Travels - Part 1: Planes, trains & tuk-tuks

Yet another Indian adventure begins! As per usual, the departure was a chaotic frenzy. Every year I swear to never again leave my preparations so last minute - i.e. laundry, cleaning and packing on Sunday afternoon, when I have to leave for the airport at 7pm. But every year, that's exactly what I'm doing. Maybe 6th time's a charm, here's hoping.

Thought the snow storm might help me out by delaying my flight, but checked online, and no such luck (yet grateful that it wasn't cancelled!). So my dad gets me to the airport as quickly/safely as possible, and when I get to the check-in counter the lady says, "Ma'am, you are very late. Passport please, quickly!" She takes my two check-in bags, looks at her screen, and says, "Ma'am, plane is boarding, run!" So I hurry to the security entrance, wait in line a few minutes, throw my carry-ons onto the belt, walk through the scan - beeeeeep! I look questioningly at the security lady, as I have nothing on me that could possibly set off the alarm, and she explains that I've been randomly selected for a more thorough examination. Great. I ask if she can please proceed quickly, as my plane is boarding, which she kindly does. Once through security, I grab hold of my backpack and purse straps, and start sprinting towards Gate 52, which of course is at the other end of the terminal. I ran for what felt like a kilometer, before finally reaching my gate, panting and sweating, only to see everyone still comfortably seated in the waiting area. Not sure where the check-in lady got her information, but clearly my flight was delayed afterall. Sat down, caught my breath, and repacked my carry-ons, which had been quite haphazardly filled in the departure rush. Boarding was delayed about half an hour, then we sat on the plane without moving for an hour and a half - waiting for our turn at the de-icer (I don't know whether it was an attempt to get a head start on the melting process, but it was about 100 degrees on the plan. They kept having to come around with trays of ice cold water for people on the verge of passing out). After 20 minutes at the ice&snow removal station, and another 20 waiting our turn for the take-off strip, we were in the air at last. Twelve hours and only a few brief moments of sleep later, we were landing in Doha. Due to our significantly delayed departure, we were landing almost 3 hours late, which had people with closely connecting flights in quite a panic (my layover was scheduled to last 9 hours, so I was fine, with still 6 to go). As soon as the plane slowed down at the end of the runway, half the passengers jumped out of their seats, and stared opening the overhead compartents, reaching for their carry-ons. Anyone who's ever been on a plane knows that this ain't the way it works. The plane must be fully stopped, and parked at the gate with the seatbelt signs off. The poor flight attendants were trying to get everyone to sit back down with frantic hand motions and the captain kept asking over the intercom for people to please wait patiently, but it was useless. They were determined to catch their next flight. (Though I wonder whether they realized that their current actions would do nothing to get them get there any sooner.) The girl at the security scan on the way into Hamad International Airport had heavy, tired eyes that were closed longer than they were open between blinks, and I got through with a full water bottle - that's not normal, is it? So much for heightened security. Had no problem keeping busy during my 6 hour wait, and though I didn't get a surprise first class upgrade this year, the flight from Doha to Delhi was smooth and pleasant. Had to laugh as I watched that little video they play as you take off about airplane emergency procedures - you know, the one no one ever pays attention to? Well it seems Qatar Airways has tried to encourage attentive viewing by hiring Qatari soccer stars and models for the "feature" roles. It was quite comical, and I have to say, it worked.

Ok, that's it for now. It's past 11pm and I need a good night's sleep before my morning yoga class with Ashish tomorrow. The rest of Week 1, Part 1 (trains & tuk-tuks) will have to wait. 

I leave you with a few words from Thursday's satsang with Prem Baba:

"We make our own plans, then God laughs about them. Open yourself to the wisdom of uncertainty."