After two long and exhausting days of travel, I have finally arrived in Kodaikanal! I have many updates to share but I'll start with my flights. My mom and I departed from our hotel in NYC around 11 am on Saturday morning and drove to JFK. The drive was surprisingly easy and we really didn't hit any traffic. I had been complaning about having to show up so early before my flight because I didn't want to be sitting in the airport alone. However, the line for the Air India check-in was insanely long. There must have been over 300 people in line. It ended up taking at least 2 hours for me to check-in and clear security. Luckily my flight didn't board on time because the crew was delayed, otherwise I would have been late for boarding! Eventually we boarded and were on our way.
There was a pretty good movie selection which I really appreciated for the long flight. We were served dinner around 5 pm. Nothing like some good airplane food...
The rest of my 14 hour flight to Delhi was occupied by watching Silver Linings Playbook, listening to Dave Matthews Band and attempting to sleep. When we finally arrived in Delhi, they announced that it was 44 degrees celsius, which is over 110 degrees fahrenheit. I'm pretty sure that is the hottest weather I've ever experienced. After going through security again for international transfers, I reboarded the plane and flew to Mumbai. The flight was really short. I think it took about an hour. After disembarking from the plane, I had to clear customs and get my suitcase. Clearing customs took only 10 or 15 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise. I almost lost the customs form I need to leave as I was walking away but thankfully a kind Indian man told me I dropped it. After getting my bag, I headed outside to meet the Carol (my grandma's friend's sister) and Ronald (her husband) aka my ride and hosts for the night. I didn't really know where I was going and wandered around for a bit but luckily no one gave me any trouble and I eventually found them. It was so hot and humid in Mumbai, I was literally drenched in sweat even though I had only been outside 15 minutes or so. When we arrived at Carol and Ronald's apartment, I met the rest of their family and was able to call home and let my mom know I had made it safely. Then I got to take a shower. This unarguably was the best shower of my entire life. After a home cooked Indian dinner, I headed out with Rochelle and Charisse (Carol and Ronalid's daughters) and one of their friends for a night out on the town. We went to their neighborhood "club" for some drinks and snacks. The drinking age is 25 but apparently that is not enforced at all. When we were at the club, everyone was watching a cricket match. I think it was between Hyderabaad and Punjabi. Apparently, it decided which of them made it to the playoffs so it was a big deal. The IPL (Indian Premier League) is a big deal. The girls were telling me that there was just a big controversy about cricket players being paid by brokers to fix matches... Quite the scandal! After a hour or two at the club we grabbed a rickshaw and headed home.
 This selfie goes out to Ashley as requested. L O L. |
Dinner and...
and a movie! (Yes it is Skyfall... memories.)
The view from the apartment in Mumbai.
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