The adventure continues

I arrived at the airport in St. Petersburg on Sunday to be told that my flight to Frankfurt was delayed for three hours. This meant that I would never make my connection to India, and without a visa to get into Germany, also meant a 24 hour stay at the airport. Not a pleasant thought. Luckily I managed to get onto an earlier flight but they wouldn't check me in for my flight to India. We landed 45 minutes prior to my next departure and I rushed through security and from one terminal to the other, arriving at the gate 20 minutes prior and I wasn't turned away. And then I realised that I had left my book on the plane. I'm busy reading Shantaram. It's a fantastic book and gives you an incredible insight into India and every day life.

I arrived in Pune, or Poona, depending on who you ask, at 4am and found myself in a very quiet airport with only a handful of people milling about. This was not the India I expected. I had been warned about pickpockets and hordes of people that would welcome me. The drive to the hotel was uneventful and quiet and the hotel itself is neat. India is not unlike any African country, like Uganda, Kena or Tanzania. And I've spent a lot of time travelling through Africa.

India is magical, it has a charm to it and the people are kind and friendly. The traffic is fantastic, it amazes me how the cars, bikes, scooters and people maneuveur themselves around eachother with a sense of order that can only be understood by those that live here.

I've been a little over the top about the food. In Africa, or Thailand for that matter, I have never worried too much about getting sick but I have heard so many stories about India that I am being overly cautious. I brought a box of snack bars and have only eaten those since I arrived, and have had the sum of two cups of coffee. I keep on wanting to open the bottle of mineral water, or a sprite in the fridge but I'm just not prepared to suffer the consequences, especially with a 20 hour flight home ahead of me. It's a pity because I love spicy Indian food. I think next time I'll be more adventurous.

Unfortunately, as is always true of most of my business trips, I won't get much time to explore. So I think I'll just have to come back.