Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

Recent Posts

  • New York! New York!

    Serendipity

    How many times does your life go according to plan? Hardly ever, because in my opinion, life is a series of coincidences that come together as you join the dots.

    Time and time again, I’ve noticed that things have just happened without planning. My recent visit to the US is a case in point.

    Life doesn’t take you down the path you really want to go

    Ever since Ms Papaya and Prima Donna returned to India for good, from New Jersey , I put away my passport and completely forgot about travelling abroad. As far as I was concerned my travelling days were over. With Covid and its ugly head disrupting everyone’s life, with Hubby dear retired and my own enthusiasm for long protracted journeys slowly waning, my reasons for going abroad were diminishing. So I was completely ‘unprepared’ for visiting the US.

    Moreover, who would have imagined that nine days after seeing West Side Story at the NMACC, I would actually be walking down the streets of Upper West Side in Manhattan?

    It only drove home the point that life plays out in strange ways.

    A dear school friend who was Prima Donna’s Guardian Angel in New Jersey invited me to her son’s wedding. Under normal circumstances I would haven’t been able to go what with Ms Papaya’s school and Prima Donna’s work trips in the offing. But Prima Donna insisted that I attend specially since she was unable to do so herself. So with one thing leading to another, I spent the first half of September in New York and New Jersey.

    A Walking & Eating Holiday

    For most of my compatriots, a holiday in New York means shopping, meeting other Indians, dining in chic restaurants, visiting museums and taking in a Broadway show or two.

    Strange as it may sound, what I most wanted to do in New York was walk in Central Park and eat the iconic street food.

    Years of seeing Hollywood movie scenes shot in the park, it had assumed mythical proportions in my head. And in my fleeting visits in the past, Central Park was far removed from my tourist track. so this time round when my hostess in New York told me that she lived close to the park and I could wander there for as long as I wanted, I jumped at the chance. And I got really lucky because I walked through Central Park, Riverside Park, Highline Park and Brooklyn Park.

    Walking through Columbia University getting ready for the new students
    The magnificent peace sculpture in the Children’s sculpture garden at Morningside Park
    Street view
    The magnificent Cathedral of St. John the divine

    And I got lucky because not only was she staying a hop skip ad a jump away, she was equally passionate about walking . So for the six days that I was in New York, I not only managed to get a ring side view of the park but also walk up and down the streets of Manhattan, getting a real feel of the place and experiencing the busyness of New York in a uniquely personalised , customised tour.

    Day 1

    A dark and gloomy sky on the drive from Newark didn’t bode very well for my first day in New York.

    But miraculously, as predicted by my cousin who had checked on her phone, the skies opened up promptly at 11 am . And in spite of the long 11 hour non stop flight, after a quick shower, was ready to pound the streets.

    So on day 1 itself, we walked down to the nearest Shake Shack to tick off one of the boxes on my ‘to do list’.

    It was blazing hot at noon when we set off but I didn’t realise how hot it was because there were so many people up and about. Obviously, no one really minded the heat.

    We walked down the shaded street past the Carl Schurz Memorial from where we could get a glimpse of Harlem lying below and beyond. We didn’t step into this garden though the steps leading to it were tempting enough because the tummy rumbles were slowly getting louder. This was another of those things that I have to leave for another time.

    Having a Shake Shack burger was high on my list. I was lucky to have it on the very first day.

    We took a short cut through the Columbia University campus which was a buzz with students moving in. What an heart lifting experience it was to see young people moving about with the boundless energy of youth, on bicycles, in groups, carrying boxes and just chatting about in the sun.

    Even though it was hot, we preferred having our burgers on the roadside, sitting under an umbrella watching the world go by as we munched down our lunch.

    Once satiated, we made our way back down Amsterdam Avenue past the grand Cathedral church of St. John the Divine. The church is definitely a visit but unfortunately we ran short of time. Besides, I thought I could make a quick trip down this way some time in the next few days. Sadly it remained just a thought.

