Farewell at East London airport

My journey started on 8^th March 2016.  My sister Liz took me to the airport where I checked in and did my best to prepare myself for the +/- 24 hours travelling ahead which would get me as far as Mumbai ….I know, ridiculous amount of travelling but no way to avoid it.  Johannesburg airport is a pet hate of mine and before I had been there for an hour I had huge blisters on both feet – not a good start to my trip.

Anyway….nobody wants to know about how much time I spent hanging around airports or sitting in cramped spaces on aeroplanes, so let’s get to the important stuff.

I got to Mumbai on 9^th March at around 1pm and after collecting my luggage made my way out of the airport to my waiting shuttle…WOW, the heat!!! It took an hour to get to the hotel I had booked and I have to say I didn’t like what I saw of Mumbai from the road.  Probably the worst time to judge anything is when you feel as rotten as I did.  I had all sorts of plans on how to spend the little time I had in Mumbai but they all dissolved – I had a much needed shower, took pills for a dreadful headache, drank a ton of water and got into bed.  I had to get back to the airport in the morning to catch my flight to Jodhpur, and then an hour and half car trip to Artiya….krikey.

On 10^th March I felt so much better and, needless to say, saw Mumbai in a new light during the hour long trip to the airport– perhaps one day I will visit properly.  I FINALLY arrived in Jodhpur – YAY!!!  I felt like I had come home.  Vikram and Himmat met me at the airport and we went to Vikram’s house for lunch.  In the 2 years since my last visit, Vikram has become a father so I got to see Asha his wife again and met his sweet little girl….lots and lots of hugs.  This was the first time I had met Himmat and we chatted like we had known each other for years – what a wonderful human.  He arranged so much for me which made my trip so easy, like an Indian sim card, portable wi-fi, Rupees (can’t buy them in SA), gifts, and we were going to meet up on 15^th for a bit of touring.  I don't know how I managed before I met him??