LAST POST: THE RETURN "HOME" TO THE U.S.A.!

 The deck is now full: a whopping total of fifty-two blog posts! This final one, then, completes my journey as an "Expat in India"...well, at least, for now.

Will I be back there? You betcha! Wild horses--or wild dogs and cows, as is more apt in this case--couldn't keep me away.

As soon as they lift the suspension on visas for tourists, you better believe I will be heading back to India! And starting a whole new blog about it when I do.

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THE RETURN

Since this post is the grand finale, detailing my departure from India, it is a rather lengthy one. Besides which, it really does require some elaborate explanations to do the story of my return trip justice: traveling in this era of Covid is SO surreal, how could it be otherwise?  I only hope you may find it as interesting as I did!

The mask was obligatory for the whole duration of every flight, and began to feel rather claustrophobic before too long! I also donned ski cap and fleece jacket because, as always, these flights tend to be way too chilly for my old bones... 

To begin with, going through all the procedures at the airport was a most surprising breeze. My friends Tushar and Hari dropped me off about 9:30 p.m. Despite getting lost and winding our way through some narrow back streets barely wide enough for our passage--and requiring us to dodge numerous, glaring pedestrians--we still arrived way ahead of time. The airlines had advised travelers to get there at least three hours ahead of the flight time. Well, I was four and a half hours ahead of time. More than ample. Especially considering the eerily empty condition of Mumbai's international airport.

I was actually disappointed that, after all the trouble we went to to obtain the e-pass, medical certificates and so forth, we never got stopped on the way to the airport. Not once did any official ever ask for any of this paperwork, so why did we bother? How annoying! Strangely enough, though, we saw plenty of cops stationed at a lot of locations along the road. At one point, these important-looking uniformed dudes even stopped all the vehicles ahead of us for quite some distance... and for some time we were at a complete standstill. We were certain that this was the moment when they were going to come to our vehicle and check our documents. But...it never happened... and they just waved us on by. It was never even evident why they had stopped any of us in the first place! Really bizarre.

In fact, the only Covid-related inspection of any sort wasn't conducted until I was actually at the airport. There, I had to fill out a form declaring I was symptom-free; even so, they took my temperature. Thankfully I was cleared and sent on through to the security check. Simple as that! What can I say, but that I at least hope the quack doctor who got my 300 rupees does something worthwhile with all the money he is making doing certificates which wind up being completely unnecessary!

Back to the strangeness of the airport: Besides the unsettling emptiness, my other impression was how sparkly clean and bright it was, outside and in. The vast amounts of curbside areas for drop off were wide open and unused, as were the lengthy, zig-zagging roped off pedestrian lanes, presumably necessary for the vast hoards of passengers in what was once "normal" times.

Here are some photos:

As vacant as the airport was--filled with more aimlessly wandering employees than passengers--I had to wonder how they could afford to stay in operation. This is one of the many mysteries of these very strange times!

Outside, in a very short line:  my own international flight--destination Europe--was the only one going that evening, or so it appeared. As you can see, all have masks and are amply spaced from one another. I was already tired from the long drive from Pune to Mumbai...yet, 30 plus more hours of the journey were still ahead of me! 

Many airport shops, but all closed down. Not many security people about...would have been so easy to shoplift, if any passersby had been so inclined!

Doesn't this look like the perfect setting for the next installment of "Night of the Living Dead"?! Don't you just expect to see a bunch of zombies stumbling down these empty isles, eager to claim you as their next victim?! At near midnight, anything is possible....!

I thought this was hilarious: these admonitions covered half the sinks in the airport restroom! So HOW, exactly, AM I supposed to wash my hands in the sink covered by this colorful graphic placard?!

As you can see, the interior of the airport was even weirder than the exterior. It was a setting of vast, empty corridors, devoid of all but a puny number of travelers. Bright lights shone everywhere, except in some areas of the shops; often, these were covered in plastic sheets. Others, however, stood in the dim light with plenty of goods still on the shelves. Yet no employees were anywhere to be seen. Shoplifting would have been a piece of cake for anyone so inclined. Of course, I wasn't!

It was also strangely quiet. Besides the absence of people, there was a striking absence of the usual assortment of announcements about flights and other nonsense one always hears. As it turns out, I actually saw a sign saying that Mumbai International prides itself on being a so-called "quiet airport". How nice! Apparently, the intention is that people can repose in peace and do whatever they are inclined to do without the constant verbal disruption so typical of major airports. I especially appreciated this feature, considering the lateness of the hour (my flight wasn't to depart until 2 a.m.!)

At one point, I wandered off to stretch my legs and explore a different area of the airport. Much to my delight, I stumbled upon an exhibit of classic theatrical backdrops from the days when such elaborate sets were the norm. What an amazing art form, indeed! Enjoy the pics below:

I thought I would try to sleep while waiting for the flight but I was too wired, so instead I got into a pleasant conversation with a lovely fellow traveler-- an Indian woman who is a resident of Toronto, Canada. The beginning of her journey was even more horrendous than my own four-plus hour ride from Pune: she had traveled some eight hours from the state of Gujarat via automobile and had already been waiting in the airport for several hours before I met her. She was about my age. Her impending journey to Canada would be as long as mine back to the U.S. What a trooper!

