Ok, so I am in a strange country, farther away than I have ever been before and I am still suffering mixed emotions.
The strongest of these is of course sadness. I miss my family loads and I expect that will only get worse as time goes on. What motivates me is a desire to succeed and make the best of it. It is an adveture after all, and one that I am grateful for, and if nothing else the money will come in very handy after two months of nothing.
I woke up at around 1pm local time. Well, I got woken up at around 1pm by the cleaner knocking on the door. I tried to ignore it, and when he couldn't get in he rang the door bell (yes they have them on the rooms here!!), until I woke up.....git. I politely declined the offer to clean my room as I had every intention of trying to get some more sleep. I should have known better really as when I wake up that is generally it, I am awake. Thirty minutes later I gave up trying and decided it was time to explore my surroundings.
The hotel itself is OK. There is the usual bar and restaurant, plus a spa that I doubt I will ever use and that's about it. What else can I say? Ella Suites is functionald and it serves a purpose.
The actual walk itself took about two minutes. There is nothing to see as I am srrounded by high rise apartments on one side, and trees on another. I have been advised not to go wandering on my own for fear of getting lost. Sage advice indeed that I have taken on board I can assure you. There are security guards everywhere, and some soldiers too, which is understandable given the recent terror attacks in Mumbai but they serve to give a sense of security and worry at the same time!
I decided to settle down in the seating area for the "Kebab Pavillion" in the hotel grounds. Having also been warned to be wary of what I eat and drink I was understandably nervous about trying a kebab. To someone who is a connoisseur of all things junk food, and who willing eats kebabs at home whilst sober, this was a hard thing to avoid but I remained resolute. Whilst sat there I glanced across at a man in a monkey suit, with a Fez on his head. Had I been drinking? No, was i tripping? certainly not!! So this was real then?!?! Luckily, he took no interest in me and disappeared through some glass doors that lead to what I later discovered to be the restaurant. I had had a lucky escape.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Day one - the journey
Fairly uneventful to the experienced traveller...but an adventure to me. You have to understand that I not a well travelled person, in fact, I have never been outside of Western Europe before today, so I apologise from the beginning if what fascinates me, bores you.
I travelled from Heathrow to Doha intially. A combination of being given less that 24 hours notice to travel, lots to organise, nerves and excitement meant that I ended up only getting 2 hours sleep. No matter, as I hoped to sleep on the plane.
Despite not being an experienced traveller, the various airport terminals I have visited in my life (both as a tourist and in a professional capacity) have taught me one thing.....they are all designed by the same disinterested architect who specialises in featureless designs. Not matter how grandiose the exterior, the interior will always be painted in the same neutral colour they seem to use in NHS hospitals.
Anyway, I digress. No delay at Heathrow, no event in the flight. Qatar airways seem to be fairly hospitable so I was happy. Given that the last flight I took was a Ryanair flight to Mallorca, I guess anything would have been a step up.
Transitting through Doha was an experience. I have never done the transit thing before so I didn't know what to expect. It was pleasent enough, if not a little dreary, but the time passed.
Finally I am off to Hyderabad. A delay in obtaining a take-off slot meant we sat on the taxiway for half an hour, but even that wasn't bad.
Where it became interesting was after I landed. I got off the plane and went to clear customs as you do. The first thing I noticed was the music that greeted me as I entered the terminal. I wasn't expecting music, nor if i had been would I have assumed it to conform to Indian stereotypes, but a panpipes version of "Hark the Herald Angels" would not have been near the top of my list of expectations either!
They had about 10 customs officers on duty at 3:30am. That was actually quite good as I have been at UK airports where they have one or two, even during busy periods! After filling out the customs ford, and having my passport stamped for the first time ever, I joined the huge queue that had developed behind the one available scanning machine. This is the first time I have ever had my hand baggage screened when I am entering a country but I can understand their nervousness given recent events
After waiting an eternity to collect my bag, I proceeded through customs (filled out yet another form), and went through the doors to be greeted by a bizarre sight! Despite it now being around 4:30 am there are row upn row of people held back by crush barriers. I have to say, I did feel a bit like one of the Beatles for a second there!!!
Finally I meet up with one of my colleagues and we go to the car. We have an Indian driver (thankfully). The first thing I noticed is there are no rules. You beep your horn EVERY time you overtake someone, you drive on whatever side of the road takes your fancy, when driving down dual carriageways you straddle both lanes just in case you need to swerve, and the roads are rarely finished. This is the early hours of Sunday morning, what on earth is Monday rush going to be like?!!!
At last I arrive at the hotel. We passed through 3 checkpoints and were screened for weapons before we entered the hotel itself. Again, I am happy to undergo these checks of course for obvious reason. Having checked in and tipped the porter who took my bags for me (not that i had a choice as he practically wrestled them from me), it is time for bed......zzzzzzzzzz
I travelled from Heathrow to Doha intially. A combination of being given less that 24 hours notice to travel, lots to organise, nerves and excitement meant that I ended up only getting 2 hours sleep. No matter, as I hoped to sleep on the plane.
Despite not being an experienced traveller, the various airport terminals I have visited in my life (both as a tourist and in a professional capacity) have taught me one thing.....they are all designed by the same disinterested architect who specialises in featureless designs. Not matter how grandiose the exterior, the interior will always be painted in the same neutral colour they seem to use in NHS hospitals.
Anyway, I digress. No delay at Heathrow, no event in the flight. Qatar airways seem to be fairly hospitable so I was happy. Given that the last flight I took was a Ryanair flight to Mallorca, I guess anything would have been a step up.
Transitting through Doha was an experience. I have never done the transit thing before so I didn't know what to expect. It was pleasent enough, if not a little dreary, but the time passed.
Finally I am off to Hyderabad. A delay in obtaining a take-off slot meant we sat on the taxiway for half an hour, but even that wasn't bad.
Where it became interesting was after I landed. I got off the plane and went to clear customs as you do. The first thing I noticed was the music that greeted me as I entered the terminal. I wasn't expecting music, nor if i had been would I have assumed it to conform to Indian stereotypes, but a panpipes version of "Hark the Herald Angels" would not have been near the top of my list of expectations either!
They had about 10 customs officers on duty at 3:30am. That was actually quite good as I have been at UK airports where they have one or two, even during busy periods! After filling out the customs ford, and having my passport stamped for the first time ever, I joined the huge queue that had developed behind the one available scanning machine. This is the first time I have ever had my hand baggage screened when I am entering a country but I can understand their nervousness given recent events
After waiting an eternity to collect my bag, I proceeded through customs (filled out yet another form), and went through the doors to be greeted by a bizarre sight! Despite it now being around 4:30 am there are row upn row of people held back by crush barriers. I have to say, I did feel a bit like one of the Beatles for a second there!!!
Finally I meet up with one of my colleagues and we go to the car. We have an Indian driver (thankfully). The first thing I noticed is there are no rules. You beep your horn EVERY time you overtake someone, you drive on whatever side of the road takes your fancy, when driving down dual carriageways you straddle both lanes just in case you need to swerve, and the roads are rarely finished. This is the early hours of Sunday morning, what on earth is Monday rush going to be like?!!!
At last I arrive at the hotel. We passed through 3 checkpoints and were screened for weapons before we entered the hotel itself. Again, I am happy to undergo these checks of course for obvious reason. Having checked in and tipped the porter who took my bags for me (not that i had a choice as he practically wrestled them from me), it is time for bed......zzzzzzzzzz
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