    The charming little sculpture garden for children along the way home, was filled with the most phantasmagorical creatures cast in bronze. I wondered whether the little children would be fascinated or scared? Once again, I would have loved to spend a little more time in this strangely magical garden but we had to return home for the rest of the family who were waiting for the lunch we had promised to bring back for them.

    Slowly but surely, jet lag began hitting me so we spent the rest of the day at home catching up on family gossip.

    Later that evening as we sipped wine and nibbled on crackers and cheese, we watched the last Super Moon of the year emerge in a cloudy sky.

    There couldn’t have been a more perfect start for a perfect holiday.

    Could there?

    Ciao

  • Travel Troubles: Part 2

    Photo by makafood on Pexels.com

    After a luxurious shower and a quick scrumptious breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon ( thank you United for the food voucher) I was ready to seize the day. What would the day bring? Definitely some joy as my host insisted I spend the day with her.

    “What will you do after you check out at 11?” she asked.

    I told her I’d wait at the airport till my flight departed.

    “Are you nuts? The airport won’t allow you to check in your luggage 11 hours before your flight!!!”

    I suppose she was right. So I waited for her to come and fetch me. And I’m glad I did because I spent another lovely day in the company of my generous hosts rather than wander around the airport like a lost soul. I didn’t bother to check whether passengers were allowed to wait at the airport for so many hours. Besides, there was nothing to do before checking in baggage. In hindsight, waiting at the airport WAS a bad idea.

    Time to take off

    This time round, I was keeping my fingers and toes crossed. After all if rumours were to be believed, United was facing a major software glitch and mine wasn’t the only flight cancelled that night. Of course lightening never strikes twice but with my current mode of travel set to delays and cancellations, I wasn’t too sure that I’d really be on my way to Dubai till I really was!

    Perhaps, the last time round I hadn’t taken the name of the Lord so this time my host and I said a loud ‘Jai Shri Krishna’ before setting off in her Jane Bond Car. The anxiety in the car was palpable though we did talk about things that didn’t relate to my journey. This time, however, I insisted that in case the flight was cancelled, she should not bother with me especially since she had a scheduled doctor’s appointment the next day.

    Baggage Check

    Since I’d already checked in the day before, I was familiar with the procedure and even though my flimsy, limp boarding pass didn’t stay still the first time I scanned it, I didn’t miss a heart beat. Luckily it did get scanned.

    It was time to check in my luggage.

    “Where’s the baggage tag?” asked the lady, as I put the bag on the weighing scale.

    “Well, I just took it off and threw it in the trash so that you won’t mix it up and send it to Delhi.”

    “But you’ve already checked in the bag. I need the tag.”

    “But that was yesterday and my flight was cancelled.”

    My heart sank at the thought of going outside the airport and looking for the baggage tag in the trash. Which bin did I throw it in?

    Luckily, she seemed to understand my dilemma and the bag was checked in with a new tag. But I was already wondering if the bag would still go to Delhi while I went ahead to Mumbai……..

    Having had the experience of missing my dinner the day earlier, I decided to encash the vouchers sent to my phone. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate them on my phone and decided to splurge on a Pepperoni pizza. This was for Ms. Papaya who loves pepperoni pizza. So I sat down at Forno Magico for an American style Pepperoni Pizza.

    The tables were filled with grouchy passengers busy scrolling on their phones while waiting to be served. I wondered about the service though because there wasn’t a waiter in sight.

    I spotted a QR Code pasted in the corner and figured that I had to scan the code, get the menu and order my meal. While I was waiting for my meal, I found the vouchers hidden somewhere on my phone and tried to get the order placed on the vouchers. But after talking to two waiters, decided to encash the vouchers for chocolates from Cibo Express.

    Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

    Alas! the pizza was a major disaster. It was thick and stodgy and quite tasteless. Besides it was ridiculously over priced.

    Why is it that food and beverages sold in places where customers have little choice, are always so over priced? Airports, especially, should be aware that passengers are already harried and are likely to spend more if the food was reasonably priced.

