the attendant how they were going to get my luggage from the Miami bound plane now headed to the pasture, to my new Chicago bound plane? Here I’d like to say a prayer for the airline attendant who dealt with the Miami flight issues. This woman must be a very unhappy soul, for she was nothing short of wretched! She informed me that I may or may not arrive at my final destination with my luggage (I think she cast a spell on me). Apparently her supervisor was attending to everyone’s luggage issues but there was no guarantee I would meet my luggage in India. Unhappy with that answer I went to the gate of my Chicago bound flight and spoke to a lovely gentleman about my concern. He made a phone call or two and said that, USUALLY, when a flight is canceled the luggage is taken to some special place and re-checked for the newly scheduled flight. BUT, given that my Chicago flight was boarding in minutes, someone on the other end of that phone told him that my luggage was being brought over. I smiled and thanked him!
All this time Kwang waited there with me – calm, cool, and collected. We spent our last 25 minutes together kissing and hugging and laughing like that disgusting new couple you see sometimes. Ah, I really savor these times when we can play the part of the disgusting new couple…it isn’t that often. As I waited in line to board the plane I kept looking back at Kwang standing there – I didn’t want him to leave – and he didn’t until after I had boarded. I don’t cry when we say goodbye anymore like I used to, but I do always get mushy.
Of course we were about thirty minutes late leaving the runway, but I didn’t mind as I was hoping it was due to them making sure everyone’s bags were on the plane. The 2 ½ hour flight was a piece of cake! I began cross stitching a pattern I picked up at Michaels on Saturday (plan to do some or a lot of cross stitching this year – haven’t picked up a needle in eons!) As we prepared to land I warned the sweet lady and her son next to me that I HATE landings!!! Done em a billion times now but it never gets easier for me….Weird right? Anyway, I thought it was so extremely AWESOME that she just started asking me a thousand questions to keep me occupied while we landed – and it worked!!!
Me and a few other transient Miami, now Chicago to London, passengers literally ran to Terminal K for our London connection. Only to….wait….Even there I asked the attendant if there was enough time to get my bags on this plane to London from the Chicago flight. He smiled real big and told me not to worry one bit as it only takes fifteen minutes to transfer baggage. [Insert sigh of relief here] Plane was supposed to depart at 9:50pm Chicago time, but we were a good hour later than that. About thirty minutes before takeoff the pilot came on the intercom to inform us that the delay was due to baggage troubles – he said they first realized the problem when the weight of the plane was so much less than it should be ?$#?@$!%?%%??? Apparently a luggage belt had broken somewhere and dumped a whole lot of luggage someplace, which disrupted the peaceful transfer of baggage from point A to point B…..Have no clue….I honestly thought nothing of it as the attendant at the gate told ME MY luggage would make it on the plane! And besides, one can’t possibly lose their luggage two years in a row going to the same location, can one? I was utterly impressed by my ability to fall asleep on my way to London – not that I slept the whole time or even well, but that I slept at all was amazing! I’d wake here and there and do a bit of stitching, perhaps some eating, a potty break, and then back to la la land….this trend continued the duration of my flight – which seems to be getting easier and easier each year ;)
We landed in London about 12pm – only thirty minutes behind schedule. I quickly moved from plane to bus, to building to bus, to security. During my bus ride to terminal four I met a gentleman from New York who travels to Asia about once per month. We had a lovely conversation all the way to the security entrance, when all of a sudden all sound ceased, and we were overtaken by a most horrendous odor!! Oh my god words don’t exit to describe the foul and pungent stench coming from terminal four security area. At first it went from worse to worst….then we moved to an area where it appeared people emptied their perfume and cologne bottles for the savoir of us all! Soon enough we came upon the cause of this nauseating smell – there were three puddles of brown liquid stuff on the floor – I know what it was but I could not understand how they got there?$@%@?? This is terminal four security area in the London Heathrow airport for crying out loud, not the streets of India!
Once I made it past security I actually had about twenty minutes to spare before boarding my flight to Bangalore! I was very thirsty so I stopped to grab some water. $3.00 for a tiny 12 oz bottle of water – man it sucks coming to London seeing your dollar so disrespected….
