India trip

1. India Trip
   
   Day one started at 10 am in St Cloud MN. Brenda, Patrick, Joscelyn, and Zack took me to the STC airport, and they stayed with me until it was time to board the plane. It was a tough good bye, as we were able to spend a couple hours together before it was time to leave. I strted in the smalles plane I have flown in, a saab turbo-prop.
   
   From there I flew to MSp. I had 3 hours before boarding, so I went to the sports bar nearest the gate to watch the Vikes beat the Giants. I noticed there was a currency exchange on the way, and I stopped there to purchase all the ruppees they carried. I was able to purchase 800 rupee for $28.69. I then proceeded on to watch At the 4th quarter of the game, I went to the gate and boarded shortly thereafter. The plane was full. It was a good ride to Amsterdam, except that I was unable to get any sleep. I read a lot of my new book Splinter Cell, watched the movies The Beach and Oceans 12. I examined the maps on the display in front of me, and listened to the Sansa I gave Brenda for our anniversary. It was nice to be able to do things we plan to do for relaxation but seem to run out of time.
   It was raining in Amsterdam and the reality was setting in that I would not be able to see my family for the next month. I had a 4 hour layover in AMS, and was growing tired around 7am AMS time. I went to a café in the airport and tried a coffee. They brew their coffee there similar to Espresso. It comes out frothy. I drank this with no sugar or cream. Although it was strong, it was smooth to drink. In the Café people were able to smoke. It was odd to see smaking there and then no smoking 20 feet away from the café, yet the café was an open area. At 9:30 I went to stand in line for the flight that was to board at 9:50. We then boarded the biggest plane I have been on, a 747-400.
   The flight to India was nice. The TVs were not as accessible to watch, but there was an inflight movie. The flight meal was a vegetarian India dish that was tasty. I was able to finally get some sleep. Each time I woke up I thought I had been sleeping for several hours. I used the blanket and pillow that Todd and Stacey got me for the flight to get comfortable.
   When I awoke with an hour or so left in the flight, I began conversing with the person sitting next to me. He was flying from Toronto to visit his family in India. He works at Citifinancial, and was interesting to talk with. We talked about taxes, politics, the jobs, and about thedifferences in our medical systems. He pointed out that in Canada they are frustrated in the long waits . An ER visit you can wait 6 or more hours to get in. If it is non life threatening, you can wait months to get in. He mentioned it took 6 months to get into his optometrist.
   The India airport was very busy. People were going everywhere it seemed, yet all were herding to the immigrations area. Single file lines didn’t seem to be the norm in the airport, as people al sort of clumpted in and went through to get to customs. It was a short wait, as there were several customs agents working. It took about 30 minutes. Rick’s advice to go straight to customs helped, as there was a long line that formed behind. I filled out the form in line, while I saw many people filling the form out prior to lining up.
   After getting through cumtoms it was time to find my luggage. Here the philosophy of fend for yourself was evident. Everybody crowded the baggage Carousel , and it seemed that nobody was picking up bags. Slowly but surely, bags started to move to their owners. Over the next 45 minutes or an hour, I was growing anxious about whether my bahs made it to their destination. I was able to halp a few people tackle their bags and pull them off the carousel. Finally I saw what looked to be my bag, yet it had a white powder substance all over it. When I smelled the familiar scent of Gold Bond powder, I realized it was indeed my bag. I assured the crowd next to me that it was foot powder, as we all came from Amsterdam. My second bag was not near this bag, and when the carousel stopped, I was worried. I then spotted what looked to be my bag. I then focused better to see that the same zipper on that bag was broken.
   I had my luggage, my carryons were secure, and I was now ready to get to the hotel to clean up. 24 hours of flight does not do well for one’s hygiene. I noticed the Duty free shops, yet thought I would wait to visit them on the way back. I also noticed a couple currency exchanges. I thought it was fair that $1 buys 38.60 ruppee. I purchased $3860 ruppee, and felt rich. I later calculated to find out they gave me a better exchange then the US. I then went out to find hundreds of cab drivers with signs. My Driver was half way through the line, and I was relieved to have seen the sign. It was confusing to get out to find him again as there was a lot of commotion. When I finally got through, he took the luggage and we found the car.
   The drive was very interesting. Due to their English influence, they drive on the right side of the road. I had been told that they don’t follow the lines as we do, and this was now a reality. The car in front of us saw the line as a way to center her car, while others were using the solid line of the shoulder to pass. I was surprised an impressed to get to the Palms Hotel.