Episode Tres- Rewind to India

Let's rewind to Oct 2007. I was nearing the end of the Westminster College MBA program. I should take a minute to explain a couple things about the characters of this post. I meet a lot of great people while attending Westminster, however three classmates became life long friends. Listed in alphabetical order Albert "Alby" Miller(aka Albizzle), Kim Barry (aka Kimme)and last but not least Stacy Chain (aka Hell on Heels). Kim, Stacy, Alby and I boarded a plane from Salt Lake City to New York to Catch a flight to Paris then on to India. As luck would have it we were unable to land in New York and flew circles around the east coast before landing in New York. Arriving late we missed our connection,it's somewhere near 11pm and all airport restaurants are closed. As Stacy "the negotiator" begins working some charm on the gate agent to get us on a different flight, Alby and I go on a food recon mission. We find a Winchel's Doughnut shop that is still open, we secure four hot chocolates and the balance of the day old doughnuts that remained in the display case. As we make it back to the gate Stacy as our flight situation under control and we are booked to Delhi, India after a brief stop in Mumbai.

About 27hrs later we land in Mumbai, India which is on the other side of India from where the rest of our group is currently at. We figure out where to go to find our luggage and wait...and wait...and wait some more. Apparently our luggage went on to Paris the next day following our original travel schedule. It is now 12:30am India time not really sure what day it was at that point, they all began to blur together. We wander out of the airport and find a little cafe within walking distance. First meal in India was Chicken Tikka and garlic naan, food was great.

We head back into the airport and end up sleeping on some chairs by the ticketing gate. The next day we found out that we had not flown into the main Mumbai airport, but into something more chicken bus like. The real airport was pretty much amazing, clean bath rooms (not like the great place where we stayed that had a gutter that channeled ones bio deposits through a hole in the wall to a ditch outside. Sounds amazing I know but you're not even getting a chance at the smell that came with it.

We made it to Delhi and after one of the most intense taxi rides of my life we met up with the rest of our group at our hotel. Our luggage showed up a few days later. We saw a lot of India and went on some great business visits. On one of our shopping stops one of our guides decided that I looked like I was in the market for a rug. Before long the group was gone and I was surrounded by 10 of my new Indian friends telling me how my dreams would come true if only I would purchase one of their $5000.00 rugs. There was some intense exchanges, but in the end I walked out in one piece and without a rug. Those guys made our used car sales people look like girl scouts selling cookies.

Seeing the Taj Mahal was probably the highlight of the trip, it was that or when we were in Mumbai and walked a few blocks to the beach expecting to see a beautiful sunset and seeing instead an Indian man dropping trou to make his own submarine races in the Indian Ocean.

There are so many stories but to summarize I would say that I loved the food, enjoyed the people and would like to go back in 15 to 20 years to see what has changed as they find their place as an up and coming player in the global market.

The Indian version of a family van. At least the Dad gets a helmet. The women ride side saddle which is more modest and makes it easier to bail off the bike if they get in a tight spot.

Snake charmer on the streets of Delhi.

Sleeping quarters the first night in India