Now every single time I get on an International BA flight I always make a promise to myself to travel with them first class once in my lifetime! Why? Well I don’t know about all other airlines, but BA has teeny tiny economy class (which is me), world traveler business class (a wee step up from economy), first class (I’m sure of some other name like premier business world traveler deluxe), and then there is the mama of them all, which I’d like to refer to as Ultra Mack Daddy World Traveler supreme First class (for people with way too much money- come on and share the love fellas). The class below this one is uber nice with the lay back seats and tons of room – these people even get their own water bottles, really nice blankets and pillows, great food, the works. MAN, what do the Ultra Mack Daddy World Traveler Supreme First Class Passengers get? I know that their seats are even nicer than the first class – which I though was impossible. And you only get an ity bity little peak at their seats as you are deplaning the aircraft – and the flight attendants make sure to stand in the way of a decent view anyhow. For those of you who know me well, I am not a person of worldly possessions, not in the slightest sense….I’d take an experience over an object any day – nor do I care to be the richest person in the world or even close. BUT before I die I’d like to take a long ass flight to India as an Ultra Mack Daddy World Traveler Supreme First Class passenger! Nough Said!
Did I mention that the economy seats have shrunk? While they probably haven’t, I could have sworn they had as I sat in one of them during my flight from London to India – man was it cramped – and while I luckily had an aisle seat (that goodness for that option when booking online) – the man sitting next to me took up his seat and my whole armrest – poo on him! I have no shame though – I very quickly asked that he mind his elbow and not touch me with it! He didn’t like that so much – but he also made sure not to invade my 2 inch seat space any longer ;) Realizing this ten hour flight was gonna be rough, I pulled out my handy sleep aid (picked it up at Wally World – made by Tylenol it’s an over the counter sleep aid). I have never ever taken anything to help me sleep before, but I wanted one this year because I have the worst trouble sleeping on planes. THE WORST. So I took it and very quickly dozed off for about an hour. Woke up for close to two – long enough to get annoyed by my neighbor, do a bit of reading, cross stitching, and eating….then back to la la land for quite sometime – and I must admit it was some of the best ‘plane sleep’ I’ve ever had! Since I was able to sleep for about 4 of the ten hours, the flight really flew by - pardon the pun J and before I knew it I was in good ole India! YEAH BABY!
The new Bangalore Airport is GORGEOUS! An incredibly clean, organized, beautiful airport –I believe that one who has traveled through the old Bangalore Airport would appreciate this new airport far more than someone who has not. At any event, I quickly and efficiently made way to customs and down to baggage claim. Waited for a moment or two before I heard the announcement that many bags on the BA119 flight did not make it to Bangalore with us – a gentlemen pointed out the baggage claim desk and told me and several others we needn’t wait to see if our bags arrived, the attendants could tell us – as apparently this information was on a list. I begrudgingly made my way to this most unfortunate of places, only to wait in line with many, many unhappy and unseasoned “passengers with lost luggage.” I was patient while the first few people cut in line in front of me, but then I put my foot down and ever so gently nudged my way forward as yet another heavy set man tried to bully me – ha! It was quite apparent that the attendants behind the counter were already exhausted, and here it was only 4:30am in the morning! Once the lady – lets just call her Bharti – finished with the person ahead of me she asked for my baggage number. I was astonished that Bharti didn’t even bother looking at the list – instead she went straight for the pile of envelopes already prepared for us bagless folk from BA119. Either Bharti was psychic or perhaps she spoke to the wretched attendant in Orlando who had OBVIOUSLY cast a spell on me. Either way Bharti now confirmed that my bags were lost! I asked if even one of the two had arrived, and the answer was “NO!” “Darn,” I thought to myself. It seems that last year I really was lucky to have at least gotten one of the two bags (although I certainly didn’t feel lucky).
