Ready, Set, GOA!

Monday, June 5, 2017 - New Delhi to Goa

We slept in until 8 and it felt amazing to be rested. Once we had everything packed, we attempted to take an uber ride to the airport. Due to our past experience, I was a little nervous. The first attempt failed due to the language barrier. The second attempt with a different hotel employee was a success. On our way to the airport we got to experience Delhi rush hour traffic.

W: Traffic was rough so I had quite a bit of time to think about how in the United States, rush hour in Delhi is a just congested line at a sandwich shop. I also had time to write business proposals for new ventures: Dehli deli, an Indian delicatessen; Del Lee dungarees, a famous Indian denim shop specializing in dungarees; Dehlieterhosen, Indian pants for the German gentleman. 

Check-in at the airport went smoothly. Since we hadn't had much to eat and were flying out at noon but wouldn't be fed on the plane, we decided to upgrade to the Premium Lounge. I'm so glad we did. We tried several different Indian foods from the buffet as well as a Masala omelette and Dubre. So delicious. 

One thing I noticed at the airport was how many times they checked our boarding pass. Just to enter the airport we had to show our passport and boarding pass (I had printed out our itinerary before we left). I showed that to the guy at the check-in counter and then we were given our real boarding passes. We had to show these at security, to get into the lounge, and then three separate times as we boarded the plane. 

There was one scary moment. Once in the lounge, I realized that I left my phone, iPad, and jacket in the bin at security. I ran back and sure enough, they were still sitting in the bin. I was so relieved.

W: Was in line for food and lost Jill. Hope she comes back. Wonder if she was planning on finishing her Dubre. 

The flight was a productive one for me since I spent it writing the blog from the last couple days. Walt read and filmed the chaos beside us. Several children were yelling and screaming (having fun but in a loud way), and fortunately, I was too distracted to care. It was only a couple of hours.

As we exited the airport, we saw our names on a piece of paper being held by the man who would transport us to our hotel. The tropical greenery and warm humidity was a stark contrast to the dry dusty heat of Delhi. The driving is the same here, but more people speak English and we noticed Catholic Churches. Portugal had a big influence here and it is definitely noticeable. 

At the hotel, we settled in and took a nap. For dinner, we walked over to our friends' house for a delicious, Indian homemade meal. After dinner, a group of Americans who had been helping them for the week, came for dessert (homemade Phirni). We had a great time talking to them and then stayed late even after the Americans left for a late night flight home.