So let's go back to this... The only thing getting me on the airplane back to India was knowing that I would be meeting Laura at the airport... or so I thought! Mother nature had a different plan. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible BUT everything that could possibly go wrong did!
1. Had a breakdown before leaving home... tears and all "I'm not ready to leave" like I was a little 5 year old wanting to stay and play at my friends house a little longer. Was able to pull myself together once I was lined up to get on the plan.
2. Arrive in Chicago airport to find out the Air India ticketing counters do not open for another 2 1/2 hours. Shortly after I find out our flight has been delayed (the plan was delayed in Delhi for 12 hours due to fog!) so they decide not to open the ticketing counters for another 2 hours!! Grrr... I walk away to find a comfortable seat until the ticketing counters open. I make my way back to the ticketing counters 15 minutes before they open to find a line ACROSS the airport for the Air India counters... not happy (I was the first person there at 8am) BUT if there is one thing I've learned while in India it's how to cut in line properly! I figured there was one of me and since I had truly been the first person there that I should still be the first person so I just walked right up to the front of the line (without making eye contact with anyone; that's important) and handed over my passport and ticket information. Although I waited another hour to get through the next part of the line I probably shaved off 4 hours of standing in line... really the line was that long!!!
3. I had to sit in Chicago International airport for 12 hours until the plan arrived from Delhi... has to be the shittiest international airport I have ever seen. I actually had to exit security to get something to eat... grrr once again!!!
4. Thank goodness for my little pink netbook :) I was able to get in touch with Laura and Neyda through skype! The one plus of the whole experience.
5. Another disaster awaited though... the NYC blizzard of 2010!!! The girls were stuck at JFK international airport for an unknown amount of time!!!
6. I finally get on the plan, arrive in Delhi with luggage intact and make my way to my hotel, where they have upgraded my room!!! Ok, one more plus for the time being!
7. At this point the girls are still at JFK just waiting... 2 full nights they ended up spending on the floor of JFK airport before they were able to board the plan and arrive in Delhi.
8. Meanwhile I'm in Delhi trying to switch plans around when Sav arrives to meet up with us (which is only me at this point) for the NYE camel safari we booked. So we find out the girls will not arrive in time to catch the next flight for the camel safari... what to do?!?! AND I couldn't ask them their opinion because they were in the air somewhere over Europe by that point. I figure I'll jump on the train with Sav and the girls can stick around Delhi and see the Taj Mahal (since we missed that part of our trip already). BUT Sav's train is canceled due to protests which were blocking the train tracks!!! Ahhh at this point I'm losing it... really could one more thing go wrong?!?!
9. We decided we would book bus tickets for the next day to take us to the Jaisalmer the location of our NYE camel safari. We booked tickets for the girls figuring they could either come with us or stay and see the Taj Mahal since the bus tickets were so inexpensive. Ok, ok... plus number 3 I guess.
10. The next day the girls are set to arrive. I fight with the hotel to give us the airport pickup we paid for when booking the hotel because they never showed up to pick me up when I arrived. An hour later of going around in circles and arguing the hotel finally gets me a taxi and I'm off to the airport to pick up the girls. I was panicked I would miss them, they didn't know I was going to be there waiting for them. After about 2 hours of standing at the arrival gate I finally spot them inside talking to someone... didn't look good : (
11. Their luggage didn't arrive (nobody's luggage arrived) they just choose not to load it onto the plane I guess!!! Seriously all that time (2 days) the plane was sitting on the runway nobody could get their shit together and put the luggage on the plan!!!
12. We finally arrive back at the hotel where the girls work out a Golden Triangle tour (Delhi, Agra-Taj Mahal, and Jaipur) and Sav and I jump on a bus to make our nearly 24 hour trip to Jaisalmer for the NYE camel safari!
Things could only get better from there...
1. Had a breakdown before leaving home... tears and all "I'm not ready to leave" like I was a little 5 year old wanting to stay and play at my friends house a little longer. Was able to pull myself together once I was lined up to get on the plan.
2. Arrive in Chicago airport to find out the Air India ticketing counters do not open for another 2 1/2 hours. Shortly after I find out our flight has been delayed (the plan was delayed in Delhi for 12 hours due to fog!) so they decide not to open the ticketing counters for another 2 hours!! Grrr... I walk away to find a comfortable seat until the ticketing counters open. I make my way back to the ticketing counters 15 minutes before they open to find a line ACROSS the airport for the Air India counters... not happy (I was the first person there at 8am) BUT if there is one thing I've learned while in India it's how to cut in line properly! I figured there was one of me and since I had truly been the first person there that I should still be the first person so I just walked right up to the front of the line (without making eye contact with anyone; that's important) and handed over my passport and ticket information. Although I waited another hour to get through the next part of the line I probably shaved off 4 hours of standing in line... really the line was that long!!!
3. I had to sit in Chicago International airport for 12 hours until the plan arrived from Delhi... has to be the shittiest international airport I have ever seen. I actually had to exit security to get something to eat... grrr once again!!!
4. Thank goodness for my little pink netbook :) I was able to get in touch with Laura and Neyda through skype! The one plus of the whole experience.
5. Another disaster awaited though... the NYC blizzard of 2010!!! The girls were stuck at JFK international airport for an unknown amount of time!!!
6. I finally get on the plan, arrive in Delhi with luggage intact and make my way to my hotel, where they have upgraded my room!!! Ok, one more plus for the time being!
7. At this point the girls are still at JFK just waiting... 2 full nights they ended up spending on the floor of JFK airport before they were able to board the plan and arrive in Delhi.
8. Meanwhile I'm in Delhi trying to switch plans around when Sav arrives to meet up with us (which is only me at this point) for the NYE camel safari we booked. So we find out the girls will not arrive in time to catch the next flight for the camel safari... what to do?!?! AND I couldn't ask them their opinion because they were in the air somewhere over Europe by that point. I figure I'll jump on the train with Sav and the girls can stick around Delhi and see the Taj Mahal (since we missed that part of our trip already). BUT Sav's train is canceled due to protests which were blocking the train tracks!!! Ahhh at this point I'm losing it... really could one more thing go wrong?!?!
9. We decided we would book bus tickets for the next day to take us to the Jaisalmer the location of our NYE camel safari. We booked tickets for the girls figuring they could either come with us or stay and see the Taj Mahal since the bus tickets were so inexpensive. Ok, ok... plus number 3 I guess.
10. The next day the girls are set to arrive. I fight with the hotel to give us the airport pickup we paid for when booking the hotel because they never showed up to pick me up when I arrived. An hour later of going around in circles and arguing the hotel finally gets me a taxi and I'm off to the airport to pick up the girls. I was panicked I would miss them, they didn't know I was going to be there waiting for them. After about 2 hours of standing at the arrival gate I finally spot them inside talking to someone... didn't look good : (
11. Their luggage didn't arrive (nobody's luggage arrived) they just choose not to load it onto the plane I guess!!! Seriously all that time (2 days) the plane was sitting on the runway nobody could get their shit together and put the luggage on the plan!!!
12. We finally arrive back at the hotel where the girls work out a Golden Triangle tour (Delhi, Agra-Taj Mahal, and Jaipur) and Sav and I jump on a bus to make our nearly 24 hour trip to Jaisalmer for the NYE camel safari!
Things could only get better from there...
