BigWeather's Blog

January 25, 2016

Home at Last!

Filed under: Travel — Tags: — BigWeather @ 11:59 pm

Woke up, showered, and had a breakfast buffet at the Vivre restaurant at the Sofitel. Not bad, a bit pricey. Typical English spread with lots of bacon (but not American bacon), baked beans, mushrooms, etc. Enjoyed some toast with strawberry jelly. Checked out.

Headed to Terminal 3 via the Heathrow Express free connector. Checked-in with no issues but found the flight was delayed from 10:35a to noon. Ugh, so close. Proceeded to the gate where I met a nice lady who has lived in England for seventeen years with her English husband. Though born in West Virginia, her two boys went to Davidson and settled in Raleigh and Durham.

I admit it, I love planes!

I admit it, I love planes!

Yet another stick figure getting hurt for my stick figure collection

Yet another stick figure getting hurt for my stick figure collection

While waiting for takeoff we were sitting right next to a couple of British Airways Concordes! I didn’t have my camera out, though, arrgh! Flight pretty uneventful. Chicken and rice wasn’t the greatest (man, I’m sick of chicken at this point), but the crackers and dessert (an apple crumble square) was good. Later they even served chocolate ice cream! Flew over the areas struck by the blizzard. White everywhere, amazing!

View of the snow blanketing the US from the plane, taken by another passenger for me

View of the snow blanketing the US from the plane, taken by another passenger for me

Finally landed about 4p, got through immigration and customs and met Michelle and Addison in her blue jeep, heading off to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.  So glad to be home!

January 24, 2016

London

Filed under: Travel — Tags: — BigWeather @ 11:59 pm

Woke fairly early and had a wonderful breakfast buffet at JW Cafe. Had eggs (their three scrambled eggs sure are a lot more than Westin’s — odd, that!), bacon, waffles with maple syrup, cinnamon sugar, and cranberry paste just like last night. Checked out of the room after admiring the view and headed off to the airport at about 10a.

View of Mumbai from my hotel room

View of Mumbai from my hotel room

Another shot of Mumbai from my hotel room

Another shot of Mumbai from my hotel room

Mumbai skyscrapers off in the distance

Mumbai skyscrapers off in the distance

Small neighborhood near to the hotel in Mumbai

Small neighborhood near to the hotel in Mumbai

What a gorgeous building from the inside as well! Birds flying around in the massive space, a statue of a seated cow, all sorts of neat things. As I was designated “World Traveler” on my boarding pass I was whisked through luggage check-in (and got my bag checked through to Raleigh so I wouldn’t have to fool with it in London Heathrow) and got my boarding pass for the flight to Raleigh as well. Sailed through security and walked into the duty free area. Bought a couple of gifts and a Mumbai magnet then headed to the gate. So many exotic destinations, even one for Kathmandu!

Every time I saw this I did a double take!

Every time I saw this I did a double take!

Gate area of Mumbai's International Terminal

Gate area of Mumbai’s International Terminal

The flight boarded on time at 1:15p, a British Airways 777. The 777 is no A380 but it was still spacious and I had an exit row which was great. I chose the window hoping to see some of the view but turns out the exit row on the 777 has no window. Ooops! The stewardesses were wonderful, particularly two from Edinburgh (Sterling) and Liverpool. Very chatty and funny, the one from Liverpool has a sister in Iowa. The meal wasn’t the greatest but hey it’s airline food. It was pasta and chicken. The stewardess joked the first one to actually find chicken would get a prize. Later she asked if I found it and when I nodded she gave me a Mars bar and some plain M&Ms, haha.

The ten hour flight went over Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, then central Europe and Belgium before landing in London. Immigration was fine and got stamped for entry into the UK. Since I had the time I waited to make sure that my bag didn’t show up in London and was checked through properly. That done, headed to the Sofitel hotel, a short walk from Terminal 5.

Checked-in but as it was late and I was exhausted and the Underground shuts at 11:55p I decided to just stay in the area (Nikola and Lynneth will be disappointed in me again!). Hotel was nice, not as nice as the ones in India, but nice. Watched some British TV (disturbingly awash with American shows like NCIS) and then headed off to find food after FaceTiming Michelle and Addison.

Distinctly British

Distinctly British

Ended up eating at Carluccio’s, an Italian restaurant in the departures area of Terminal 5. Not bad, a little pricey though — then again it is London and an airport at that. Had a starter of fried mushrooms that was excellent followed by a main course of chicken breast with a white sauce and prosciutto on top with some roasted potatoes on the side. Ended the meal with a glass of vanilla ice cream with espresso poured on top. Yum!

