Summer Travel to India – Part I – Bombay

This June, the kids and I set off for India to visit family. We rode a stretch limo from Madison to Chicago. That was quite a treat. We could stretch out, the kids watched their DVDs on the car system. It was a lot more comfortable than flying into Chicago or driving ourselves. And for the price a total bargain.
At the Chicago airport we had plenty of time after our bags were checked in, so I took the kids up to the eating lounge and tried to fill their bellies so they would settle down quickly on the plane and sleep. Then we headed off to our waiting lounge. My youngest wanted to use the restroom and I took him. Then he wanted to go again, so we headed back to the restroom, but this time I decided to use the facilities as well and asked him to stand right outside my door until I was done. When I got out, he was gone. I looked about for him but didn’t spot him. I asked one of the airline crews how to go about locating him. The man tried to reassure me that he was probably just lost and not, you know, kidnapped. Oh, I know. I know exactly what he thought. He thought he could find his way back to his brother and why wait around for Mom. So we walked around looking for him. In a few minutes, we found him. He was spotted by another airline crew crying. When we were reunited I asked him if he was scared and crying when the lady found him. He said, I don’t want to talk about it.
In India it is hot as can be in June, but I find it works best because my kids have summer vacation and their cousins in India also have summer vacation. This is also the first time I was going to travel around to visit my sisters and take my kids along with me as we travelled to five places – New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, New Delhi again, Chandigarh, Chail and back to New Delhi.
A wonderful thing about having in-laws in New Delhi is that when we land in New Delhi, we are there – No more travel. We took a non-stop American Airlines flight from Chicago to New Delhi which takes about 15 hours. We only planned to be in New Delhi for a day and set off to Mumbai the very next day. I figured the kids were old enough and they would be able to deal with their jetlag on their own. In trips past, I had to stay up with them and so my jetlag lasted as long as theirs did. The younger they are the longer the jetlag.
Even though it was late night when we reached New Delhi, it was still hot. Coming from Wisconsin, where spring was still debating its arrival, feeling the heat in New Delhi was a shock. So by the time we reached home – my youngest likes to call it the White House as it is painted white on the outside – we were all sweaty. It was close to midnight but I needed a bath to refresh after the long journey, but mostly the hot trip from the airport to home. Before kids (BK) I used to be so organized and knew exactly where everything was packed. No more. So I unpacked all our suitcases and found a change of clothes for myself and the kids.
The next day, I was setting right off to Mumbai, so now I had to repack most of it again. My reasoning to get to Mumbai as soon as possible was to avoid the monsoons and be back in New Delhi safe and sound. The flight to Mumbai was uneventful. My brother-in-law (BIL) and my nephew came to pick us up at the airport. Part of my growing up happened in Mumbai. My father was in the Indian Navy and my BIL is also in the Indian Navy. My sister’s family lives on the same Base I grew up in. So in many ways this was a homecoming for me. The sights and sounds of Mumbai filled me with nostalgia. Like many other cities, Mumbai is also constantly changing, but when you reach South Mumbai where land is limited and was where the city was built by the British – and named Bombay – everything seems the same as when I left and it was still Bombay then, the name changed to Mumbai after I left India and so it will always be Bombay to me.
When we reached their home, we visited for a little while and then I had to have a bath to freshen up. When I unpacked our bags – guess what? – I had not repacked my underwear from New Delhi. So I just had to rewash and wring as hard as I could and rewear. In the heat, let me tell you, it was quite refreshing. So needless to say, my first task in Bombay was to buy underwear.
Two of my sister’s live in Bombay, well if you want to be picky, my youngest sister lives in Navi Mumbai (New Bombay as it was first called). She spent the day with us and we reminisced about our childhood. Not only were we all meeting after along time, but we were also in a place where the three of us grew up for part of our childhood.
In the mornings my sister and I would walk to a small shop, no more than a stall really, where they made fresh vada pao and brought some home for breakfast. You get the best vada pao in Bombay. Then we walked along the seashore everyday. One of the best parts of being on a Naval Base is that we had the most private, uncrowded seashore walkway. Of all the places we visited this summer, Bombay had the “coolest” temperatures.
My kids and their cousin got along famously and my youngest still asks us to head back to Bombay so he can play with him. One evening we sat by their seashore club and enjoyed the sea breeze, snacks and great company. I had forgotten the joys of enjoying a meal at a club. There is no hurry to eat and leave, you can spend a few hours visiting with friends, enjoy the outdoor, stroll or just take the time to sip your drink and relax.
