The Flight Home to Bombay...

My folks live in Bombay and I've decided to visit them, explore this city and see what comes of it. It's been about 10 days since I arrived here in Bombay... the next few posts will be catch up ones to bring us up to speed... I left NYC Sunday Sept 5th on a continental flight direct from Newark to Bombay. Flying these days is a tiresome but necessary event; one where I have to prep myself to stay relaxed. Leaving my place I was running late but with no traffic on a late Sunday afternoon, we got to Newark in record time: 35mins. The check-in line was long, no matter; it gave me time to people watch... fascinating to imagine stories for the people you see, their lives, relationships etc. Continental (and most other airlines for that matter) these days use automatic check-in machines with only a handful of staff making sure everything goes smoothly, all to save precious $$$ for sure. But what the automatic check-in machines lack is of course that personal interaction that made travel fun... chatting with people you hardly know, flirting, trying for that seat upgrade maybe, seeing who was sitting next to you etc. all that is moot now of course. I was early at the airport for my flight. Being early (especially when traveling) is a crazy quirk I share with my father. The anxiety and anxiousness of travel makes me want to leave earlier than I normally would. But being early has many benefits. Since I was traveling to India for a longer than usual stay, I had decided to take with me various electronic gear that would surely take me a while getting through security check. But luckily, it was no problem except for the peach yogurt snack I had with me, which was promptly confiscated and chucked. I just don't get all the TSA rules... ah well.

Recently I learnt of two travel tips from different sources that I put into practice this time, both to good effect. One - veteran stewardess packing trip of rolling clothes when packing made so much sense, it was simply an unbelievably good idea. Clothes stay wrinkle-free and they are in easier access than if they'd been folded and laid out side-by-side.  Two - a friend said he didn't bother with pricey TSA-approved locks and instead used regular old-school locks. If they ever had to open his suitcases, they'd have to cut the locks, which would be definite proof that his suitcases had been opened en route. Although airport staff typically place a yellow sheet in luggage opened for inspection, that's never a guarantee. With cut locks, one would know for sure that an inspection had taken place. My locks were not cut but some travel flashlights I placed in the suitcase outside pocket were, unfortunate, swiped.

Last year when I traveled to Bombay, I flew Emirates and even though friends, family said that their Emirates experiences had been great, mine was not so, one bit. I'll leave explaining why for another post. Let's just say that Dubai is probably my least favorite city... with their cold glass buildings completely inappropriately designed for heat, desert, dunes... the airport is one big mall where the $$$ collecting bins (for a Dubai fund of sorts) are larger and more ubiquitous than the more necessary trash can. This time, however, my flying experience was amazing. I couldn't believe the great travel karma I was having. Continental's headphones these days are the earbud type; they hurt my ears. Fortunately, I had planned to bring some old Continental headphones, which I had kept in the top pocket for easy access, so I was all set and watched couple films. Airline food is nothing to write home about but this time I can say that it was quite decent. They had paid special attention to the fact that this flight had predominantly Indian passengers. Every meal had plain yogurt, pickle, mukhwas (saunf/anise seeds), and the tea/coffee was premixed with milk (the way most Indians prefer it).