Solar powered plane lands at Amdavad Airport

After seven amazing places in fourteen days, we arrived safely back at the hostel about 12:30 this morning.  Our good friend, Salim with his fleet of 6 rickshaws met us at the airport.  We felt so appreciated with hugs and smiles all around.  They are so dependable and safe.  Salim has been one of the many special friends we have made here.

Yesterday was a  travel day and a contrast from when we were in Mumbai earlier in the trip to make connections south. We actually sat in the airport for 6 hours waiting for our connection. That is a long time even in the beautiful new terminal.

One of the boys had been fighting some “Delhi Belly” symptoms and  was looking very pale.  I suggested again that he should agree to seeing a doctor, But I had no authority to force the issue.  I was just suggesting what a mother or grandmother would do for her children.  I was sure that a doctor was on call at this huge international airport.  After  asking around, I finally met the person who could call the doctor who arrived in less than 15 minutes. She had an EMT with her who rolled her meds and instruments for her.  There was a private consultation with some meds being prescribed and instructions if he was worse or no better by the next day, that he should see some other doctor. And the doctor, the visit , and the meds were all complimentary !  We were very surprised and pleased at that news.  The next day, just on the pattern from the last group, he was feeling much better and even had an appetite.  This Indian ” Delhi Belly” lasts with great discomfort for four days and then disappears.

Yesterday, we flew to Mumbai from Aurangabad,  after  climbing around in the 1500 year old temples carved from caves as our last stop on this trip.  We got to the airport about two hours from the departure time to find that our flight to Mumbai on Air India had been delayed for two hours.  This was a problem because the next and last leg of the trip back home to Amdavad was on Jet Air in another terminal with only 1 hour in between.  Yikes,  collecting our luggage , getting to the second terminal in such a huge airport, checking in, getting all the necessary tags, going through security! Dbell went into crisis mode!  Two of  the boys would get trolleys and collect the checked bags while the rest of us went to the new ticket counter to wait and look pitiful.  We thought since there are 12 of us the plane might be held but we weren’t sure.  A kind representative at Jet Air printed out our boarding passes so we had them before we landed to make connections in Mumbai.

Well, it actually all worked out and we were all at the gate ready to board with 10 minutes to spare!   So from  the 6 hour wait several days previously to 10 minutes to spare to make a connection. . . . Just goes to show that travelling in Incredible India is an adventure and not a vacation from beginning to the end!

Mumbai airport and neighboring slums.

Images from Google Public Domain

This Is Incredible India!