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This morning I said goodbye to Gesa and made an early way to Tegel to catch the first leg of my flight to Delhi. It was Alitalia to Milan, and it was rather uneventful.
Just when I thought I had had my share of ridiculuous flying experiences, I boarded the second leg in Milano, flight AZ 772 to Delhi. When I found my seat on the plane, I couldn't help but notice that it was falling apart. During takeoff, one overhead bin opened and refused to get closed again. Later, when I had to go to the restroom, I quickly retreated to my seat. The smell of the restroom would have made me vomit within seconds. The second restroom didn't smell as badly, but it was a mess of dirt, paper, and open compartments. No power outlets on this flight, nor did the A/V work. I did get fancy red ear phones, though. Of course they didn't work, but they sure looked cool. The best I can say is that the stewards and stewardesses were friendly.
At the gas station
When approaching Delhi, I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't in Kansas any longer: I saw open fires and astonishingly few cars (this would change soon). I got a prepaid taxi voucher, and off I was. The driver had no clue where my hotel was, so I helped him find it. In the end, we had to ask some other drivers to find it, not without making a detour through a gas station, because the cab was running out of gas. The poverty in Delhi is apparent: Whereever I looked people were living and sleeping on the streets.
I'm staying at the York Hotel, and it is not nearly as good as the lonely planet guide made me assume. (In particular, no wireless service :-)) At least the room is air-conditioned, a welcome change from the warm and humid weather outside. If this is midrange, I'll need an upgrade soon.
Well, I need to finish the "How and Why Wikipedia Works" article for WikiSym 2006, so this is it for today. See you tomorrow!
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