On the bright side of things I have done this before, so when she handed me the envelope of papers to fill out I knew exactly what to do. Plus, although annoyed, I was not upset at all like I was last year when this happened. How funny that everything in life happens for a reason right? Now, I certainly hope that this doesn’t happen every year I come to India, but it isn’t the end of the world. As I finished signing my papers I asked her where I filled out information about the contents of the bag? She took the papers and asked if I had anything valuable in the bag. Flabbergasted, I said, “everything in there is valuable!” She clarified by asking if I had a cell phone or electronic equipment. HA! “No,” I said. What I wanted to say was, “Hell no woman, I learned my lesson last year when you lost my luggage for 21 days and while my poor bag was lost out in luggage land and some horrendous human rummaged through my bag and stole my valuable electronic equipment! To which you didn’t reimburse me because it is apparently stated SOMEPLACE on some form perhaps online under clause 9999999991424525334 that you will not reimburse passengers for electronic equipment that MIGHT be stolen from their luggage. Somehow I’d missed that fine print someplace.” After I told her off [in my lovely fairy land] I asked her a few more basic questions, like: “where is my luggage? When will it arrive? Will someone from British Airways deliver my bags to me in Mysore (four hours from here)? What if items are missing from my bags when they do finally arrive? And most importantly, how in the world did this happen?” Her response went something like this: “Madame, I don’t know where you luggage is – since your bags were tagged from Orlando to Miami, Miami to London, and London to Bangalore – but you flew Orlando to Chicago, Chicago to London, and London to Bangalore – well I truly have no idea where those bags are right now. Nor do I know when they will arrive. All I can tell you is that we will contact you once they do! Someone will deliver the bags to you in Mysore once they arrive here in Bangalore. They will arrive on the same flight so it is likely you will get your bags early evening the day they arrive (whenever that may be). If items are stolen from your bags you will need to file a claim form with British Airways and we will reimburse you for the items stolen (let me insert this utterance….bullshit….bullshit….’cuse the French but BULLSHIT….only reimbursed me for about 1/5 of the value of items stolen from my bag last year and it took four months to boot). The majority of bags lost in this flight occurred due to ‘baggage problems’ at the London Heathrow Airport Madame, but I truly cannot say about your bag specifically as it may or may not have been lost before the mishap in London! Now here is 35 pounds for all your troubles. Thank you and have a nice life!” Something like that. I found out that many other airlines give customers $50.00 per day for lost luggage until it is found. I asked her to clarify if these 35 pounds was per day and she explained that it was a one time “I’m sorry” gift from British Airways. SWEET!
Needless to say, even if my bags ever made it from the plane headed to Miami to my Chicago plane, it could have gotten lost in Chicago due to the busted bag belt, and had it made it to London, it could have gotten lost due to the chaos of retched new terminal five.
On the bright side of things, I simply strolled right out of the airport with my carryon items in tow. Light as a feather indeed, didn’t have to wrestle with my two heavy bags at all! And once they do recover these missing bags they will deliver them right to my door. All will be quite well IF they find them quickly, deliver them even quicker, and no one has taken the liberty of helping themselves to my belongings. In a perfect world right…But, as I sit here in the car heading to Mysore – I just feel happy as can be. Missing bags can’t bring me down, can’t no body bring me down, oh no ;) I am so blessed and grateful to be here in India at this very moment – and nothing else really matters.
What a whirlwind of a first day in Mysore! I arrived to my new flat to find Ganesh and my new land lady waiting for me J My flat ROCKS! Now keep in mind this is a very simple place, but for housing standards here, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. It is a nice walk to the shala – ah about ten minutes, which is really nice in the mornings before practice (although sometimes a bit of a pain after). I am living above a doctor and his wife – they are extremely sweet people (another blessing for me – they are caring and happy and generous – but not in my face or my business). The flat itself is the CLEANIEST place I’ve had the pleasure to live in before in India. It is a two bedroom, two bathroom flat – but since it’s just me they have made the other bedroom a living room for me with a table and chairs. So, I have a bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. Not too much space but it feels like more and more than enough for me. Plus, there is a little room in front of my door that I can do yoga in or hang my clothes to dry if it’s raining outside. Don’t worry guys; you know I’ll have pictures up for ya soon!
