It is difficult to know where to begin, but I will start with how my day began. Since I had an early flight from Boston to Newark on Friday, I decided to drive to the Boston area Thursday afternoon and stay at one of the local motels that offers the “stay and park package”, since I would be leaving my car there for the duration of my trip. Had dinner, and then returned to my room to unpack and then repack all three of my bags. Weight distribution was crucial, since I was taking along with me thirty shirts – one for each member of the team from the USA, as well as the Rotarians from India who would be joining our team. In addition, I had sufficient numbers of First Aid kits for the team members.
Friday morning – February 9th, and I awoke bright an early – about 4:00 a.m. Took a shower, carried the excess clothing out to my car in the parking garage at the hotel and then went down for breakfast, before catching the shuttle bus to the airport. At Logan Airport, at 5:30 in the morning is amazingly bustling, and it appeared that most of the population of New England was departing for warmer climates for their mid-winter re-charging of batteries!
I checked in at the Continental ticket counter and proceeded to the gate for boarding. Our flight was uneventful and when I arrived at Newark airport, I gathered my bags and then checked them at a storage booth, so I would not have to lug them around all day. I settled in to have some breakfast and then worked on some paperwork for the rest of the morning. I was to have lunch with Rotary District Governor-Elect Joe Laureni from New Jersey. He had been attending a conference at the United Nations most of the morning, but came and met me and we had a great luncheon meeting, and then he dropped me off at the airport, where I would wait to meet the members of the team as they arrived from all parts of the Eastern seaboard late in the afternoon.
The first arrivals were Darlene Beal from Haverhill, Massachusetts and District Governor Jay Kapner from North Carolina. They had both allowed a bit of room for me to offload some of the shirts and other items, to lighten my load and get my bags to within the allowed limits. David and Magda Baggett, also from North Carolina, had already flown over to India the day before, as Magda would be traveling on behalf of the college where she works with foreign exchange students. Next to arrive was Roy Wise, a retired Lutheran minister from Atlanta, Georgia. We all got know one another for the next hour or so, as none of us had ever met before. While we were waiting, I received a telephone call on my mobile phone, and I did not recognize the number which popped up on my screen – I did not even recognize the area code! The voice on the other end was that of Joan Nickell, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, telling me that she and Jayne Britton (who claims New Hampshire as her residence, but is a member of the Fryeburg, Maine Rotary Club) had arrived and were already checked in and down at the boarding gate. I told Joan we were waiting for Jo Barrow from North Carolina to arrive and then we would check in and proceed down through security and meet them for having something to eat. However, there was no Jo Barrow!
In checking with the arrival board at Continental, we saw that the flight bringing Jo Barrow had been seriously delayed, and in my mind there was question as to whether she would arrive in time to catch our flight to India. We decided to check in with Continental and proceed through security to meet Jayne and Joan. This process was reasonably uneventful, although I was asked to step into a side area to be “wanded” and “patted” to check me for being a security risk! Well, I passed muster and we all moved toward the restaurant area to meet up with Joan and Jayne. Again, my mobile phone rang and yet another unknown area code and number popped up on my screen! It was Jo Barrow on the other end, saying that her flight had just landed and that she would get to us as soon as she could, hopefully to grab a bite to eat before having to board the flight.
We met up with Joan and Jayne and had a light meal and some drinks. As time appeared that we might not meet up with Jo Barrow, we turned and saw a rather frazzled woman approaching the restaurant. I got up and said, “You MUST be Jo Barrow!” “Yes, I am and it would be great if I could get something to drink and maybe a bite to eat before boarding. We shared some chips and a beer and then moved on to the gate for boarding. As we were standing, waiting for out row numbers to be called, we heard the disappointing announcement that if we had not already checked in AGAIN at the ticket counter, we would not be allowed to board. So, it was back into another line, to stand and wait for processing. We all got checked again, and returned to the line at the gate. As each of our sections was called, we moved forward to board the plane – 777 which we were told was packed! True enough, there was only one empty seat for the flight.
