Greetings from Delhi, where I have just landed. Last week I was telling you about out hot it was in China (read it here). Last week in Yiwu the word was a plane had crashed in the little airport there. Impossible to find what happened initially, the web was quickly blocked. It turned out that the heat and direct sunlight on the end of runway had melted some of the tarmac, and the plane landed and sunk into the runway like swamp water. No one was hurt fortunately.
I'm writing this with slightly jet lagged brain power, so please forgive any typo's.
I've just come on the Midnight Shanghai to Delhi Air India flight - the Chapatti Redeye. Always an experience. Before now I have been one of a handful of passengers on this infamous night run, able to sleep peacefully across three seats. But last night was almost full, mostly Indian businessmen heading home, a few brave Chinese businessmen and women heading out, and for the first time a number of Chinese families on sightseeing holidays to India. India like many countries has just woken up to the fact that Chinese tourists are big spenders, and there's a lot of them. They represent a significant boom in tourism revenues, so they have recently made it relatively simple recently for Chinese to get a visa - so the flight is full :(.
India is home to some of the best airlines in the world! Air India is not one of them. The Chapatti run (as I call it) is delightful in an archaic chaotic kind of way. Flight safety demonstration? Not that I noticed? Use of mobile phones and electronic devices prohibited during take off. No issue. The Indian sari clad ladies have long given up trying to control the Indian businessmen, and barely had a word of Chinese. Instead barely at cruising altitude the ladies were pouring super large whisky's and delivering them to the Indian guys almost without asking. I asked for a G&T and was thrust a handful of mini bottles and three cans of tonic. Get the buggers nicely sozzled and they will be less trouble, is clearly the policy.
After the fastest meal distribution, and half hearted tidy up, that's the last of the we saw of the stewards on the 6 hour flight. I could see the Chinese tourist were not happy with the food, what do you do with a chapatti?, and what no chopsticks? Early stage culture shock setting in.
A rather relaxed captain came on the tannoy to announce our imminent arrival in er.. Delhi, a slightly worrying pause as he obviously checked - in fact - where we were going. Your luggage will be on belt 12, and the local time is 2.40am. Luggage was on belt 10, and it was 1.40am.. but only minor things. I read recently about an Air India captain who went to the toilet, and locked himself out of the cockpit. He was rattling and banging on the door trying to wake the sleeping no.2 inside.
Landing in Delhi at 2am local time, is not such a bad idea, you can breeze through the immigration and customs without any trouble. Everyone is half asleep. My hotel had sent a car to pick me up. They remembered me. Then it struck me, how come in such a hectic, crazy place like India they can produce the best run, and elegantly calm hotels in the world?
Only a few days in India, and so much to do... must get on.
Take care.
David