Bought something for Genetta and checked out the Underground station then headed back to the room for some TV and bed.

This as well, a double decker bus!

This as well, a double decker bus!

Entrance to the London Underground at Heathrow

Entrance to the London Underground at Heathrow

January 23, 2016

Mumbai

Filed under: Travel — Tags: — BigWeather @ 11:59 pm

Woke up and showered and got one last (unexpected) breakfast at Seasonal Tastes. Checked out of the room about 11a but hung around the hotel until 2p using the internet to check-in with British Airways, etc. Watched some large birds soaring on the thermals near the hotel as well as a gentleman cleaning the roof of the lobby awning.

Large bird seen from the Westin lobby

Large bird seen from the Westin lobby

Rather than getting home this day I’d get home two days later, on Monday afternoon. Saturday was the trip to Mumbai on a 5:45p flight with a stay at the JW Marriot next to Mumbai airport’s International Terminal. Sunday would be the flight to London Heathrow with a stay at the adjoining Sofitel. Monday would be the last flight, to Raleigh, arriving about 3p.  Thanks historic east coast blizzard!

And to think that forecast ended up being conservative!

And to think that forecast ended up being conservative!

Of all the days i dreaded this first one the most. Mumbai can be tricky — it’s a huge airport and the domestic and international terminals are not connected except by bus. As I’d be arriving via a domestic flight I’d have to retrieve my luggage, go to the hotel, and check the luggage back in the next day. I was most concerned about getting to the hotel, however. The concierge desk at the Westin was extremely helpful during all this — they worked with the JW Marriot to schedule a pickup, sent along flight information, and also printed out the updated itinerary that Richard had sent along earlier that morning as the guards at Pune would need to see that.

Left for the airport at 2p. I had a very enthusiastic driver, a little two enthusiastic. He kept saying things about his outlook on life and complimenting me — I’d have expected an Amway pitch next were I in America. He offered to take me to some shops, etc. but I insisted I just wanted to get to the airport and start the journey. Yes, I was going three-plus hours early. Better safe than sorry.

I presented my itinerary to the guard and realized I’d erred — I’d trimmed down this itinerary too much and my name wasn’t on it. Luckily I had the original printed out as well and I was waved through. They didn’t have the first luggage scanning this time, however — I guess that was only for international flights? The second luggage scanner wasn’t operating yet. In fact, the tiny airport was not lit save for the sunshine coming in. It was quite comfortable, however, sitting on the airport bench with the mild air and a gentle breeze blowing in. A gentleman came out and started straightening up the benches. Needing the exercise and the stretch I helped him a bit and went back to enjoying the weather.

Shortly after the Jet Airways luggage scanning crew showed up and my luggage was scanned and a zip tie put through the zippers to mark that it was scanned. Finally I was to the point I was at earlier in the morning when I got turned away! Despite my worry that my luggage was 3kgs heavier than the 15kg allowed for domestic flights (to which I’d protest I had not intended to be on a domestic flight!) my luggage was checked-in. I was given two things that looked like normal disposable luggage tags. Tossed them in my pocket and moved on to security.

Security went fine and I was through pretty shortly. I emerged in a small waiting area with cloudy tinted windows and sat down. Over the next hour I could hear jets come and go but didn’t see a lot of people lining up for departure and the like…

…turns out I wasn’t at the gates! D’oh! I went upstairs and there were all the people. Pune airport only has a handful of gates and even fewer jetways. They don’t have partitioned seating by gate — instead everyone sits around until called to a gate (in Hindi and English). There were several shops including one advertising Chicago pizza. Birds flew about the terminal.

As boarding was called I was asked to present the luggage tags. Uh-oh! Turns out they weren’t just luggage tags, but I was supposed to affix them to my carry-ons and have them stamped on inspection. I guess if the tags aren’t there they don’t bother to alert people. Dug the tags out of my pocket, affixed them, and dashed downstairs to security. Got them scanned again and stamped and ran back upstairs as final boarding was called. Whew!

Finally boarded (only 30m late, not bad!) by walking out on the tarmac and up some movable stairs! Awesome, hadn’t done that since I was young and it really drives home just how big planes are. On takeoff saw rows and rows of Indian air force jets and managed to see some pretty views of Pune before the setting sun ended that.

