I woke up with the sun this morning before the wakeup call. It gets light about 4:30 am. I was told that all of China is on one time zone which surprised me since China is such a huge land mass. The butler rang the doorbell at 5 with my coffee in a coffee press on a silver tray held out in front of him with his other arm behind him. He was in his tuxedo with tails as all of the butler and hotel staff wear at the St Regis. Elegant.
I showered, dressed, had my coffee (not bad) and said my goodbyes to Tim who was still in bed. He leaves at noon to fly to San Francisco and then to Philadelphia. I'll see him 2 weeks from today in Philadelphia.
I met David, Susan & Allyn, Karl & Marliss, and Lillian & John in the lobby and we all loaded on a small bus for the 40 minute ride to the airport. We talked with David about capital punishment and the legal system in China - and also in the US. The Chinese Minister of Health was sentenced to death yesterday for taking bribes. He also was apparently a factor in the cat food issue in the US and a toothpast poisoning in Africa, so they sentenced him to die (usually by firing squad). We arrived at the Beijing Airport with no issues as there was very little traffic early in the morning.
David got each of us a luggage cart and showed us where to go to check in. I said my goobyes to David - such a fabulous guide and also a great ambassador for China - and goodbye to those with me on the bus this morning from our group. The lines through customs seemed long but they moved quickly, but the immigration line took a while. I got to the Thai Air checkin for First Class before they opened and was a bit concerned since David had told me he couldn't confirm my reservation, but it all went smoothly.
I found one more Olympics T-shirt for my son and went to the Business Class lounge. Unfortunately, none of the computers worked so I had a small bit to eat and a coke and waited for my flight to be called. I decided to leave the lounge early and found out that it was more comfortable in the regular waiting lounge - there was no food or drink but the seats were more comfortable and the air was cleaner!
The Thai Air flight to Bangkok was delayed arriving in Beijing so we were about an hour late leaving but I had plenty of time in Bangkok during the layover. The plane arrived about 9:30 and they got everyone off and all of us on in less than 30 minutes. I wish US airlines knew how to do this.
The flight from Beijing to Bangkok was 4 1/2 hours and over 2,000 miles and then I have another 4 hours from Bangkok to Delhi and another 2,000 miles - so I'm covering some ground today. They served us lunch on the Thai Air flight and then dinner from Bangkok to Delhi so today was airline food all of the way! The lounges in Bangkok for Thai Air are so nice - they have food, drinks (anything you want), showers, internet computers, and you can even get a Thai massage if you would like. I'm resting up today while I can as I start the tourist routine again tomorrow in Delhi.
R Crusoe & Sons has arranged all of my tours in Delhi so I have great expectations for this part of my trip based on our exceptional tour experience with them in China. R Crusoe promises an "Unusual Journey" and they certainly exceeded our expectations with the China experience. So today I leave the China culture and enter the Indian culture. This is so exciting for me.
I got a dose of India on the plans as the man next to me talked fast and was very demanding of the airline staff. He asked me a lot of questions before we left Bangkok - mostly about money things - but I put my headset on once we took off and that stopped the questions. When the hostess offered him dinner with everyone else, he told her that he would take his dinner "in one hours time". She was outdone. In addition to the questions, he took his shoes off (no socks) and put his feet up. He asked for 5 cold towels and almost took a bath in his seat. He ws in perpetual motion even when he was sleeping. He refused to use his seat tray except for when the dinner tray came and I kept watching to make sure he didn't knock something over into my space. I think that was what I saw - he had no sense of personal space. I expect to experience more of this in India.
We arrived a bit late in Delhi due to air traffic. I got through immigration, got my bag (Thai Air actually sends First and Business Class luggage out first), and got through customers. My guide, Kurian, and driver were there waiting for me with a sign. They took my bags, I used the ATM maching at the bank to get some local currency and off we went tojoin the mess out on the highway. They are building a new airport across the highway from the current airport since the current one is so old. They will keep the current name - Indira Ghandi International Airport. But the roads and construction are a mess.
There is no sense of staying in lines - sort of like the French - whoever gets in front wins. Kurian pointed out sites on the drive into Delhi but it was dark and hard to see most. I could see the tree-lined streets and not many high rises. We passed through the embassy district and by the largest embassy - the US. We talked a little about the culture but I'll get a lot more of this starting tomorrow when the tour starts.
The Imperial Hotel where I'm staying is majestic. A large white structure set in formal gardens and it is designated a historic hotel. Beautifully appointed throughout. I unpacked, watched a bit of TV and then went to bed. I get to sleep late for a change (YEAH!) as Kurian and the driver will meet me at 1 pm to start tomorrow's touring. Off to bed now - I'm exhausted after this travel day.
Larry
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