This Jew Arrives in Delhi (Where Can I Find Cold Cuts?)

After 2 weeks of travel in Spain it has finally hit me. This is it. I'm going to India!

In my typical mode of last minute travel planning, I don't yet have an itinerary (fortunately I am starting my travels with a guided tour). And so in the half hour before boarding I cracked open a guide book to start perusing my options. And, as you would expect of a country that is itself a subcontinent, has thousands of years of history, and well over a billion people, there are a lot of options.

The more I turn the virtual pages of my guide book, the more excited I am about my travels (a welcomed change from this morning when my stomach was in knots). But all the anxiety and trepidation about the heat and the extended journeying all vanished once I arrived to my gate, and I am all gung-ho about the adventures that await me!

Next stop: Dubai!

******ABOARD EMIRATES

I have been on this new leg of my adventure for only 2 hours (I haven't even left the airport in Madrid) and I already have things to report. This is by far the biggest and best plane I have ever been on. The plane is a double decker and had 3 gangways to load it- one for the upper desk, and 2 below. I am in row 55 and just above the wing. I would not be surprised if this flight had 100 rows. It’s 10 seats across and the ceiling on the plane is significantly higher than in my attic bedroom. My seat is equally spacious and huh tech- have tons of leg space, a USB port to charge my phone, and a personal movie screen that is larger than my tablet (a nice chance from the recent 6+ hour flights I have taken where there was no inflight entertainment at all). Even though I am in economy, I feel like I am riding first class, so I don't want to sleep away the experience, even though I definitely need to be rested for when I arrive to India….

******DUBAI AIRPORT

The two best words to describe the Dubai airport are labrynth and casino. It took 45 minutes and a complicated series of escalators, walkways, elevators to reach my gate. The terminal itself is lit with glaringly bright fluorescent lights and even though I arrived at 2am local time everything is open. The Duty Free area continues seemingly unendingly (I mosied around for half an hour and still did not see the whole thing). I am unsure what to make of the inflated prices -- is USD$4 for a plain croissant standard airport pricing or appropriately matched to the wealth of this country?

As a water geek, I am obliged to comment on the drinking water situation. I always carry a refillable bottle on planes, but I had to empty mine before going through security at the Dubai airport. The water fountain where I dumped my “Spanish” water had a sign that said the water was filtered and UV sterilized so safe to drink. Interestingly, none of the water fountains on the other side of security have the same assurances. I am too skeptical to fill my water bottle, so my thirst will continue….

******LATER THAT DAY….

I have made it through my first half day in India, which is not at all an accomplishment when you consider I spent most of the day napping in my room. Some initial musings:

1. I expected my first impression of India to be something along the lines of “WOMP!” as Google and everyone I spoke with told me that the heat and humidity would be miserable. Well, maybe it was the heat wave in Spain or the fact that today in Delhi it was overcast and rainy, but this is nothing. Since arriving, I have been told that the worst of the heat is over, as the monsoons bring cooler temperatures. Now I can worry less about heat stroke and more about drowning….
2. I know that for a brief period of time India was a British colony. The amount of English plastered on cars and street signs and billboards and storefronts definitely reflects that. The English to Hindi ratio thus far is easily 3:1.

Thus ends Day 1. Signing off from Delhi (where I have been waiting all day to make that terrible deli joke).