1130 hrs i get a call from netconnect that my tickets have arrived.. and i can go to pick them up.. the flight was at 1645 hrs so i though tushar bhai would drop me to to GK and then i will take an auto from there and go to the hawai-adda to catch my plane…

i am sure its a pain to find out what platform the plane is leaving from when you have so many airlines in play… was wondering if the pilots also have the word pilot written on the door of the cockpit … like the bus drivers used to have PILOT written on the door of the buses…

wondering why they call a cockpit a cockpit? hehehe.. anyway…

so i leave home around 1315 hrs.. after packing my stuff and eating my food.. and saying ta tu to my parents.. who looked fine with me going out for a month.. but i could feel mom was kinda not comfortable about her boy being outta home for that long… i hope she is just fine now.. she called me in the morning as well… and i think that must have made her feel better…

tushar cheated for me.. he just swiped his card on his office door and did not go in.. coz he had to drop me to the netconnect office… thanks d00d.. your name goes in the red history book of mine for being the guy who was with me when i got my first flight tickets…

ok.. i reach netconnect.. and i get a call from banglore office of netconnect.. to tell me that the flight was delayed… woops… i was warned of this by amit… be prepared for delays if you are travelling with IA…. well it happened to start the trip itself !!! never mind..

aro come over to the airport to see me off.. and was there till 1700 hrs and that is when i entered the airport to take the bus to bhopal…. oops. the flight… still not used to writing that word !!!

the auto-wala dropped me outside a place with a huge board which said… Indira Gandhi International Airport… i was wondering how come domestic flights take off from an international airport.. probably the board was never taken off… anyway…

aro comes after a while.. and says that he does not think i am at the right place to take my flight.. it was terminal 1-B and then we checked.. ok…. he checked.. and we found out that i had to go to terminal 1-A to take the plight.. oops the flight !!!

we walk down to the 1-A.. talking loud as always… and had much to talk about.. richa called.. and it was fun talking to her too… being with aro is in anycase one of the nicer things i do to myself… he is a gem of a friend…

and i met vandy… a hott girl who was in my college.. she was as pretty as she used to be… i think she had a tough time remembering my name… neva mind.. beautiful girls at times are short on memory and skirts.. hehehe…. anyway…

i saw Raju Srivastava…. and i saw Manasi Scott… for ppl who do not know them neva mind… and fyi… raju is a stand up comedian… and is regular with the great indian laughter champions.. and manasi scott is a singer with one solo album to her name.. she sings very well.. but the album did not do pretty well.. i think she should sing more in english.. she is good at it…

ok.. inside the airport now.. ta ta bye bye to friends… and me on my own… i asked the guard to find out where to go.. and he directed me to an xray machine.. i put my baggage on a belt.. and its scanned and then tied up… so that no one can open it… ok good.. what next…

go to one of the 37 counters of IA in the airport.. hey but only 6 are functional… IA is it.. yes… neva mind… wait of about 20 minutes.. and they weigh the baggage.. and mark it.. and put it on another belt which would take it to the plane…

i keep my laptop with me only.. and put a IA cabin baggage tag on it… self service very nice.. i also ask the guy to gimme a window seat.. and he gives me a 9F… window it is… in front of the emergency exit.. so i can see the wing too.. mast view… small windows.. very very very small.. and cramped leg room… volvo is better.. sach mein..

the flight is delayed.. and the plight is delayed… i am tired and hungry… and finally take the bus to bhopal.. oops the plane at 1845 hrs…. and then the place takes off.. what a feel… i could feel that accelaration on that seat.. wow…. thrilling… and then suddenly it takes of.. and then i see so many small lights… moving and still.. and delhi suddenly looks beautiful.. the best that i know so far… lovely.. and then after a while its too high and its too dark to see outside… the plane continues changing heights.. and gives that feel of being in a giant wheel… some toffees, a apple juice and a refreshing snack later… i am looking at bhopal from a high now.. quick it was… and then the plane deaccelerates.. breaks hard.. oops.. it felt as if its gonna stop right in the middle of the air… but it did not.. i guess the momentum was too much for it to stop.. so it kept moving ahead.. and then went low.. and then lower.. and then lower.. and then suddenly a loud boom… lotsa vibrations in the plane… and we are safely on the runway… phew.. it was good… i liked it for the first time atleast… thrill again…

it suddenly took a u turn.. and then moved to the platform quickly… out of the plane.. nice weather….. costly auto… hotel.. room nice.. blah… dinner.. blah…..a few phone calls.. blah… sleep..blah… morning… nice huge glass window in the room… good view outside.. blah… chilly morning.. blah… 5 minute walk to the office.. blah…. long training day…blah…. bad throat used to the limit.. blah… pain in the throat as of now.. blah… and the end of this post… phew…

this is what has happened… i wanted to go to the bhopal jheel today.. dun’t think can make it.. so will just pick up the cam and the tripod and roam around in the new market where my hotel is…

ta tu blog.. ta tu friends… will write more.. and hey.. here is the ticket fotos.. my first flight tickets.. and tushar’s thumb !!!!