Once seated, we awaited to taxi, but that was not about to happen, at least not for another hour. Eventually, the captain spoke over the address system and informed us that there was a “minor” mechanical issue – there was one tiny switch that did not seem to operate properly, so he had summoned the mechanic to come out to the plane and service it. We finally were able to depart at about 10:45 p.m.
Basically, our flight was uneventful, and relatively smooth – at least for the first ten hours! Some of our team read, while others tried to get some sleep. It seems that taking such a lengthy flight is no so unlike being hospitalized – just about when you have dozed off into dreamland, a flight attendant comes by, shakes your shoulder and tells you she or he is bringing a meal to you (sort of like, waking you to take your medicine so you can sleep better!) The food was typical of in-flight rations, but certainly acceptable. I was able to get to know some of the flight attendants, and several of them seemed quite interested in our Team and where we were going and what we would be doing and why. After some discussion, I learned that almost all of this flight crew will be flying us home, when we leave late in the evening on the 25th, so they said they will be anxious to hear of our experiences.
As I mentioned, about two hours out from New Delhi, we began to hit some serious turbulence and were advised to return to our seats, buckle our seat belts and pull them TIGHT! Bumper cars and roller coaster were two amusement park rides which came to mind. The head of the flight attendants announced they would be coming through to serve us breakfast (at 11:00 at night) but that we would have to eat quickly as the turbulence was going to shorten the time for eating and then clearing, prior to landing. I believe it took about eleven minutes to serve all the passengers and to clear the trays. Never had I seen a more efficient crew than this one on Continental Flight 32.
Friday morning – February 9th, and I awoke bright an early – about 4:00 a.m. Took a shower, carried the excess clothing out to my car in the parking garage at the hotel and then went down for breakfast, before catching the shuttle bus to the airport. At Logan Airport, at 5:30 in the morning is amazingly bustling, and it appeared that most of the population of New England was departing for warmer climates for their mid-winter re-charging of batteries!
I checked in at the Continental ticket counter and proceeded to the gate for boarding. Our flight was uneventful and when I arrived at Newark airport, I gathered my bags and then checked them at a storage booth, so I would not have to lug them around all day. I settled in to have some breakfast and then worked on some paperwork for the rest of the morning. I was to have lunch with Rotary District Governor-Elect Joe Laureni from New Jersey. He had been attending a conference at the United Nations most of the morning, but came and met me and we had a great luncheon meeting, and then he dropped me off at the airport, where I would wait to meet the members of the team as they arrived from all parts of the Eastern seaboard late in the afternoon.
The first arrivals were Darlene Beal from Haverhill, Massachusetts and District Governor Jay Kapner from North Carolina. They had both allowed a bit of room for me to offload some of the shirts and other items, to lighten my load and get my bags to within the allowed limits. David and Magda Baggett, also from North Carolina, had already flown over to India the day before, as Magda would be traveling on behalf of the college where she works with foreign exchange students. Next to arrive was Roy Wise, a retired Lutheran minister from Atlanta, Georgia. We all got know one another for the next hour or so, as none of us had ever met before. While we were waiting, I received a telephone call on my mobile phone, and I did not recognize the number which popped up on my screen – I did not even recognize the area code! The voice on the other end was that of Joan Nickell, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, telling me that she and Jayne Britton (who claims New Hampshire as her residence, but is a member of the Fryeburg, Maine Rotary Club) had arrived and were already checked in and down at the boarding gate. I told Joan we were waiting for Jo Barrow from North Carolina to arrive and then we would check in and proceed down through security and meet them for having something to eat. However, there was no Jo Barrow!
