Start 23:00..Reach 17:00..The 25 hour joy ride...

I've been here in Sunny Florida for just about a couple of months now and I'm just about getting used to life in the US. Seeing the lifestyle here, I think to myself - "Man these guys rely so much on cars for just about everything". You tend to feel that you are incapacitated when you dont have a vehicle. Anyways, I'll keep that for later and come back to what I actually want to talk about. My long flight journey from Mumbai to Florida!

The Journey Legs
I was booked on KLM-NW. And the whole journey consisted of 3 arduous legs. The last one not as much as the first two. There was an 8 hour leg from Mumbai to Amsterdam. A one-hour lay-over in Amsterdam, and then the next 8 hour journey from Amsterdam to Detroit. In Detroit there was a 3 hour stop-over and then the last 4 hour flight from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale. Thus the total travelling time was 24 hours.

Prelude To The First Flight
Just thinking about the journey legs, I was feeling tired. Finally, came Sunday the 27th of November, the day of my departure. Although my first flight was supposed to leave on the 28th of November, it was in the middle of the night (read 02:00 am). So I had to reach the airport by 11:00 pm Sunday night to avoid the rush for the check-in and immigration. I called my friend to drop me off at the airport and told my mom-dad-sis-bro, not to come to the airport. On the way to the airport, we met another friend and we "hung-out" at a small "dingy" eatery outlet at the airport. Finally when I went inside the airport, it was around 11:30pm. Trying to locate the KLM check-in counter was a bit of an ordeal.

Now the thing about flying into the US is the security. Although you get your baggage screened thru the X-Ray machine, they still do a manual check. My whole issue with this is that, if they have to do it manually why do the X-Ray thingy and if they have to do it using the X-Ray machine, why do it manually. Somehow, I manouvered myself such that I narrowly missed the manual check and got both my bags checked right through to US. Everything else was uneventful and after security check I was just waiting for boarding.

The First Flight
While packing, I had taken care that I have atleast something to keep me busy in the flight. I had taken a book with me, and also my portable MP3 player. I started off using the MP3 player, was listening to some music. After sometime I got bored of it and started to read the book.

I was reading "Catch 22" a "supposed to be good book" written by Joseph Heller. It was highly recommended by lots of my "avid bookreading" friends. So I had bought it. The thing about that book is that I have never been able to go past the 4th chapter. Somehow whenever I start reading the book, I end up either getting bored and put down the book or feeling sleepy.

This time it was the latter, because of lack of sleep the previous night and also the "book effect". So I went off to sleep.

The Transfer
The transfer at Amsterdam airport was a bit hectic. I got out of the plane at Amsterdam and started to look for where I should go. My flight was at 08:00 but the boarding time mentioned on the boarding pass was 06:15 and my flight from Mumbai landed only at 06:45 or so.

After a bit of an ordeal running here and there, catching hold of an official to get help, I arrived at the gate from where I was supposed to go to Detroit. I had slept only for 2 hours or so in the first leg of the flight and I was feeling very very sleepy.

But then we had landed in Amsterdam in the morning, and I didnt want to sleep. So I remained awake and tried to watch a movie. The movie was a real funny one and was quite entertaining. So I touched neither my MP3 player nor the book. Frankly speaking, when you have too many options, you will probably be lost as to what option to choose. That was exactly the case with me.

Anyways this leg was also fine and now I was thinking about the worst part - the immigration at Detroit.

The US Port Of Entry
Detroit is a nice airport, its not too big but its not small either. The US regulations require any person landing in the US to first do immigration, then get the baggage and clear it through Customs and then do a re-checkin.

Actually, I was not worried about the customs, I was more worried about the immigration. I had to get a 3 month entry into the US because the shorter the date on my I-94 the more problem for the work. Somehow I could convince the immigration officer that I need to have a 3 month stay permit. I showed him a letter given by my company and so finally he gave me a 3 month date.

The Last Leg
You know its a very Psychological. If you are undertaking a big activity at first you are extremely enthusiastic about it and work at it with all vigour. During the middle stages you are very solid and stoic. But as the end nears, you feel that its a long way to go. Sometimes a feeling fo so-near-yet-so-far, creeps in.

That was just the case with my flight to the US. The last 3 hour Detroit - Fort Lauderdale flight was extremely tiring for me. First because of lack of sleep and second because there was nothing else I could do but to fall asleep. The opposing polarites leaving me in a quandry. The feeling of when will the ordeal get over started taking over me. Trust me, the last 3 hour flight seemed even longer than the 8 hour stretches earlier on.

And Finally...
So after 22-23 hours...I finally reached my destination only to know that my friends were not there at their appartment and I had to wait outside the house for almost an hour for them to come and open the door. Now that was the last thing I needed especially after having endured an extremely tiring journey. But as luck would have it, I had to! There was no other choice.

So after having left my house at 23:00 the earlier day, I reached my final destination at 17:00 hours the next day but the difference is I had travelled almost 25 hours! Oh My God! Thats Wierd!!!