Saturday, May 15, 2010

It's day 3 of India Part 2.

FYI: Just because the ticketing agent says your luggage has been put through to your final destination does not necessarily mean that you and your luggage do not need to meet up BEFORE your final destination. Thankfully, someone in London filled me in. I will remember that that will probably be the case in Brussels as well.

I actually took some notes so I wouldn't forget things I wanted to tell you. Col. Babu did send a woman friend to the Mumbai airport to see if she could find me. Apparently they even made announcements, but, as I think I said, I couldn't understand the loudspeakers 99.9% of the time so I wasn't aware. Col. Babu contacted the airline in Mumbai once he found out I hadn't arrived in Kochi. If you can believe it (because this would never happen in the states), they actually told him that I had been in London and had come into Mumbai, but had missed the flight to Kochi.
They also told him I was booked on the 5:45 AM flight to Kochi. An Individual trying to get this information in the States would get a big lesson in frustration thanks to Homeland Security. He then called the 22 hotels closest to the airport and found out I wasn't at any of them. He went far and above the line of duty as far as I'm concerned!
Spending the night in the Mumbai airport, I became acquainted with a rat who was obviously quite comfortable foraging for food in the airport. I also met an older couple leaving for Toronto to visit their daughter for FIVE months. The mister said he was 76 years old, although he didn't look like it. We had quite a long conversation before they left to catch their flight.
On the way from Kochi to Zamorin's I noticed definite signs of economic growth. I saw several gas stations with multiple gas pumps although no convenience stores. Didn't see that before. There were several car dealerships--among them an Aston-Martin (?), a motorcycle dealership, several restaurants that a Westerner would consider a sit-down restaurant--not a hole in the wall. Pretty much the whole way there was billboard after billboard. I had forgotten about the traffic. It was much heavier than I experienced going from Zamorin's to Kochi last June. Horns constantly honking to let people/vehicle know that our vehicle was near them or to tell us to move over (and vice versa). Everything from pedestrians to bicycles, Motorized tricycles, motorcycles, cars of various sizes, minivans, huge buses and trucks from delivery size to road-work size and small tanker trucks. I saw two vehicle with Driving Schools placards on top. In one, a man was trying to teach a woman to drive. When I looked down into the car, there wee FOUR hands on the steering wheel. Moreso even than Driving Schools in the States, these instructors truly put their lives out there. I saw a sign advertising Sesame English. Haven't had a chance to find out exactly what that is. Sesame Street English?
And, last but not least, I saw a highrise like the ones on 31 leading up to the 465 bypass in Indy. Already Several stories high with a crane sitting on top. Next to it, it looked like a housing development (rich houses).

Between the schedule and the Internet, I have been having some trouble with Internet so hang in there if I miss a couple of days.

The Royal Mother is in attendance--since last August. Sounds like there is no way she will return to the States although all of her children live there. Since returning, three of the four have visited her and the 4th is due in August. She has a daughter who is an engineer married to an engineer living in Iowa. One daughter--a lawyer lives in Tenafly, NJ, with her husband who is a world renowned gastroenterologist. The other two live in New York and, I believe, are lawyers. At any rate professionals. I'm sure the lawyers have attained US citizenship and I think the others have as well. Imam (what everyone calls her) is nearly blind and also has a hearing disability. She's interesting to talk to although it can be difficult at times.

Tomorrow, I will talk more about what is going on here at Zamorin's.

Love,
Mom/Granny/Peggy