In checking with the arrival board at Continental, we saw that the flight bringing Jo Barrow had been seriously delayed, and in my mind there was question as to whether she would arrive in time to catch our flight to India. We decided to check in with Continental and proceed through security to meet Jayne and Joan. This process was reasonably uneventful, although I was asked to step into a side area to be “wanded” and “patted” to check me for being a security risk! Well, I passed muster and we all moved toward the restaurant area to meet up with Joan and Jayne. Again, my mobile phone rang and yet another unknown area code and number popped up on my screen! It was Jo Barrow on the other end, saying that her flight had just landed and that she would get to us as soon as she could, hopefully to grab a bite to eat before having to board the flight.
We met up with Joan and Jayne and had a light meal and some drinks. As time appeared that we might not meet up with Jo Barrow, we turned and saw a rather frazzled woman approaching the restaurant. I got up and said, “You MUST be Jo Barrow!” “Yes, I am and it would be great if I could get something to drink and maybe a bite to eat before boarding. We shared some chips and a beer and then moved on to the gate for boarding. As we were standing, waiting for out row numbers to be called, we heard the disappointing announcement that if we had not already checked in AGAIN at the ticket counter, we would not be allowed to board. So, it was back into another line, to stand and wait for processing. We all got checked again, and returned to the line at the gate. As each of our sections was called, we moved forward to board the plane – 777 which we were told was packed! True enough, there was only one empty seat for the flight.
Once seated, we awaited to taxi, but that was not about to happen, at least not for another hour. Eventually, the captain spoke over the address system and informed us that there was a “minor” mechanical issue – there was one tiny switch that did not seem to operate properly, so he had summoned the mechanic to come out to the plane and service it. We finally were able to depart at about 10:45 p.m.
Basically, our flight was uneventful, and relatively smooth – at least for the first ten hours! Some of our team read, while others tried to get some sleep. It seems that taking such a lengthy flight is no so unlike being hospitalized – just about when you have dozed off into dreamland, a flight attendant comes by, shakes your shoulder and tells you she or he is bringing a meal to you (sort of like, waking you to take your medicine so you can sleep better!) The food was typical of in-flight rations, but certainly acceptable. I was able to get to know some of the flight attendants, and several of them seemed quite interested in our Team and where we were going and what we would be doing and why. After some discussion, I learned that almost all of this flight crew will be flying us home, when we leave late in the evening on the 25th, so they said they will be anxious to hear of our experiences.
As I mentioned, about two hours out from New Delhi, we began to hit some serious turbulence and were advised to return to our seats, buckle our seat belts and pull them TIGHT! Bumper cars and roller coaster were two amusement park rides which came to mind. The head of the flight attendants announced they would be coming through to serve us breakfast (at 11:00 at night) but that we would have to eat quickly as the turbulence was going to shorten the time for eating and then clearing, prior to landing. I believe it took about eleven minutes to serve all the passengers and to clear the trays. Never had I seen a more efficient crew than this one on Continental Flight 32.
We finally touched down in Delhi – Indira Ghandi International Airport at about 11:40 on Saturday night (our new time zone being 10.5 hours ahead of home) and were processed through Immigration and then moved along to baggage claim. Jo Barrow was pleased that although she had been the last to meet us in Newark, that her bags were the first of our group’s to tumble along the conveyor belt. All bags were finally collected and we moved together out through customs and then up the long ramp where literally hundreds of people awaited the arrival of loved ones, friends, or business associates. The representative from High Points Expeditions was there holding a sign WELCOME ROTARY INTERNATIONAL – a most welcome sight! Ravi Dayal, my dear friend and past president of the Rotary Club of Delhi-West also greeted us. After loading our bags into the back of the van, we boarded and were driven into the city – about a forty-five minute drive at that hour – and registered at the Hotel Marina, located in Connaught Circus, in the center of Delhi.
Finally, a bed beckoned each of us to sleep the few hours before we would have to rise and shine, shower, dress and get our bags to the lobby, before eating our breakfast at 7:30. PLEASANT DREAMS…
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