In Bombay we spend an evening by the Gateway of India and got a close look at the Hotel Taj (the one under terrorist attack last year). (Pic Hotel Taj in Bomba) They have done great work repairing the outside; you could hardly see any damage. But there is obviously a lot to be done on the inside and the hotel is still closed. After a ride on a Victoria (a horse drawn carriage) we went to a revolving restaurant – The Pearl of the Orient. It was a Chinese restaurant and one of only two restaurants that I have eaten in India where the tables are not on top of each other. We had a nice enjoyable dinner to celebrate my sister’s wedding anniversary. (Pic. Marine Drive or Queens Necklace from Pearl of the Orient)
One evening, my sister and I set off to do some shopping. We went into Akbarally’s where they sell readymade clothes, household items and some electronics as well. The saleslady who helped us was very persuasive and got me to select about 5 or 6 different clothes, while I had only planned on getting one maybe two things. Buying readymade clothes in India is quite different from shopping in the US. Each piece is one of a kind. If it doesn’t fit, then you have to just try and finding something else you like.
But the great part is if you like something but want small changes made – like changing the sleeve length, raising the hem etc, the store will do it for you in minutes while you wait. Anyhow, our sales lady was so persuasive, before I knew it I had about 5 things that were being altered, retried, and altered again. By now the store was closing and we were the only customers in the store. They closed the main doors and the staff were packing up and finishing their tasks before heading out.
I was ready to tell the saleslady that I only mean to buy a couple of the clothes selected. Just then one of her colleagues walked up and they started talking about the new sales target they had been given to meet this month. The colleague was concerned that the downturn in the economy would make it hard to meet this target. Our saleslady said, she was not afraid and she would just make it happen. Needless to say, I left the store with all five outfits. By now they had even turned the main lights off and only the security lights were on, the security man let us out from a side door.
Copyright Kalpana Kanwar August 2009

Thanksgiving Travel and Giving Thanks

It was Thanksgiving weekend in 2005. My two sons – son1, 5 years old and son2, 2½ years old – and I were returning to Madison, WI from New Delhi, India. Our international flight out from New Delhi was at midnight. By the time we got to the airport, Son2 was asleep in his stroller.
We were waiting to check in and get our boarding passes. Suddenly Son2 woke up with a cry – and I just knew it was coming – and threw up. There wasn’t enough time to get to a restroom or anything, so I cupped my hands and caught his throw up and threw it into a garbage can. Thankfully there was one nearby. I got lucky. Usually garbage cans are not that easy to spot in India, they are few and far between and tucked away so they are not eye sores. Another passenger said, “yuck.” Yep, yuck. Thankfully Son2 went right back to sleep. I pulled out some wipes and cleaned my hands and his shirt as best as I could. He still stank a little. I was travelling light, just enough diapers to get to Chicago,and the kid’s DVD player. I didn’t have extra clothes for the kids or any snacks. So he would just have to stay in those clothes until we got home.
We checked in and were told our flight was delayed. They never really tell you anything else in India – no cause or when to expect the flight. We had a connecting flight in Frankfurt. But for some reason we only had two hours to make our connection, I don’t know how we didn’t notice this while booking our tickets. I realized we wouldn’t make it. I called my brother-in-law in Delhi to let him know that our flight is delayed and to relay the message to my husband in Madison. I planned on calling from Frankfurt when I knew our new flight details. It turned into a game of Chinese whispers and my husband did not understand or get the right message. He drove from Madison to Chicago, found out we were not on the flight we were supposed to be on, and drove back to Madison. Then he pretty much had to turn right around and drive back to Chicago to pick us up.
But I am getting ahead of myself. So here we are at the Delhi airport. We had business class tickets so thankfully we got to sit in a lounge and have snacks. The lounge was already busy and all the sofas were taken. So the kids and I found a table and sat down. Soon Son1 was sleepy too. He couldn’t get comfortable because he was sitting on a café chair. I picked him up and held him on my lap so he could nap. Son2 was thankfully still asleep in his stroller.
Our flight was delayed by 3 hours. Finally, it was time to board, I woke Son1, who was most unhappy, because he was so sleepy. As anyone who has boarded a plane knows, there is a time lag between announcing boarding and actually boarding. Every time we had to wait I would pick up Son1 and let him rest. But generally he had to haul himself into the plane.
We had business class tickets so we thankfully boarded early. I checked in the stroller at the plane door and now carried a still sleeping Son2 into the plane and coaxed Son1 along. There was only one other woman besides me and my kids were the only kids in business class. I hoped they would behave so I wouldn’t get glares and complaints from the other business travelers. We settled into our seats. Son2 continued to sleep as we took off. I was thankful because he is terrified of take-offs and landings and screams his head off.
