The Uber arrived at nine in the morning to take us to the airport and begin our long day of travel. Check in went well at the American Airlines counter. We could not check in online I assume because of their need to check that we had our passports and our e-visas all in order. TSA was quite busy even at the pre-check line but the line moved quickly and soon we were wandering the concourses of CLE Hopkins. AA does not have a lounge there so we walked a little over a mile to get some exercise.
Bob had splurged on Business Class seats for our trip since the flight from JFK to New Delhi would be fifteen hours. A short flight to JFK and we were ready to wile away seven hours before the next flight. This time there was a lounge, a flagship lounge, that we qualified for with our tickets. It was huge and had several small buffets of foods. The important thing was that there was a television room (actually several places) where we could watch the all important ALCS game. We were amongst a few NYY fans though and unfortunately we couldn't stay for the really exciting part of the game where we pulled ahead and won. My grandson texted me later the blow by blow description of the last innings of play.
Our cubicles in business class were next to each other in the middle of the plane. The meals were absolutely wonderful compared to the usual airplane food and served on real china with silverware. They fed us several times throughout the flight. The buttons took a little figuring out but I finally got the seat to stretch and recline and I curled up inside a comfy comforter and laid my head on a nice pillow and eventually fell asleep. Sleep was intermittent however as we had several periods of turbulence. All in all though, I'm spoiled now.
We arrived a bit early in New Delhi. Maybe the turbulence helped. It was around eight in the evening local time. The airline had passed out our immigration form on the plane so that was all filled in but we found a sign that said first time visitors to India needed to to some sort of bio-check in. There were machines set up for us to scan our passports and then have our hands scanned and picture taken. Some of the machines weren't working quite right but we found one that did and just about the time we were cleared, a gentleman from the airport came up and asked our age. "You don't need this," he said, "you can proceed." Sometimes old age pays off but by then Bob was determined to finish what we started so we did and then moved on.
Immigration lines were sorted by citizens, foreign passports and then foreigners with e-visas. Thankfully the CLE check in had told us to get our e-visas printed out in NY since we only had them on our phones. The line for the e-visas was much shorter than all the rest and it didn't take too long before we were cleared for entry. The printout, I think, made it a smoother process.
The luggage arrived about the same time we did in baggage claim and we breathed a sigh of relief. It's always good to see the luggage arrive at your destination along with you. We went through the custom line which was busy scanning lots of boxes many people were bringing into the country. Mostly citizens who had made purchases in other countries I believe.
Just as we walked through the sliding doors into the main part of the airport, a man in a white uniform held a sign with our name on it and smiled when we approached. He nodded to another man in a darker uniform who introduced himself as a greeter from Hotel Oberoi and he led us out and around to the driver who would take us to the hotel. A brief stop at an ATM and we followed him out of the airport to the pick up zone. Our first taste of India's traffic. Thankfully, he guided us through what would have been very confusing and a little scary as drivers did not always give much way to pedestrians.
The driver seated us in the nice black Mercedes and loaded our luggage in the trunk. He came around with a tray of cold bottled water and two packages that held cold wash cloths. So refreshing after the impact of 85 degree weather and a bit of a walk to get to the car.
The traffic reminded me of Beijing. Lots of cars mixed with motorcycles. Not a lot of bicycles though and a few sightings of cows along the side of the road. There was some kind of method of flashing your headlights and honking your horn as you weave through three lanes of traffic where cars are inches apart. Our driver gave me confidence though as he seemed to seamlessly move through the traffic.
At the hotel, we passed through gate security that checked the trunk and then our bags were screened at the entrance and we passed through metal detectors and were guided by an assistant named Sheldon (and yes, he knew the reference to the TV Sheldon). He had our key cards in hand and asked if we minded a traditional greeting. A lady stood with a plate covered in rose petals with a candle in the middle. She waved the plate in a circle in front of us wishing us good health and then gave us each a lei of marigolds which are associated with the sun, passion, wealth and happiness.
Our room is beautiful. Huge. One of the nicest we have ever had. And of course, to Bob's delight, everything in the room is accessed by an IPad. Blinds raise and lower, lights turn off and on and even the TV works through it. After brushing our teeth using the bottled water to rinse, we managed to sleep a bit more even though the time difference is nine and a half hours ahead of home. I have no explanation for the extra half hour.
We have two days to get over jet lag and travel fatigue before our Uniworld Cruise Adventure begins and maybe even explore a bit on our own. Starting with some breakfast in the 360 restaurant that caters to worldwide tastes.
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