    So I wasn’t in the least bit surprised when my $40 voucher from United only got me three small Toblerone bars, 3 Tic Tacs and 2 Kit Kats. Well, I suppose that was better than letting the vouchers lapse.

    Calling all passengers to Board UA 164 to Dubai

    I was waiting at the Gate happy to read that boarding would begin in 5 minutes. Five minutes became 10 and there was no sign of the plane at the end of the airbridge!

    The flight crew came to the gate and waited to board the plane that wasn’t there. By this time I knew that something was up and quite prepared to spend another night in another far off hotel.

    This time there were whispers that they were waiting for a Gate. When the plane did come 10 minutes later, I heaved a sigh of relief. There would be a delay of 20 minutes but that would leave me enough time to board my next flight to Mumbai.

    But……

    Now that we got the plane, we were waiting for the cleaners! There was no cleaning staff available to get the plane ready for take off. My heart started beating faster.

    Finally when we got to board we were an hour late but the Cabin crew assured me that we would make good time. I really had no choice but to go with the flow. This time round I was all prepared to spend one night in Dubai.

    Emirates flight EK500

    By the time I landed at Dubai International Airport, I was more than convinced I would miss my onward flight. I had just about an hour to check in and with no boarding pass in hand, things were looking difficult.

    The airport looked quite empty and I couldn’t find a single manned Emirates counter. Finally I did spot one and ran towards it. Of course there was a glitch.

    This time United hadn’t booked me Premium Economy while my original booking reference number with United had me as a premium economy passenger. I told the lady at the counter that it didn’t matter to me even if I was booked as cargo.

    I just wanted to get home.

    The minutes ticked by as the time for boarding became less. Dubai airport was huge and there was no way I could run anywhere to board the plane!

    But it seemed that my Delay & Cancel flight mode had changed. The Emirates staff bent backwards to help me, even sending someone with me to take through Security and right up to the air train. Of course, they reminded me that this was over and beyond their duty because United was still not responding to their calls to sort out the ticketing issue.

    I will always be grateful for this help because I finally did board the plane and make it back home!

    Takeaways

    Life’s lessons are never learnt until they are truly learned and there are several things I learnt on this trip.

    • You can never be prepared for everything or for every eventuality. Life always springs surprises. Embrace them.
    • On a more practical note, always check out the layout of the airports you are going to be using. Find out where the escalators and elevators are. Find out where the food and beverage outlets are.
    • It will be easier for you to navigate the concourse. Find out if you will be allowed to stay in the concourse without checking in your baggage and what facilities there are for such passengers.
    • Plan on what luggage to take. Try and take only ONE bag. Avoid a carry on bag. It is easier to navigate unknown airports where porters aren’t available.
    • Check out the hotels near the airport and make a provision to spend more money than you had budgeted for. You never know when your flight will be cancelled.
    • Always carry a fresh set of underclothes with you in your carry on bag or purse. I was lucky I could at least shower even though my departure was delayed by a day.
    • Have a battery pack or different cables with you because I found that my Universal cable didn’t fit the port in the aircraft ( my phone was newer than the plane). Luckily the passenger in the neighbouring seat had 5 cables with her and let me charge my phone during the flight. Some of the ports at the airport were not working and the ones that were, were obviously full.
    • Always have a print out of your boarding pass, vouchers etc in case your phone dies or you can’t find messages on your phone.
    • Stay calm. Avoid alcohol. Don’t hesitate to ask strangers for help if you need it.
    • Keep your spectacles handy.

    “Don’t waste another moment crying over what went wrong! If it wasn’t a blessing – it was a lesson.” ~ Paula White

    So all’s well that ends well.

    Do you have any such travel stories to share?

    Ciao

    From tomorrow I’ll be posting about the simply marvellous time I had in New York despite the travel glitches so do continue to visit this space.