During the flight I chatted with a gentleman from Pune who worked on oil rigs and fields. In the past he had worked in Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar in a 35 day on / 35 day off pattern. The drop in oil had hit the industry hard, however, and now he was working for an Italian company in Saudi Arabia on a 20 day rotation. He rotates with the same crew, which is great because they learn how to work together efficiently and more importantly, safely. He left behind a wife and two young kids. I can only imagine how hard it’d be to leave them behind for twenty days, but he said it was OK because when he was back for 20 days it was 100% off-the-clock uninterrupted time with them.

Arrived at Mumbai in less than an hour and waited for my luggage with a similarly stranded gentleman from near New Orleans (Thibodaux). We talked about New Orleans some and his travel next to Munich then Houston and finally Louis Armstrong in New Orleans. Headed out to the pickup area and quickly located the JW Marriot driver. He had a really awesome ride — a Mercedes. Though the JW Marriot was fairly nearby it took about 20 minutes to get there. Terrible traffic but a few key differences from Pune. First, no motorcycles or scooters to speak of. Second, the cars actually obeyed lanes! Finally, lots more horns, and less chatty short beeps and more angry blaring horns. I much prefer Pune traffic!

As we were driving we passed the new International Terminal at Mumbai airport (named after Shivaji). Amazingly beautiful! Fully illuminated it looked like carved ivory soaring 50 or 60 feet in the air. In front of that was a car park that could hold 5,000 cars. The sides of the car park were covered with trees, vines, and other plant life. It looked seriously cool.

After a convoluted route involving flyways and such we arrived at the hotel, newly opened last March. And I thought the Westin was grand! Was greeted by a lady in traditional Indian dress offering rose petal powder or some such and rose-flavored water. La-tee-DA! Sailed through check-in and was shown to my room. Very nice, beautiful bath, wooden floors, and even electric curtains! Unfortunately no view of the International Terminal, though, but I remedied that later.

Bathroom at the JW Marriot -- fancy!

Bathroom at the JW Marriot — fancy!

Room at the JW Marriot in Mumbai

Room at the JW Marriot in Mumbai

Headed to the buffet at the JW cafe. It was really tasty, particularly the dessert part, haha. Had two scoops of coffee ice cream and a waffle with maple syrup, cinnamon sugar, and cranberry paste. Very tasty! They also had several neat cakes and the like on display. Afterwards they let me go up to the Executive Lounge to see the International Terminal and take some pictures. Very nice of them. The whole hotel was quite busy and some kind of fancy ball was happening in the ballroom — saw many Indians dressed up in fancy gowns, traditional dress, and suits.

Cool octopus cake at the JW Cafe at the hotel

Cool octopus cake at the JW Cafe at the hotel

International terminal at Shivaji airport, Mumbai

International terminal at Shivaji airport, Mumbai

Headed back to the room and straight to bed, big day tomorrow!

January 22, 2016

Last Day at Work and Travel Woes

Filed under: Travel — Tags: — BigWeather @ 11:59 pm

Had breakfast at the hotel as usual and returned to the room to don my Kurta as I had not wanted to risk spilling any of my breakfast on it. Ravindra, Narender, Anshul, and Ganesh all commented on it favorably which was cool. Learned in the morning that my flight from JFK to RDU was cancelled. Uh-oh. Not entirely unexpected as home had received some sleet and freezing rain but worrisome to say the least. The forecast for New York was still a manageable 6 inches to a foot but was trending worse.

I know I've shown this view before, but I loved the light

I know I’ve shown this view before, but I loved the light

Cool trees near the Westin

Cool trees near the Westin

Anshul and I knocked out another customer fix in the morning then headed to Barbecue Nation in Amanora for lunch. Really great place, they bring out a metal container with charcoal and ridges for holding kebab skewers and then keep bringing out meat (chicken, shrimp, fish, and lamb). It just kept coming and I kept eating — so good. They also served chicken legs which were great as well as this amazing crispy corn that managed to be sweet but also had onions in it. We had seconds of that.

Anshul at Barbecue Nation

Anshul at Barbecue Nation

Amazingly good corn at Barbecue Nation

Amazingly good corn at Barbecue Nation

Turns out that those were just the starters! Went up to the buffet for the main course and had some biryani as well as some garlic chapati dipped in chicken curry. Yum! For dessert I had some vanilla ice cream with strawberry covering and tried an interesting ice cream-like Indian treat with various toppings. Hopefully Anshul will read this and clarify further, but it was good.

