I guess I came here for adventure, and boy did I get some.
The battle between sleep and caffeïne went on for hours as I sat at the airport.
On the screens, I would have to board on gate 10. Then the gate disappeared.
Then gate 10 appeared again. Then the gate disappeared. Then it showed gate 9.
With no personnel in sight to ask help from, or any idea where or when I was (time had no meaning anymore), I just tried to stand in line in the awake state.
Asked around to a few very helpful Indian dudes, and they kind of confirmed that I was in the right row. Hooray.
The plane took off, the plane landed. A 7 hour wait for a 1.5 hour plane ride – worth it.
Time to go to the ATM and withdraw some sweet ass rupees.
If only …
3 different ATM’s failed the transaction and I started to get worried as fuck.
Without money, it’s kind of hard to BUY something
.
I did have a hotel booked but it was a pay on arrival. A taxi driver genuinely asked if I needed a taxi ride, when he saw me cluelessly circling around for some kind of magical money withdrawal that would appear out of nowhere.
That’s right, he genuinely asked, not shouting and starting to take bags out of my hand together with the rest of the swarm of hasslers. I was amazed.
Now at this point, the worst-case-scenario thinking and concerns of my parents did save my ass, as I had a dollar emergency fund in my backpack.
I changed a few dollars for rupees with the taxi driver, so I could pay that taxi ride to the hotel and my room there.
I think I found a way to withdraw money which is extremely inconvenient, but if I can get internet connection and have time, it should be fine. I made a bank transfer to another card and should be able to withdraw as soon as that money arrives. No idea how long that will take.
But now away from financial survival, into the depths of first impressions.
There was a huge difference between this side of India and the northern side.
People came to me and actually tried to help, they were really friendly and not charging 10x the price or shooing me away.
Sure, there was horning. But not that insanely ridiculous, psychopathic nerve crushing 24/7 all together pointless horning that I remembered from last year.
Sure, there was filth, but the streets were quite amazingly clean here.
And there were traffic lights! I am very amazed and have a great first impression.
It feels alot more like Nepal here than it felt in northern India.
I hope this feeling can stay.
Tomorrow I will hopefully make my way towards the yoga center, and will have to see what happens there.
Time to take a rest from 30 hours in airports and airplanes, with just some 20 – 40 minute snoozes now and then and no deep sleep.
One could say I’m exhausted.