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| Intricate carvings on stone posts at Qutb Minar complex, New Delhi, India |
I have always been fascinated with ancient history and cultures. Naturally, remnants and structures from the past never fail to capture my imagination.
The Indian culture from its ancient Hindu and vedic temples, colorful past and irresistible cuisine, has always been on my top list of places to visit.
India is a huge continent consisting of many states. I am aware that a single trip will not be enough to visit all the cities and temples in my list. In fact, if time would permit, a few months is need to satisfy all my curiosities and visit all the interesting places in this incredible place.
Why India of all places?
As expected, my friends were wondering why India, why not Bangkok or Singapore which are more closer and familiar? Now, I have been to Hong Kong which is a mere 2 hours flight away. Going to Hong Kong did not feel that I was leaving somewhere outside of territorial waters.
It felt like I was just going to Davao or something like that. Maybe it was the travel time which reminded me of the same travel time to southern Philippines. Singapore or Bangkod is just not too far away for me.
More importantly, I am fed up with city sightseeing. I want something more and preferably out of my comfort zone. My adventurous streak is overpowering me again. I feel that whatever I can find in these nearer countries can wait at a future time. India on the other hand, presents a more challenging challenging prospect.
So I ventured farther and prepared to endure the almost 7.5 hours of plane ride. The pure excitement of going to a far and uncharted territory for the first time and all by myself spurred my wanderlust spirit no end. It made me overcome my initial hesitation.
Note that the previous year New Delhi hogged headlines with gang rape news and for newbie solo female traveler that is something you have to think about twice. Indeed, India is not an easy place to conquer.
Planning and Cancellations
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| My first long journey |
My first trip to India took a year of planning as I wanted to make sure everything is taken cared of down to the last detail. You cannot really blame me because India is 4,780 miles away from home and I'll be alone. My travel has been rescheduled three times and this entailed additional costs indeed but I remained determined.
The reschedule meant that I have to rebook the plane tickets. I ended up paying double the usual fare. Added to my woes, I forfeited my hotel accommodations when my first schedule did not push through. These setback never dazed me as I told myself that this trip has to happen by hook or by crook.
Moreover, I thought I would save plane costs by taking advantage of a flight promo via low-cost airline AirAsia but the extra fees for luggage, meals, etc seems to be making up for the cost I though I saved. In fact, the fees for my extra baggage could buy me another roundtrip ticket.
AirAsia only flies to Kolkata and (no New Delhi route yet) and since this is about 2 hours away from New Delhi, I have to book another tickets via a local airline to reach my final destination. Indigo Air seemed like a no-fuss airline and booking online was easy, so flight to Kolkata-New Delhi was via this airline.
Manila to Kuala Lumpur Leg
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| Landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport |
My flight to India started one late afternoon with the first route MLA-KL for about 3.5 hours. It was quite a bumpy ride due to some low pressure disturbance brewing somewhere near Palawan Islands where we passed overhead.
Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata, India
Upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia has the Fly-Thru facility so I did not have to go thru Malaysian Immigration but went directly to boarding gate for my flight bound for Kolkata.
With the Fly-Thru feature, my check-in luggage has been tagged to my final destination which is Kolkata, India. After waiting for a couple of hours, finally we were boarding for Kolkata, India. My anticipation increasing by the minute with the thought that finally, in a few hours I would finally set foot in India!
Boy it was the scariest 3.5 hours or so of my life. The flight was bumpy with turbulence every so often, I just wished it would end. Being seated beside a very anxious man who kept on standing up made it almost unbearable. All I wanted to do is to sleep off the turbulent ride.
.jpg "Kolkata Airport") |
Layover at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, India |
I managed to catch some sleep during the flight but would be awaken up by turbulence. I said to myself that if I survive in one piece, I would not take this route again, ever.
To be Continued...
To be Continued...
