8 and 9 November
It is important to keep in mind, that travel (as in the actual commute to where you want to get) can’t always be great. Especially when you have to cross borders and or language barriers. Another great heart and character test is when you are running late and the person you are facing could be the one sending you straight back home.
Rushil and I got to the office in South Africa, at a time that would have been perfect to fit into the schedule that would allow us to reach the airport at the correct time, but then reality stepped in for the first time. We had been asked by some colleges to pick up an additional laptop or two from the office to take along to India, this would have been no issue, if they had just kept in mind that we should actually know where in the office they needed to be picked up.
After about 30min of confunication (mixture of confusion and communication) we managed to find the laptops and get on our way, another 30min later. We then rushed to the Gautrain Station in Sandton and left for O R Thambo.
By the time we reached the airport we just reached the gates in time to check in before check-in closed. We then had the opportunity to try and de-stress in the Bidvest lounge, what an awesome experience.
Get on the plane and skip a few thousand kilometers.
When we got to Dubai it felt like total chaos. Everyone there knows exactly what’s going on, but obviously we didn’t. First we got off the plane and drove in a bus for what seemed to be at the very least 15 Kilometers to the gate where we walked into the actual airport. In the airport we stood in a short line and then walked off to the next gate… which requires you to take a train to actually get there. Again we could only smile at the total organised chaos.
After sitting down and catching our breath we decided that it was a good time to grab something to eat. Having a 4 and a half hour layover, we didn’t think too much of it, but when we reached 30min in search of a restaurant all de-stressing had again disappeared. We finally settled for (note the sarcasm) Rushil’s favourite food – Mc Donnalds. No comment is allowed on the lunch/breakfast we experienced, it is probably worth it to mention that no actual complaints were logged.
~ queue dramatic 20min bus drive rant. Okay no rant, but yeah another bus ride and we got there.
We then got on the next plane and this is where the chaos continued. As the plane started filling up there was a lady sitting behind me that had an epileptic fit (or a seizure I’m not too sure what the difference really is). She started screaming and convulsing in her seat and the few of us sitting or standing around her got quite the fright. After about 1hour of medical attention, oxygen and getting her details the captain decided that it was a risk to her health to fly and they had to get her off of the plane. If you’ve ever experienced someone being taken off a plane I’m sure you’ll understand the hassle of getting their bags, this becomes slightly more difficult when the person involved is unable to tell you which bag belongs to them. Thankfully the lady was okay and it was purely due to stress. Eventually we got up in the air for a short 2 hour flight to Mumbai. I managed to miss most of this flight due to falling asleep.
The great arrival.
Landing in Mumbai airport is quite an experience. We got off the plane and then walked about 1km, this could be an exaggeration, I don’t know I was tired… When we got to customs, a large line stood between us and getting through immigration…
~ skip 45min of pure frustration.
When we got outside we heard that our driver that took us from Mumbai to Pune had been waiting outside for just over 3 hours. We felt bad, but there was really not much to be done about the case. Now, the drive from Mumbai to Pune is only about 200 Kilometers, but this is 200 kilometers in Mumbai, Lanovala and Pune traffic…
After about 4 hours of driving and chewing up our seats with a portion of our body that isn’t our mouth, we reached our hotel (omw what a place, another post will expand on the hotel). We met up with one of our managers and had a beer to celebrate the fact that the 2 days were over.
-this was thought about on many levels including novice, beginner and awesome
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