Early into our flight Son2 woke up and had a blowout poop. I mean blowout. So I took him into the teeny-tiny bathroom, changed his diaper and again tried to wipe him down as best as I could. I wiped his pants as best as I could. So now I have a stinky Son2 – both top and bottom. I hoped the stink didn’t travel too far.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. But since I knew we were going to miss our connection, I asked the airline attendant to check if by any chance our connecting flight was delayed. She came back and told me that the connecting flight is on time since it originates in Frankfurt. She gave me a slip of paper with another flight number that would take us to Chicago. Thank you, thank you.
When we arrived in Frankfurt, our plane couldn’t get to its gate because the plane that was at our gate was being deiced. So now you know how cold it was in Frankfurt. They got a couple of buses to take us to the terminal. Remember we were travelling light, so I didn’t have even a sweatshirt for my kids to wear out in the cold. Meanwhile, who knew where we were going to find our stroller for Son2. I was certainly not planning to wait around in the cold to get it. So here I am carrying my Son2 and wondering how Son1 will walk beside me. He wanted to hold my hand. Thankfully, an elderly gentleman reached forward and held his hand and helped him board the bus.
As soon as we entered the terminal, I grabbed the first person I saw wearing some sort of a uniform and asked him about the new flight details. He told me the flight is already preparing to board and gave me the details for the gate number.
We had to get to another terminal via the airport train system. If you have travelled in Europe you will realize, there are very few signs regarding stops. You just have to be sure where to go. I was a little nervous about missing our stop. So I asked the other passengers about the stop, and let me tell you, I got some strange looks. I don’t if they were because I talked to strangers or if they were because I should just know where I am going.
Anyhow, to get to the right gate we had to get through security again. It was a really long line. I was nervous about making it to our flight on time. Both my kids were awake, whiny and hungry. They had slept through the whole first leg of the journey without eating a bite and were ravenous now. I tried to calm them and promised to find some food as soon as we got to our gate and changed our boarding passes. Then thankfully, one of the security persons opened the roped way, came up to me and moved me ahead of the line. We got through security quickly and moved onto our gate.
When we arrive at our gate, I saw that thankfully we were second in line to change our boarding passes. The waiting lounge for the plane was quite empty. But for some reason it took quite a while to change our boarding passes. By now there was a long line of passengers waiting to enter the enclosed waiting area and we joined the line. The kids continued to whine. Although, I was thankful, my Son1 was vigilant and caught a passport I had dropped and not even realized it. When we reached the front of the line, the lady told me I had to go to another counter and have my boarding passes confirmed. What?? Isn’t that what I just did when I changed them? Apparently not. So again back to another line. When we got to the head of the line and the agent ran through our passports and boarding passes, the computer kept rejecting my passport and asked the agent to recheck or reenter it. After about 3 tries, he thankfully said, I am just going to override the system. Now back to the line to enter the enclosed waiting lounge.
We were waiting in line, my kids were whining, there were about 5 or 6 young Italian gentlemen ahead of us. The check-in lady was flirting with them. Suddenly she turns to us and points to us and I am not sure what she said, but she looked at us, pointed at us and I heard the word bambinos. She motioned for us to come forward. I pointed to myself and asked in universal sign if she meant me, she nodded and motioned us forward again. When we reached her, she put up her hand to wait, checked in all the Italians and then checked us in. What was that all about? By then we were nearly the last people of board the plane. But thankfully we made it. I was most thankful, because this was the only flight leaving for Chicago that day, if we hadn’t made it, we would have to stay overnight in Frankfurt and hunt down some diapers.
We found our seats. My kids were hungry and tired and cranky. As I remember it, there was nowhere in the Frankfurt airport to get any food. No vending machines (not that I had any local currency) and certainly no restaurants. I could buy duty free chocolates, but really I had no time. I also didn’t get a chance to call my husband with our new flight details.
As soon as people started settling in, our flight attendant came and asked if the kids were hungry and would like some hotdogs. Yes! I was dreading airline food, not to mention it isn’t served until the plane takes off. She told me her kids didn’t eat airline food so she always carried some hotdogs for other kids who flew on her flights. Thank you. My kids must have eaten half a dozen hotdogs each. She also came back with some Swiss chocolates for the kids. The chocolates were shaped and colored like little Hershey cows. Son2 was so enamored by it that he didn’t even freak out when we took off. Although for the next few times we flew, he expected the special cow chocolates.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. My kids had full bellies, they had slept through the first leg of the journey, and now they watched movies. Before we knew it, we were in Chicago. Thankfully, my husband had made it back to Chicago to pick us up and we got home happily and thankfully.

Copyright Kalpana Kanwar Aug 1, 2009