Prepping for India

I’m not too ashamed to admit my idea of India came from the films “Auntie Mame” and “Around the World in 80 Days”, plus a healthy dose of Bollywood, to which I’m addicted (Sharukh Kahn! So hot!).  I never had an urge to see it until two years ago, when the need to go there snuck up on me like a young cat after an old bird. The immunizations were taken care of last December, and I started the typhoid pills two days before departure. First destination: Newark, via the red-eye, the jumping-off place for most of my travel—

I’ll be spending a lot of time there. It’s a cool airport, with instant Wi-Fi and plenty of places to

hang out and eat, or just sit. Good walk-ability, 

too. Another advantage: plenty of flights to and from the West Coast, a big issue as I’ll always be flying stand-by, and if there’s only one flight per day, I’m stuck. I changed $150US into rupees (the money exchange at Travelex is not the best rate, about 43Rp/$1US, and they take a 10% bite; it’s better in India, where they’re happy to change US dollars at no extra cost to you at your hotel: 52Rp/$1. By the way, using your credit card or ATM card there to charge or draw money usually results in extra charges, minimally 3%; I brought cash in a money belt, which is also handy for your passport (carry a copy in your wallet, just in case). After four hours in the airport (an outside stroll would have been nice but for the 37-degree-Farenheit temperature), I made the Delhi run, and got incredibly lucky: under the what-money-can-buy category, business class to India actually made it fun to travel 14 hours. The seat made into a bed complete with pillow and blanket; the flight attendant plied me with wine, and the three-course dinner was tasty. The little freshen-up kit with toothpaste, facial cleaner etc. was just too cool. I’m glad I got the royal treatment, because I needed it when I hit Delhi at 11PM…