Arrival

I landed at 1:00am here in New Delhi. I have to say Austria Airlines is by far the best airline Ive ever flown on. Despite being in an economy class seat, they managed to include a great list of amenities. Pillows, blankets, free meals, and drinks (which helps with sleeping hehe) were all included. The best part was the tablet that was built into the seat that gave everyone free access to TV shows, movies, games and even the current location of the plane. For such such a long flight, they made it bearable. 

As soon as I got off the plane I noticed the airport in Delhi is pretty modern. All the signage was in Hindi and English so I didnt have any trouble finding where to go. I will say though the customs agent I dealt with was an ass. This guy looked like the grim reaper behind a desk. No response to civilities such as "Thank you" not even a nod. Maybe he was tired...

After I exited the airport I had to find my rep whose name I had trouble pronouncing (Jitender). He's a nice guy but we had a serious communication problem. The only reason I knew it was him was because he was a holding a sign with UNCC's 49er logo on it. We chatted for a sec (sort of) and then walked out to meet the driver.

The air here is something Ive never experienced before. As soon as we walked into the open morning air, it felt like I just walked into a smoking parlor. It literally will stop you in your tracks. From previous research, I remember reading that New Delhi has one of the lowest air quality grades in the world. On a bad day it beats most Chinese industrial cities and now I can see why. 

Ive ridden around with some crazy drivers but at least they were skilled drivers. A couple of years ago I got the impression that Colombia had the worst drivers in the world. That notion changed this morning. All the drivers seem to be scared of the curb, so a three lane road becomes a one lane cascade of beeping, yelling, speeding insanity. My driver squeezed by a semi going 60km per hour. Thats only 45 back home but what scared me was how close I could reach out my window and touch the car we were passing.

The funny thing about when the plane touched down, all the Indian nationals began applauding. Ive seen this on a plane to Colombia before. I know that when I get home Ill probably be doing the same thing on the inside. I miss my boys, my parents, and my friends already. 

Hopefully I'll have some photos tomorrow. In the meantime, here's one of NYC last night.

Cheers,

Ian