And yet... a MOST pleasant surprise awaited us both!

As it turned out, the flight to Amsterdam was an absolute dream. Like in days of yore (and here I am seriously dating myself--talking about the '80's, you must understand), there were vast expanses of empty seats, rendering it entirely feasible to stretch out across three or four of them and have a delicious, uninterrupted snooze. Hence, I managed to sleep through about half the flight stretched out luxuriously. What heaven! Shades were down, the plane was dim, and people were reasonably quiet, probably most of them being asleep like I was.

MINE, ALL MINE!!! HA HA HA!!! (Could almost pretend I was commandeering a private jet!)

I woke up feeling semi-refreshed but very hungry. Unfortunately, one major drawback of traveling in these Covid times was the absence of a meal and beverage service. The only sustenance we were given was distributed at the commencement of the flight: A very large plastic bag filled with bottled water and largely unhealthy snack foods. What a cheat on a nine-hour, international flight! Still... it was worth sacrificing a hot meal and beverage for those lovely, long rows of empty seats...

I even managed to do some modified yoga stretches across my four seats! I also had a nice breakfast of muesli and soy milk, which I fortunately had the presence of mind to pack for myself. I passed the time for the remainder of the flight listening to an entertaining audio book, and before I knew it, we were there in Amsterdam. Not bad at all!

Another fascinating thing about traveling in the pandemic: going through security. I was able to take water with me onto the plane! Unheard of...at least not allowed since 911, right? In fact, the authorities didn't seem the least bit interested in what quantity of liquids, gels or toiletries one might be carrying. Furthermore, there was a significant absence of the usual long, security-check lines to go through. The only truly critical concerns in evidence were the wearing of face masks, carrying of hand sanitizer and practicing social distancing. (Even so, a lot of people I saw were somewhat lax about these rules.) Once again, it struck me that this had to be the absolute best time to travel by air anywhere! Who would have thunk.... no one I know, that's for sure!

What WAS irksome: witnessing the vast amounts of waste that occurred during this journey home. For instance, Starbuck's would not put hot water into my own, reusable cup. Thus, a whole paper cup got wasted just transferring the liquid from it into to my own. Terrible! Also, the snack items we were given on the plane were all wrapped up in very thick plastic. There was an outside casing of plastic as well as every, individual item within encased in yet more plastic. What happened to the noble concept of greatly reducing the amount of plastic we are creating and consuming on this planet?! What good will it do to save humanity from pandemics if we only continue--or even increase--the myriad ways we are harming the earth? Clearly, the excessive use of resources--and limitless, plastic waste--count amongst the major ways we are doing this harm.

So... after the nine hour flight from Mumbai, I was cast out into the Amsterdam airport for a grueling eight hour layover. Yikes! At least--and unlike the airport in Mumbai--the Amsterdam airport was fairly bustling. Apparently--though it would never have occurred to me--it is a major international hub. Also, I gleaned that most of Europe has relaxed much of the pandemic closures and restrictions, having many fewer cases of the virus than elsewhere at this juncture. All the shops were open for business and selling the usual assortment of airport gizmos. That, at least, was heartening to see.

The MOST colorful and happy sight: A flower and seed shop! I would have bought some if not for the fact that such merchandise would have been confiscated at the U.S. customs entry point. What a shame!

By far and above, the MOST eye-catching advertisement at the airport! Stopped me dead in my tracks, this one did! Only in Amsterdam, yah?!

A surprisingly unattractive airport for being a European port...especially in contrast with the unusual loveliness of the Indian one!

Thought this a cute touch in the restroom, which was of course immaculate... 

Besides the loveliness of the flower shop, I did enjoy the large photographs of nature that adorned one particular airport corridor. (Since I love bees, I chose this one to share with you--it was my favorite.) There also were speakers across from the photos piping in sounds of chirping birds, and fake vines climbing up the walls. Well, at least they were attempting a way to bring in a little charm to an otherwise rather sterile airport! 

Since I've never been to Holland before--or anywhere in the Netherlands, for that matter--it just killed me to not be able to go out even for a day and see the sights of Amsterdam. Here again, another terrible waste!! Well... this just means that, when the pandemic is behind us and I set sail once more for India, I will absolutely have to stop over for a stint in Europe and take in the countries I missed out on this time around.

I have been asked this by friends: What does one do with an eight hour layover, stuck inside a massive, international airport? My answer is as follows: Eat. Pray and love. Ha ha... just kidding! No, nothing as exciting as that. Oh, yes-- the eating part, absolutely. I indulged in a VERY expensive purchase of some freshly baked, "brown" bread and a chunk of Dutch cheese. After all, with this much time to kill, I simply HAD to ingest some regional treats. I didn't go overboard, at least. Not much else appealed, anyhow...I already had my chocolate with me!

So... what else, besides eating? I whiled away the long hours by perusing the multitudinous paraphernalia in the shops; people-watching, strolling down each and every corridor of the entire terminal; listening to audio books; and sketching. Somehow or other, the time passed and I made my way, bleary-eyed, to the gate where the second flight--to Los Angeles--would be departing from.