  • Travel Troubles : Part 1

    Travel Troubles : Part 1

    After CoVid & Before CoVid

    Photo by Manfred Irmer on Pexels.com

    If you thought that traveling is fun, you can think again. Especially air travel. What was once perceived as glamourous, exciting and fun can be quite a challenge as I found after my recent trip to the US.

    It all began with an invitation to attend a wedding in New Jersey. So I decided to thrown in a short visit to New York City as well.

    While both the visit to New York and the wedding in New Jersey were wonderful and well worth the effort, the journey to and from was disastrous. Despite the fact that I was flying Premier Economy in a well established airline.

    This trip has convinced me that the long term effects of CoVid are far from over. And it will take a while before things return to pre-CoVid days.

    In fact there is a marked difference between life BC ( Before CoVid) and AC ( After CoVid).

    Offices still wear a forlorn look with many employees preferring the newly evolved hybrid pattern that allows them the freedom to work from home and go in to the office for only two or three days a week. Some businesses have closed down while others are struggling to get back on their feet.

    The lifting of strict quarantine rules in several places that had severely restricted the free movement of people has resulted in an almost maniacal urge to travel. People are dying to break the confines of their safe safe bubbles go out in the world and explore they’ve always wanted to discover or even catch up with old friends and family having learnt the transience of being during the CoVid years.

    And, stuck in our homes, we’ve developed a new skill : navigating the internet to fulfil our needs from shopping for the most basic stuff to attending zoom meetings and wedding ceremonies streamed live!

    It is no wonder then that even though several travel agencies have downed their shutters, once silent airports, the world over, are now hives of activity. But sadly, though many airports are improved, many airlines face manpower shortages and operational glitches which account for many a delay and even cancellations!

    New York to Mumbai

    My travel this month was totally unexpected and even though it was well planned, I had quite a few heart stopping moments – particularly when I was huffing and puffing through large airports, making my way to the connecting flight.

    Ever since Russia and Ukraine went to war, American planes do not fly over Russian airspace. Now that is understandable but considering that Delhi is as much in India as Mumbai is, I can’t understand why United can fly to Delhi but not to Mumbai. Of course, the airline must have its reasons but this meant that I had to go to Newark either via Delhi or Dubai or any other European transit airport. With visa restrictions and rules changing by the minute, I thought it wiser to fly via Delhi.

    So I took the late evening Vistara flight to Delhi to catch my onward flight ( UA 83) to Newark. Everything was fine and we were all ready to take off when the pilot announced that a passenger had to be off loaded because of a family emergency. That’s when my heart started beating faster because every minute in Mumbai meant less time to clear customs and immigration at Delhi. And the plane was an hour late because the cabin baggage had to be identified for security reasons before take off.

    However, United made sure a Staffer was waiting for me at Delhi airport to whisk me through a deserted Customs and Immigration though I had to literally hot foot it.

    I just about made it to the boarding gate. Whew!

    Once inside the plane, I was all prepared to enjoy the experience of travelling United Premium Economy ( a first for me) but I should have been forewarned when I was handed a bottle of water at the air bridge. Oh oh! This generally means that the cabin crew weren’t going to be handing out beverages very soon.

    And I was right! The in-flight service left much to be desired. The food was disappointing and after the first round of beverages no one came around asking for more . Nine hours later, we were given a mid-flight snack best described as doughy stodge. Similarly, the breakfast before landing was pure rubbish.

    But in fairness to United, the Cabin Crew did attend to you if you asked for assistance.

    However, the nonworking head set, the dirty blanket and the dodgy buttons controlling the seat backrest and leg rest wasn’t something I was expecting from United.

    Delays & Cancelations

    Delays seemed to be the theme of my journey. If my journey to Newark induced heart racing anxiety, the return journey was a downright nightmare.

    I was all set to leave with my baggage checked in, my boarding pass in my Wallet and my good byes said to my host.

    Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

    After identifying the assigned Gate, I wandered around the vastly improved Newark Liberty Airport and made my way to the Gate. It looked surprisingly empty but I didn’t receive any notification indicating otherwise on my United App.

