Tom - June 7-8

The air travel to India was uneventful. No exciting stories, no near mishaps, no tension.


We left Greenville on time and arrived in Chicago ahead of time. The winds were quite stiff so the regional jet bounced up and down. The anticipated severe weather in Chicago did not materialise.


We spent a few hours in the American Airlines Admiral's Club Lounge, not as nice as Delta. Since we are flying business class, day membership was free. We checked in on the main floor and rode an elevator to the third level overlooking the airport. Drinks and food were not complimentary and at airport prices. There was a general din to the whole area. The "no cell phone" room had space for 20 and was full when we arrived. It was also next to the main entrance so there was a lot of elevator and foot traffic noise. The quiet room did not have any doors. I found a quiet area to do a little work which was quickly invaded by a group of men talking in Russian. One started on his cell phone and seemed to think that yelling was going to improve the connection.


We retired back to the terminal and waited 2 more hours at the gate, generally watching people watching other people. We boarded the plane on time.

Because of the winds, Chicago had an "unusual" runway configuration delaying the take-off by 45 minutes. Regardless, we arrived in New Delhi ahead of schedule.

On the flight, we were served dinner (lamb medallions), breakfast (cream cheese and chive omelet), and lunch (pizza). Duirng the 13 1/2 hours, we slept, watched movies, read, and watched the landscape unroll underneath us.

Aravind, my counterpart in the New Delhi office, met us in the terminal and escorted us to the hotel. If I was driving, I never would have made it. The traffic was unbelievable. The main road was blockaded for a police inspection. The main road was under construction and detours not marked. The hotel is not any where near the location marked on their website.

http://www.uppalsorchidhotel.com/hotels_delhi/location_map.htm

The heat at 9:00 pm felt like a hair dryer blowing against your whole body.