Getting There - Part 2

After the movie and all of my boozing, I was able to get some sleep. I just woke up, and we are already landing in less than two hours! The food on this flight has been making me waaay to happy - I'm such a fat girl! Dinner last night was malai kofta, daal, and basmati rice with kheer for dessert. And breakfast just now was strawberry yogurt, channa masala, dosa with coconut chutney, spicy mashed potatoes, and naan. I ate almost everything, mainly because I have no clue when I will get the chance to eat again. And my body is already being weird - I've only gotten up to pee once in the past 13 hours!

Changing planes in Delhi is SCARY!!! I had to get my ridiculously heavy and cumbersome luggage, go through immigration and customs, hitch a ride on a run-down, dirty bus across the airport grounds to what is basically a whole other airport, go through security again....it was rough. People were begging for money, there were stray filthy dogs right around the airport entrance, it was absolute chaos! Between getting off of the bus (and tipping two different bag porters 500 rupees a piece because that was the smallest denomination I had at the time), I met Emily, an American grad student, and a really cute Indian couple, who took us both under their wing.

The couple, Mary and Joseph (and their adorable baby who was not named Jesus) were very upset about my generous tipping incident. "Keep walking," Mary kept shouting at me as we walked towards security and people began approaching, palms outstretched. After security, Mary's friend Ramji took me to buy a soda so that I could get some change to tip with if the need arose again. I bought a Diet Coke, and rejoined Ramji and Emily, thinking everything was now cool. Ramji - the best head wobbler I have seen so far in India - immediately demanded to know how much change I had been given. "I don't know, some coin thingee, and some paper bills," I said, clearly not concerned. "Well, let me see the change he gave you, then...That's all you got back? How much was the soda?!" Ramji was stunned by the fact that I had not even asked how much the soda cost to begin with. He went over to the soda stand, and came back to me. "That guy overcharged you 100 rupees, do you want to fight him?" "No, that's okay. At least I won't have to tip anyone 500 rupees again." "But you lost another 100 rupees!!!"

Ramji was incredulous. He promptly ratted me out to Mary and Joseph. Joseph was cracking up, but Mary gave me a stern lecture about how India is a wonderful place but full of vultures who will take advantage of me because of my white skin. After this, she gave me her contact info, her brother's contact info, and Ramji's contact info in case I need any help while I am here or in case I want to visit them in Chennai. I was really fortunate to meet them and will definitely email thanks when I get settled in.

As my new friends all boarded their flight to Chennai, I realized that I had somehow missed the announcement that my flight had not only switched gates, but was already boarding! When I went over to the new gate, they wouldn't let me board because the tag fell off of my laptop bag, and I was told that I had to go back through the x-ray machines! So, I did, and got back to the gate all out of breath, but ready to board the flight. This time, they were concerned that I had my stupid can of soda in my bag, even though it, too, had taken a ride through the x-ray. So they made me drink it to prove it wasn't a bomb or canned disease cleverly disguised as a mediocre low-cal beverage.

Carrying my opened soda, I stepped through doors that I thought led to the tarmac, and instead found myself outside being shuttled onto yet another rickety old bus! The bus drove me and the two other families aboard out onto the runway, and right up to the airplane, where we had to climb a fold-away ramp to get into the plane. I was shocked when I saw how full the flight was - I was the last person aboard, so I was probably a hella lot closer to missing my flight than I had realized at the time!

But luck was on my side (as it has seemed to be for the entire past month!), and after another 2.5 hour plane ride with delicious Indian food, I was in Bangalore. I grabbed my luggage, gave a normal tip to a porter, and found my Maple Suites driver waiting with a sign that said "WELCOME MR. DEBRA TUCKER." The ride back to Maple Suites was pretty terrifying. The guy drove at 140/km an hour the whole way, ignoring lanes, riding people's asses, nearly hitting emaciated sari-wearing pedestrians, even running right over an already-dead dog! I bit my lip, closed my eyes, slammed my phantom break, and cursed under my breath the entire time that I wasn't cracking up or smiling big, cheesy grins.