    I waited for a while before gathering courage to ask someone if I was waiting at the right place. “Yes you are,” she drawled, “but the plane is not boarding from here”.

    I dashed to the nearest signboard and began my frantic walk to the other end of the terminal. There were just minutes to spare before pre-boarding.

    When I went to the right location, I found the Gate number missing. Was I dreaming up everything? What do I do now? Who do I ask?

    Customer Service was nowhere in sight and every body else seemed to know where to go, striding confidently with their cabin baggage. Everyone except me. Luckily, I spotted another Indian and hesitantly asked him if he was traveling to Delhi. I meekly and followed him to the right Gate when he said yes.

    As mentioned before, I heaved a sigh of relief when I found my seat and was relieved that there were still 12 minutes before take off. But the computer systems decided to play up and we were de-boarded instead.

    The next few minutes we were told that the problem would be sorted out soon but after an hour, we were given food vouchers on our United Apps. By this time the airport restaurants were out of food and our only options were the vending machines or Cibo Express a Food and Beverage outlet that had a few fresh items on its quickly depleting shelves.

    Before any of us could make a sale, we were told to clear our bags and make our way home as the flight had been cancelled. All this was by word of mouth with one passenger telling the other with no notification on the United App.

    Customer Care Where are You?

    Waiting for checked baggage at Baggage claim was surprisingly easy but once the bags were picked up there was no Customer Care around to help with the next step that was availing of a hotel stay for the night and re-booking the next flight!

    Customer care was a whole floor up, accessible by an escalator ( the elevator was impossible for me to locate), a feat that would have been difficult with my heavy bag. Fortunately, I caught the eye of a young attendant at Baggage Assistance and asked her if she knew a way out. And EVA, this young lady turned out to be a Godsend.

    I am nervous about using a mobile app because I might just choose the wrong option with my fat finger pointing to a small screen. But Eva not only accessed my United App but helped me choose the hotel, book a taxi to the hotel and re-book my flight to Mumbai.

    Thank You Eva!

    This time I would go directly to Mumbai via Dubai which suited me fine as I’d heard horror stories about Delhi Airport being a mess with the G20. And I could do without any more hassles on the way home.

    Post midnight in a taxi

    By this time it was way past mid night and my host in New Jersey who was tracking my flight’s progress in her home, was insistent on coming to the airport to fetch me. But she had already made a trip to the airport which was hardly a hop, skip and a jump away from her home and it wasn’t fair to bother her so.

    Besides, it was the airline’s responsibility and not hers to see that I was safe and sound. So, despite her protests I waited in the Taxi line with my taxi voucher and hotel voucher in hand.

    Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

    By now I wasn’t surprised when the taxi service operator came out to announce after a 10 minute wait in the slight drizzle that there weren’t any taxis available. But within a few minutes, she began banging away on her key board and assigning taxis to passengers waiting in line.

    When it was finally my turn, I was taken aback when a tall, hefty man in a Stetson and dark glasses stepped out of the cab to load my suitcase in the trunk. My imagination began working overtime. Was I being brave or foolish? Would I sleep in a bed or would my body be found lying dead in a ditch?

    With my heart thumping in my chest, I tried to look out for any road signs that would indicate that I was on the right road. Having visited this part of New Jersey before, I tried to look for names seemed remotely familiar but for all I knew we were going deeper into the darkness to a place that I’d never heard of before.

    My relief at making it to the hotel in one piece was short lived: United had booked me only for a night with a check out at 11 am while my flight was taking off only at 9 pm the next day!

    I would deal with that tomorrow, I thought, as I slipped the key-card in the door.

    I wasn’t shocked when the door refused to open.

    Once again, I lugged my suitcase to the lobby, got a new key and went back to a new room. It didn’t matter that the air-conditioning made a racket, it didn’t matter that the bed was too high. I was too tense to sleep anyways.

    Watch this space for more as I conclude my travel troubles back to Mumbai.

    Ciao

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started