I sat next to Beverly Rolfe on the flight to Incheon International Airport, South Korea. Asiana impresses me in some ways. For instance, the airline provided toothbrush and toothpaste in the lavatory. I read Dan Savage's book, chatted with Beverly, and took quick naps.
Incheon is new, a gleaming building of steel and glass. Asiana performed poorly in getting us to our connections. No ground crew directed us despite the large number of people transferring to Delhi. Nevertheless Imade my flight. Found out on boarding that I had been placed in an exit row. Score! I slept most of this flight. I'm a little off in my time zones now.
The first thing I noticed on landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport was the stale dusty smell. Even in the middle of the night I could see the haze floating over the city. The queue at immigration moved quickly, and I encountered no problems entering the country.
Baggage claim was more interesting though. Porters quickly remove nearly allluggage from the carousel. I waited about 10 minutes watching the carousel before I wandered the maze of suitcases littering the floor. I quickly found mine. Then to the Punjab National Bank counter to exchange some dollars for rupees.
In the next room hundreds of people crowded against the railing, nearly all holding signs for arriving passengers. The person meeting me (Vivek) stood nearly at the end of the rail. Trying to find your name amid a sea ofplacards is difficult. I followed him outside where we waited for the car to arrive.
I'm already glad I have not tried to drive. Traffic speeds are slow, but nearly everything else seems to be advisory, especially lanes. Trucks crowd the road. Most sport the sign
horn please
on the rear. I haven't yet discerned the rules for when tohont and when to flash lights though.
The hotel is adequate.