After a brief chat with my landlady, and nice hot shower in my clean bathroom, and a quick bite to eat, I headed to Ganesh’s house so he could lend me some rupees till the bank opened and I could exchange some dollar bills yo. Speaking of dollars, how very sad our dollar has become. Just two years ago our dollar was so much stronger – and we are comparing it to rupees people….RUpEEs! In any event it is very sad indeed to have to get so much less for the very same dollar ;( And, prices are going up here in Mysore – not unusual but man! Give a girl a break will ya. For instance, the cost of a coconut in 2006 was 6 rupees, last year 8, and this year it is 10 rupees for one delicious sweet little coconut. Rent too is outrageous compared to before. I know I’m getting raped on the cost of my flat per month, but at least I can say I really like this place, which makes the whole experience a little more enjoyable!
My first stop on the day of errands was to Fab City – this awesome new store that opened about a month before I left last year. So what is Fab City you might ask – well it’s like a Wal-Mart or Super Target, but with so much more character. It’s not the unbearable size of Wal-Mart either, or with such a selection, but it is gigantic for lil ole Mysore. You can buy food, toiletries, towels, bowls, curtains, clothes, luggage, you name it! So I made my way there to get some much needed toiletries, food, and an outfit. I only got the things I absolutely needed for the next few days in terms of personal hygiene bc it KILLS me to have spent a lot of money on really good face wash and shampoo, etc for it to be sitting someplace crying out for me to use it. I can’t begin to tell you how flaming pissed it makes me to spend money on stuff today and get my luggage in a few days and have two of everything. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, all better now ;) So I spent a pretty penny at Fab City before heading to a local shop to buy a crappy thin, slimy PVC yoga mat….This one irks me more than anything else. Not the cost of the mat per se, but the fact that I don’t have my mat! My Manduka – mama misses you girl! I love my mat more than many things in this world, and I feel very naked without her. I know practice will not be the same without her and I want her NOW! I did leave all this information out of my conversation with the kind Indian man who helped direct me to the scanty selection of cheap, thin, smelly PVC mats. He saw the disdain in my eyes as I looked at these inferior yoga mats. He asked, “What color would you like Madame?” There wasn’t much of a selection, purple, cream, pink, and ORANGE! That put a smile on my face as I saw the only little Orange mat peak its head out and grab my attention. I grabbed the mat, paid the man, and made way back to the rickshaw to take me home for a much needed nap! But before that I called Girish – he was in Bangalore at the moment and said he’d be back by 2pm and would call me then. Sweet – why? Because I have stuff stored with him that will get me through the days without my luggage. So extremely grateful too – have clothes stored with him that helped me through last years 21 days without luggage, and that is preciously why I stored them again last year – they are my special britches so to speak – always keep me from being naked when in a jam in India.
I felt the jet lag kickin in with a vengeance. It was all I could do to get back to my flat and put away my newly purchased foodstuffs and bathroom items before I fell into my bed for a desperately needed nap. It was about 1pm and I figured I’d only sleep about an hour so off to la la land…when I came to I was in such a daze. Seemed like I only slept about an hour but to my surprise it was 4:15pm. “Crap! I have to get to the shala to register with Sharath!” I quickly pulled myself from the bed, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and every so gracefully stumbled out the door. When I arrived at the shala I found my good ole friend John sitting in the waiting area. We chatted for a minute before he finished up and Sharath called me into the office. It was so nice to see Sharath, and awesome to be back in the shala. We chatted for a moment – I told him my luggage was lost again. He laughed pretty hard, and said, “Again Krista!” I told him I think next year I will opt not to fly with British Airways. He concurred that might be a great idea. After I completed registration, he filled out my card and told me to be here at 6am tomorrow morning. I thanked him graciously and skipped out of the shala like a happy little school girl.
Soon afterwards I met up with Girish – he brought me my storage containers and told me he’d call me tomorrow morning to take me in town for some more errands. I spent the rest of my evening unpacking my storage containers and re-arranging my flat. Ah, what a wonderful first day in Mysore. Good night all!
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The Gorgeous Debra Corso.jpg)
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The lovely Lewis Rothlein.jpg)
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