Was at the airport shortly after 1am for a 5am flight. Did not get any sleep at all the previous night because of the odd hour for the airport transfer. The Delhi airport is much more modern than the other Indian airports. I bought a novel and started reading. The flight to Abu Dabhi on Etihad Airlines was about 3 hours 15 minutes. The Abu Dabhi airport looked quite modern but when I eventually got the boarding gate almost all the seats were occupied and there w...

Took a 2 hour flight from Goa to Delhi. I paid extra INR500 to get an aisle emergency exit seat with extra legroom. Some Indian guy with sunglasses gets the seat next to me. Sits with his arms spread so that his elbows are way into my space and falls off to sleep for the rest of the flight! Didn't even wake up when the guy in the window seat tried to get past him! Went to my once favorite hotel for the last night. Hotel is still good but they didn't seem to be a...

I stayed in Panaji or Panjim, the capital city of Goa. It is about 25-30 minutes from the tourist beaches of Calangute and Baga. That was a big mistake and I could not change hotels no matter how hard I tried. At least I could walk around within the town itself and it is not unpleasant. There are lots of restaurants and shops in the city centre which is also geared towards tourists. On average, it cost me about INR600 one way to get to the beaches in a taxi. It ...

I am staying near Colaba and Narriman Point which is close to the tourist areas. For the first time since arriving in India, someone was able to give me a map and I am able to walk around freely. It is a 20-30 minute walk to the Gateway of India and the touristy Colaba Causeway, but I did it the day I got to Mumbai. Has a Bangkok feel to it with the stalls on the pavements selling clothes and other stuff to tourists. Had lunch at the Leopold Cafe which was establ...

For the first time in over 3 months, I met someone I had met previously. I had met Rajuben for about 15-30 minutes for the first time a day or two before I began this trip. Rajuben and her sister Bhartiben looked after me during my stay in Surat. For a couple of days, I could relax and not worry about logistics. Rajuben arranged a car and driver to take me to the ghaams to meet the family. My fathers oldest remaining aunt had passed away a few days after I left ...