Kebabs at Barbecue Nation

Kebabs at Barbecue Nation

Stuffed, we went to a shop where I got a couple more gifts then headed back to the office. At 4p my co-workers had a going away party with a traditional Punjabi veggie pastry and a wonderful chocolate cake. Took some pictures with the team and said my goodbyes. Anshul walked me out to the front after turning in my badge to security (I had turned in my Blackberry the day before) and we said goodbye and I headed back to the hotel.

Farewell cake, yummy!

Farewell cake, yummy!

Pune co-workers at my farewell gathering

Pune co-workers at my farewell gathering

Ravindra, myself (in a kurta), and Narender

Ravindra, myself (in a kurta), and Narender

Shivaji decal on the back of a car

Shivaji decal on the back of a car

Once there I showered, packed, and had a pizza at Seasonal Tastes. I know Nikola and Lynneth will sigh when they read this as I was supposed to go to Prego but I was tired and very worried about the trip home so wasn’t in a more celebratory mood. Though Prego’s pizza was much better!

View of the Mula Mutha from my hotel room with the moon overhead

View of the Mula Mutha from my hotel room with the moon overhead

Richard from my company’s travel department was incredibly helpful as we scrambled to figure out what to do about my cancelled flight. We decided that I should go as far as I could and then we’d figure it out. Resolved, I checked out of the hotel at 12:30a and headed to the airport. Stood in line and chatted with a nice gentleman heading to London to work for a year. He helped guide me through the process. Presented my itinerary to the soldier at the entrance (I had trimmed it down to one page to expedite the process). Luckily I had the original and he let me through. Scanned my luggage and the soldier there jotted down that I was there and going to Abu Dhabi. Stood in line for an hour to get my luggage scanned (yes, again!) by Jet Airways. After that got to the ticket counter and… was told that going through to JFK from Abu Dhabi wasn’t happening. He sent me to ticketing — outside the airport, undoing all the work thus far.

I won’t lie, I was a bit worried. Nearly 3a and I’m standing back outside Pune airport having already checked out of the Westin. Luckily the agent at the ticketing office for Jet Airways was absolutely amazing and spoke very good English and helped me out. Turns out that Abu Dhabi to JFK was cancelled and the airlines was requesting all origin airports that transit visas (normally a formality for US travelers, at least) weren’t being offered as the airport was filling up with people unable to travel on to the United States. Indian immigration wouldn’t let me fly on the chance that I’d land in Abu Dhabi and be deported. I used her phone to call the Westin and they came and picked me up, letting me stay the rest of the night in my room (which makes sense, it was paid for after all). They even had it freshened up with new towels, etc. which was awesome.

Chatted some with Richard, informing him of what happened. He put together an alternative of going to Mumbai then to London Heathrow and Raleigh rather than the original Pune to Abu Dhabi to JFK to Raleigh as there was no telling how long JFK would be closed. I groaned as I had heard transfers in Mumbai weren’t great but it was the best plan. Exhausted I went to bed at 4:45a.

January 21, 2016

A Little Shopping

Filed under: Travel — Tags: — BigWeather @ 11:59 pm

Woke up and did my normal routine though one thing neat happened — I saw a couple of bright green parakeet-like (heck, they may even have been the real deal) flying outside my room window. Headed to the office and worked all morning until lunch at about 1p (the normal time for India, it seems).

Had rice, pasta with vegetables, and garlic bread. After Anshul had to leave I saw Amanpreet and Aashlesha and walked with them in Aditi Garden. Shortly thereafter I presented my Server API performance information and we had a productive talk about the future of the API. Knocked out a customer fix with Anshul and then we headed to Phoenix City Market mall north of the river for dinner and shopping.

Lunch at the office

Lunch at the office

That mall is huge! Four stories and sprawling. Anshul and I visited Fab India where I bought a Kurta, a traditional Indian long shirt. Ravindra had mentioned that it would be very nice if I wore one to the office and that my co-workers would be pleased that I made the effort. We ate at The Irish House, which was sort of like an Irish Pub but not entirely. After a starter of thick-cut fries (covered with a red spice that immediately dried my throat up!) I had a pork sandwich with caramelized onions and cheese that was good. We went to the Bombay Store where I bought a couple more gifts for back home.

Got back at the hotel at 9p and added a few slides to the presentation earlier that day that summarized some of the excellent discussion we had. Worked on the blog very briefly but was so exhausted I couldn’t fight sleep and turned in for the night.

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