Day 0: Blore-Delhi Spicejet. My first flight
I left the office at 2:30pm on friday 5th Aug, rushed home, picked up the backpack and took an auto to M's house in Jayanagar 4th Block. We did a last minute cross checking of the bags, and caught an auto to the airport. The flight was supposed to leave at 5:40pm and when we reached the airport at 4:30, the guys at the Spicejet counter politely informed us that the plane that was supposed to take us to Delhi was still at Ahmedabad, and our departure was rescheduled to 8:40pm! Gosh, that was worse than Indian railways. Did I know when I cursed them for that delay that I'd be regretting it a few days later, and would be praying to all known gods for the flight to be delayed by half-an-hour?
There was nothing much to do at the airport. I'd forgotten to keep a book in my bag, and all we could do was to sit and rate the crews of Kingfisher, Spicejet and Jet airways. We soon got fed up of that too and I went and bought the book "One hundred years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez from the Sankar's stall in the lobby and started reading it.
Boarded the flight at eight. A Boeing 737-800. I was a little excited about my first flight; I'd always watched these huge steel birds with awe. The plane started taxying and I did my best not to look like a first-timer and I knew I was as successful in my attempt as I was on my first day at RECT when I wanted not to look like a fresher. The guy sitting next to me was a first-time flier too, and of course, a s/w engineer, going home for the first time after a year. He asked me were I worked, and when him the answer, I knew what the next comment was going to be. I wasn't wrong. "Hey yaar, thats great. 2.5 years experienced in XYZ, and by now you must be a very experienced flier!" . Why the hell doesn't my manager think the same, that I need to get more in-flight experience??? I was suddenly very depressed :(
Soon the engines revved up and the thrust pushed me smoothly back on to the seat and the plane was airborn in a few seconds. Wow! I liked the way it accelerated. And the speed too. I've always loved speed. I suddenly realized that I'd try to avoid trains as much as possible from then on... Thanks to the stop-over at Pune, I got a chance to experience the landing and take-off thrill twice in one trip.
Bangalore looked nice from the top: narrow, brightly lit streets with the vehicles crawling like ants [it must have been one of those typical friday traffic jams- I was so happy that for once,I was not in it, but above all of it :) ], . When the crew announced that we'd be landing in Delhi in a few minutes, I eagerly peeked through the window to see Delhi, for the first time in my life. I was grossly disappointed. Delhi looked dark, with a couple of spots of light here and there with no signs of life. For a moment I even doubted the ability of the pilot to locate Delhi. And suddenly the plane came out of the clouds, and there was the capital of India spread in front of my eyes, all lit till the horizon. Broad roads, and dazzling lights, everywhere.
The plane touched down at the IGI Airport at 12 midnight. And we immediately rushed to the pre-paid taxi counter to catch a cab to Inter-State Bus Terminus(ISBT).
There was nothing much to do at the airport. I'd forgotten to keep a book in my bag, and all we could do was to sit and rate the crews of Kingfisher, Spicejet and Jet airways. We soon got fed up of that too and I went and bought the book "One hundred years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez from the Sankar's stall in the lobby and started reading it.
Boarded the flight at eight. A Boeing 737-800. I was a little excited about my first flight; I'd always watched these huge steel birds with awe. The plane started taxying and I did my best not to look like a first-timer and I knew I was as successful in my attempt as I was on my first day at RECT when I wanted not to look like a fresher. The guy sitting next to me was a first-time flier too, and of course, a s/w engineer, going home for the first time after a year. He asked me were I worked, and when him the answer, I knew what the next comment was going to be. I wasn't wrong. "Hey yaar, thats great. 2.5 years experienced in XYZ, and by now you must be a very experienced flier!" . Why the hell doesn't my manager think the same, that I need to get more in-flight experience??? I was suddenly very depressed :(
Soon the engines revved up and the thrust pushed me smoothly back on to the seat and the plane was airborn in a few seconds. Wow! I liked the way it accelerated. And the speed too. I've always loved speed. I suddenly realized that I'd try to avoid trains as much as possible from then on... Thanks to the stop-over at Pune, I got a chance to experience the landing and take-off thrill twice in one trip.
Bangalore looked nice from the top: narrow, brightly lit streets with the vehicles crawling like ants [it must have been one of those typical friday traffic jams- I was so happy that for once,I was not in it, but above all of it :) ], . When the crew announced that we'd be landing in Delhi in a few minutes, I eagerly peeked through the window to see Delhi, for the first time in my life. I was grossly disappointed. Delhi looked dark, with a couple of spots of light here and there with no signs of life. For a moment I even doubted the ability of the pilot to locate Delhi. And suddenly the plane came out of the clouds, and there was the capital of India spread in front of my eyes, all lit till the horizon. Broad roads, and dazzling lights, everywhere.
The plane touched down at the IGI Airport at 12 midnight. And we immediately rushed to the pre-paid taxi counter to catch a cab to Inter-State Bus Terminus(ISBT).
posted by SNM at 1:51 PM
3 Comments:
Yeah its a lot different, the perspective, once you're up there. Waiting for the next episode!
That was a nice account of your first flight :) Is there a part 2?
(With due acknowledgements and apologies to the great poet – WW)
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of dazzling traffic lights”
Just keying in what came to my mind on reading ur blog...
A good write up there :-)….
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