Domestic Travels

I've fallen behind with my posting recently as I have had an absolutely mad couple of weeks.

On February 20th I finally moved out of the hotel that has been my home for 33 days and into my new apartment in Powai. My new apartment with a balcony! And I can report that I have sat outside on my balcony exactly zero times since I moved in!

Almost as soon as I moved in I set out on a work trip to Chennai and then on to Bangalore and as soon as I returned from that I set out on a personal trip to see family in Punjab. I stopped on the way at the Golden Temple in Amritsar which even when full of crowds of worshippers and tourists fills you with an inner calm and peace. A rare feeling in India.

Whilst in the Punjab I also did a little hop across the state border into Himachal Pradesh to sample the fried freshwater fish at a tiny restaurant/shack. I call it a restaurant/shack because they asked if we would like to sit inside or outside and as it was evening and sun was setting we said outside, imagining a sunset drink on a terrace with umbrellas and tasty fried fish. We were seated on 4 plastic chairs in a space littered with old bricks, rotting fruit, patches of weeds that was so uneven the plastic chairs were a hazard and the only view was through a broken fence into the derelict space next door! And of course it is only me that thought this strange. My family happily sat down and we all ate fish! Which was delicious.

So, in the space of a week I have set foot in 4 states of India - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

And how had I managed this feat? I flew. Like so many other Indians, judging by the fact that every one of my flights was a full flight. For some routes there are many flights a day such as between Mumbai and Chennai, and Chennai and Bangalore.

I flew with both Air India and Indigo, and both airlines were great. I think there are other operators too. Like the US, India is a large country and domestic flights are just another form of transport. I've been dead impressed with the boarding process where everyone boards according to their prescribed zone and boarding starts almost an hour before the flight. I know we have order of boarding in the UK but there is always massive huddle around the gate whereas in India everyone sits very calmly until they are called. What I have been less impressed with is the amount of scanning of boarding passes that happens. You can't get into an airport in India without a valid ticket and ID. So no-one other than a passenger can enter an airport; meet and greet happens outside the airport building.

As a departing passenger the first scan of your boarding pass happens by military personnel before you can enter the building. Imagine signing up to the Indian Army with dreams of defending your country and you're given the boarding pass check job at Chennai Airport?

Once you're in then you're obviously scanned before you can proceed to Security - this is at an automated gate, but post that you're scanned again before you head out to your gate, again through an automated gate. Then obviously at the gate by the airline land staff as you enter the walkway to the plane but then there is one more scan just before you boarding the plane again by a military person. With dashed dreams.

Now all this scanning wouldn't bother me normally but with my new Android phone it takes me several minutes each time to find my boarding pass. I have got better at using the android and who knows, by the end of my assignment I might not be able to use my Apple anymore but each job still takes longer than it ought and I am beginning to sense that people are putting me into the little old biddy bucket.

But the other thing I want to share about these flights are the in-flight meals. On the shorter flights it might just be a snack, but the longer flights include a full meal. And what quality. Even the snacks in the 30 min flight between Chennai and Bangalore were an impressive 30g pack of nuts in an individual tin! See above. The larger meals included things like a biryani, or a chicken Keema Pau (Minced Chicken served with a brioche type bun). All so good. And at an average cost of £40 return it's like the flight is free!

But what really amazed me is how many different types of meals they served to cater for the different food requirements of the passengers. The dropdown list of options you can select at the time of booking your flight included Jain, vegetarian and vegan, and for people like me who eat anything and everything (except aubergines in chunks) a non-veg option is available too.

India may have areas of troubles and there may be groups of people who think the government is biased against their particular section of society but for the most part ordinary Indians can teach the world a thing or two about diversity and inclusion. People who do not eat any animal products, or anything grown underground will happily respect your choice to stuff your face with mutton curry sitting next to them on a small plane. And the airline hasn't forced everyone to eat the same minimum product, but offers something for every palate/creed. As a business model, that's insane!

There are so many different languages, religions, creeds, colours in India and yet everyone has the right to call themselves an Indian. I don't know if India Is a truly secular country, I'm not veering into politics, but it does a pretty good job of appearing as one to me.