Mumbai Day One--Highlight--Meeting M. Gandhi's Granddaughter

Airport #4...34 hours after leaving my home I checked in to my hotel room. Now that the long journey is over, I look even more forward to this trip. I must say that the business class air made all of the difference in the world. Good flight crews, seat neighbors and comfortable seats the whole way.

The photos show some of the highlights of my day. First, my hotel is spectacular. I have a view of the Arabian Sea out of my higher floor room. Service and friendliness are impeccable. My hotel is seen at the far left in the sunset panorama photo shown here.

During my tour today, I went to a small Gandhi museum. My guide happened to know that the woman seated in one of the library rooms was Gandhi's granddaughter. She introduced me and you can see her as the center person in the library photo. In India only 12 hours at that point and I already consider it a highlight of my trip to have met her.

The Indian people are wonderful. Very welcoming, gracious, spiritual and kind. There are people of all income levels, much like I heard and expected. They are very social people. I photographed a group of locals gathering at the sea wall to watch a sunset. There were hundreds of people there to see another day end.

I am pictured with my guide, Ragini as we overlook Dhobi Ghat, a huge area near the center of town where traditional laundrymen collect dirty clothes, wash them and return them to the doorstep of the owner.

More from Mumbai tomorrow...or should I say later today. I'm up at 3:00 am because of the jet lag situation. Thanks to Tom and Tracy who are keeping me up to date on College Game Day situation and the outcome of our big game today. Let's get 'em! I hope to follow part of the game on my laptop if at all possible.

TT--Travel Tip--Carry On Bag

Here's a travel tip. I should know this after traveling the world. My backpack was looking very tattered so I decided not to bring it. I grabbed a medium-sized carry bag. With my camera equipment, laptop, etc inside, it got heavier with each airport. I strongly recommend either a backpack or carry-on that has wheels. There are some long, long walks in terminals when flying internationally.

Is that the sunrise or sunset? Airport #3

OK...I'm not that bad, but it is bedtime at home and is time for tea and crumpets here in London. I'm already starting to feel the jet lag. Two flights down and a long one to go. Watched another movie on the way over the "pond". SO glad for business class seats!

Haven't seen Charles or the Queen Mum at the airport...at least not here in the British Airways Lounge. Will be very glad to get this last flight over although I get to be in the bubble on a 747 so I will enjoy that!
Heard via the pilot on the last flight that the Yankees tied up the World Series. They don't care much about that here. Cheerio!

Photos: A British Air 747 like I will take to Mumbai and shot of my "pod" during the flight...it lays flat for sleep...no ambien needed with these nice accommodations.

Airport #2

Hi All...

I had a nice flight from LAX to JFK. I was not in my seat five minutes when I discovered that the person next to me works with a friend of mine. Small world. (P.P. Tracy).

I'm now in the Admiral's Club at JFK and can see the Empire State Building in the distance on the New York skyline. Looks like a great night for a world series game. Hope the clouds on the horizon don't come in for the Yankee (boooo) crowd.

Business class on a trip like this makes SUCH a big difference. Watched a movie on the portable entertainment center they provided. Had a nice meal. Sat in a comfy recliner chair. Hope the rest of my flights are just as enjoyable.

Batter up! The second game starts about the time my plane will be "wheels up".

Flight leaves in about an hour

Whew! Packing done...made it to the airport. Nice bonus that American Airlines gave me a pass to use the Admiral's Club since I'm going business class. So here I am in the Admiral's Club making another entry into the blog. Hope I get to use the AC in all of my 8 airports (round trip). It makes air travel so much more enjoyable. Today I go Los Angeles to New York to London to Mumbai. Thank goodness for frequent flier upgrades!

Packing...the joy of travel

Being in the travel industry I hear people tell me that they start laying things out for their trip six weeks before they leave.

This is what my two suitcases look like 12 hours before I leave for the airport.

Aye Mateeees!

People have been asking me if I'm concerned about pirates. This morning as I was getting ready for work I saw a story of another pirate capture in the very waters where I'll be. I'm not concerned as I trust the crew of the ship and I have faith in God!

The final hours

My plane leaves in about 20 hours and I haven't even started packing. My first post on the trip itself will not take place for some time after I take off as the journey there and back will take about a day and a half each way. Thanks for following me on this trip!

Two Days and Counting

Just two more days until I leave on my big trip to India, the Maldives, the Seychelles and the coast of Africa. Tune in to this blog to follow my progress. The entries may be short as I'm not sure how much Internet time I'll get.