Much like the flight from India, this one to the States was also half-empty. However, the KLM flight attendants directed us to at least start out in our assigned seats, informing us that we could relocate once in the air, after the seat belt signs were turned off. I was two seats away from a lovely American woman; I apologetically informed her that I was going to move into a row of empty seats all to myself--nothing personal!

When the passengers had the go-ahead to move, the sight was hilarious: something akin to musical chairs took place! Half the passengers jumped up and scrambled to claim their dominion over a long row of empty seats! Since most of the middle seats started out vacant, we each grabbed an entire row of these for ourselves... and, wonderfully, there truly was enough to go around. Anyone who wanted to claim three or four was thus accommodated. Oh, bliss! 

This second flight was eleven hours long, so the personnel did actually serve one hot meal...thank goodness! But the rest of the food consisted of yet another plastic-coated assortment of snacks and beverages, only slightly better than the ones on the Indian flight. And still nothing hot to drink. C'est la vie.... 

Had a harder time sleeping for some reason, even though the flight was longer and just as tranquil as before. (Thank goodness, no noisy youngsters or crying babies! This could be a first, EVER!) At least there were some decent movies to watch, and more audio books to listen to while reclined, with eyes closed, hoping for some semblance of sleep... 

Made it!!!! I am a survivor!

Back in the U.S., taking forEVER to get through customs... having bags sniffed by suspicious dogs... ever-wary customs officials...welcome back into the good ol', hyper-vigilant, paranoiac U.S. of A.!!!!!

Taking protective measures to the extreme! Entering customs.... notice the barely visible children in body suits, even as their stroller is completely encased in plastic... oy vey!

Thanks to a very dear friend of mine, Glenn Frieder, I was welcomed back with the gift of a hotel stay at LAX: the Hyatt Regency. Severely jet-lagged and exhausted, as you may well imagine, this was the best birthday gift a girl could hope for! (My birthday was July 3rd, in case you missed it...hint hint!)

View out of my hotel window: full moon over L.A. and mostly empty streets... oddly beautiful, definitely a southern cal ambiance....but certainly an unusually tranquil one...

Icons of LAX, these pillars change colors every few minutes. They held my fascination for some time...a sure sign of my extremely drug-like, disassociated state of mind!

After coming from the charming funkiness of the various places I stayed in India, this one-night accommodation was a most disorienting step into extreme luxury and cleanliness! I had a short but wonderfully good night's sleep here...would definitely recommend this hotel! 

Next morning, the final leg of the very long journey: a short flight from Los Angeles back to Sacramento.  As is frequently the case in this pandemic, incongruities are everywhere:  the typical social distancing of six feet was mandated when boarding the plane; however, no issue at all with sitting TWO INCHES away from a fellow passenger once ON the plane!!! Go figure... impossible to make sense of so MUCH of what goes on these days. Thankfully, my neighbor next to me on the plane was a nice young woman who appreciated my Ram Dass ("Be Here Now"--though of course he no longer is, having passed away last year...) T-shirt.  After the previous flights, this one felt like we barely left the ground before we landed again!

SO.... you are now caught up, dear reader. I am sheltering in place--doing my obligatory fourteen day quarantine--in a big, empty house by myself in South Sacramento. It is now one week later--yes, took me a whole week to get around to doing this final blog--and I am over jet lag at last. I have been tested and found to be Covid-negative, thank goodness! But still I will sequester for the second week just to reassure my more wary friends. I hope those of you reading this will be brave enough to meet me, even if from six feet away. It is lonely and isolating here, especially after the busy-ness of my life in Pune, and the bustling nature of that city. It is quiet--almost TOO quiet--in this Californian suburb. Hot, painfully bright, arid. So strange, after the lushness and moistness of the Indian tropics. But... I am slowly adjusting. Life goes on, doesn't it? Always...until, well, it doesn't anymore!

What is next? Hopefully a bike trip up the coast into Oregon next month, and back into nature, on my sorely missed e-bicycle (happily reclaimed from my storage unit!) Then, in October, I am bound for Mazunte, in Oaxaca, Mexico. There are NO Covid cases there, at least as yet, and it is FAR too costly for this humble soul to remain in the U.S. for very long. (Talk about culture shock! How quickly one forgets just HOW expensive EVERYTHING here is, from a rental car to Uber rides, food...just everything!!!) 

Then... as previously mentioned, back to India when the pandemic subsides and the Indian government reinstates foreign visas. I await that time with eagerness: I am homesick for India already. So stay tuned, dear reader, you haven't heard the last from me...not even close! But for now, I am taking a break... to plan what comes next, and to figure out what to do with all the stuff I had stashed here, and really, truly don't need.

Thank you, thank you SO very much for being a loyal follower of this blog, and rest assured I will inform you when the adventure continues!

Love and virtual hugs to you all.


(Small note: please forgive the oddly changing shades of the font above, as well as inconsistent spacing. Not my doing at all, I assure you! Why I plan on doing my NEXT blog on a different site altogether, such as Wordpress. I do NOT recommend "Blogger" to anyone at all... it has been a royal pain in so many ways!)