Travel Day From Greece to India

Hello Friends.

The alarm went off at 7 am, it’s beeping pulling me from the dead of sleep. The hotel room in northern Greece was cold. The weather report said snow, too cold I thought. However, in 24 hours I would be a quarter of the world away and sweating in India. The Long day of travel had started, I was on moving.

With the bags packed, it was time to head to the bus. The front desk said the airport buses stopped right in front of the hotel. BAM talk about luck. However, its name was n1 x10 or something like night, long story short, took the wrong bus, got off at the next stop, and had to walk back to the first, lucky it was only a block away. Hahaha

The airport was nice, it was a bit confusing to walk about, but not so bad. I did have to check my larger bag, at a cost of €13. Had I got the checked bag feature when buying the tickets, it would have been $40 extra, so at this point I thought it was a deal still… However, with 2 more flights to go… that gamble will be put to the test.

The first flight was at 14:45, I thought it was at 12:00, so I got the airport around 10:00… then waited and waited, juggled and worked… till the speaker crackeld to life and boarding group 3 was called.

Just look at the engines on that… Phew… always makes me think just how much I would not want to be sucked into one.

This short flight would prove to be the best of the flights I took, window seat, 55 minutes of flight, water and a snack provided. Okay. Not too bad.

Ahh, Athens from the sky.. I have many memories of this city from my first 2 weeks here.

Looking at the ocean below, the blue was mind-bending. Little sailing boats dotted the ocean waves. One day I will own a boat and sail around… this is a must.

Touching down, I had 2.5 hours to get my bag, re-check my bag, then get to the gate. After a bit of trouble with getting the bag, the line to check in was quite long, and not moving… the time was 16:20, the flight was at 18:00… 30 minutes later it had moved only 25%. Worry started to creep in.

Note, do not do as I have done. Wizz Air is called WIZZ for a reason, (*Not thats its quick, but like piss :/).

I did finally check in, and had to pay $20 for this checked bag… so at this point, my gamble on saving on not getting the checked bag option was not working. :/ Then, another long line. It was here that I started to get more worried.

While waiting to board, off in the distance, the sky over Athens was a deep gray, a storm was coming, so I thought it was a good time to depart.

There’s something about stepping onto a plane through the door that brings me a little worry. It’s like the plane could just take off at any moment and leave me behind.

But that soon fades as I find my seat and buckle up. The captain comes on and starts to speak. The flight is full, and it is a 4-hour flight. Wizz Air… gave no free water or snacks.

Here I am getting off that flight in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 4 LONG hours later. Thirsty as all hell, upset about the no snacks at midnight. I have another 2.5 hours to get my bag, then get to the gate.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates airport is nice. It was very fancy, so I had to go through Visa control, get a stamp, go get my bag, walk around the airport looking for the departures gate, then, when I got to that gate, another VERY LONG LINE!

The line took about an hour. When I got to the gate, I had my VISA letter, my vaccination form, but not the passenger locator visa from India. The teller told me to go to some web page, fill in a form, download it and bring it back.

This was my next hour, doing this. I had to convert my .JPGS into .PDFs, on my phone, then compress them to under 1 MB, then upload them with lots of information… the check in closed, and it was me and one other guy doing the same task. The manager stated with us. FINAL, finished, it was a mad dash through security, and to customs to gate 3. The flight was fully boarded, and they were holding for that guy and me… This is the photo of the door as I ran to it.

Walking onto the flight, I could feel everyone looking at me. They knew… they were all waiting for me… Hahaha.. (*If you were on that flight, I am sorry). But I did take my seat on IndiaGo flight to Mumbai, India.

Also, as I was so late, I did not get to check my bag, so here I am, with 3 items, waling on to a flight so late, forcing people to move things to make room for my bag…. hahahah.

The flight landed around 8 am. Another 4 hour flight, no snacks, but at least a little bottle of water. Still not having had anything to drink anything since the morning, that little bottle saved my life I think. Arriving in India felt good, I was happy to arrive

What I found most appealing was the paisley pattern on the ground… so nice.

As I did not check my bag, I did not have to wait for it, just headed to VISA and on to India.

Pro Note: Get your India sim chip at the airport. Another travel who came to India often mentioned to me how hard it is to get sims from reputable people outside the airport. It costs about $8 (600 Rupee) for a sim for 1 month… so not too much. Also FYI… They only take cash.

Then it was time to exit… Outside India and a new adventure!

Just outside the door was a Chai tea stand. I bought a big cup of ginger Chai, and samosas. YES, made it to India as I enjoyed the taste.

It was then I used the OTA car app to book a cab for the 2.4-hour ride to my final destination.

I was lucky to get a diver who spoke great English We talked for a while as we drove on.

The highway was not that exciting, and I was very sleepy. At one point, I passed out and snapped too about 30 min later.

We talked about tea, and so, pitstop for Chia tea (*Again) with about 30 min to go before making the final destination.

Back in the car and down the road, soon I saw the sign for Pune. We were here.

This was the second time ever in my life that I received flowers… They welcomed me in, put flowers on me, sprinkled me with rose water, washed my feet and said hello. I will be staying here for the next 2 weeks.

Just amazing, so so so nice.

Here is the room I have, It felt more like a home than a hotel that I was coming from.

After talking with the Vikas, my main contact at the studio center and who I would be training with, they invited me for some dinner in their home, 2 floors up.

The meal was a tasty traditional dish. While they offered me if I wanted to cook, I had to pass, as at this point, it was about 24 hours of no sleep (only a few bits here and there).

However, they said I could learn at any time from them. … Making a note, I will.

Here I am with Vikas’s mom, who made the dish. She is so very pleasant.

After this, I went back to my room, worked on some projects, watched the SPK discord talk, and passed out.

India… I am excited to be here.

Cheers

If you enjoyed this post, check out this other one called : Travel Day – CT to Spain