2024 India – New Delhi
27th December 2024
It was a long taxi ride to Heathrow Airport with our regular taxi driver Joe who never stopped talking and swore so much we hardly noticed it after a while. We always dreaded being driven by him and only booked him because he had the two qualities we looked for in a taxi driver, he was cheap and he was reliable. I had to admit though, the journey did go quickly with the drone of his voice putting me into a trance but we both agreed it would be the last time.
The flights to New Delhi were much fewer than before Covid so we had to travel through the night and arrive at 9 a.m. which we knew we would struggle with but we had the rest of the day in an airport hotel to recover. At the departure gate, I got chatting to a woman doctor who was returning to Delhi to look after her sick father. I always thought it would be really cool to be sitting on a plane when the pilot informed us that someone was sick and asked, “Is there a doctor on board.” I would go strolling up the aisle like John Wayne to save the day. No one ever asks, “Is there a guitarist in the house.”
Once again I booked the premium economy seats which were more expensive but worth it as when I worked for British Airways in 1999 the same seats were classed as business. The main attraction was that they were two-seaters so I didn’t have to sit in the middle. The entertainment system was nowhere near as good as Emirates but combined with a nap or two it certainly helped to pass the time.
Passport control at New Delhi airport was painless enough and in the arrivals hall, we went straight to the mobile phone desk to buy some sim cards which cost a grand total of £8 each for one month, which included a very generous data package. A taxi was waiting for us at arrivals and took us to the Pride Plaza Hotel which charged us extra to check in early. It was supposed to be part of the booking.com deal but we were too tired to argue with them so we paid up and went to our room to sleep until mid afternoon. Despite being near the airport, the hotel was well situated near a large pedestrian shopping area which made a pleasant stroll and a welcome contrast to the crazy streets of Delhi. 
Federika’s suitcase was damaged during the flight and we hadn’t noticed until we reached the hotel so there was nothing we could do about it. We looked around for a new suitcase but the shops in that area only offered expensive brands which were cheaper in England so back in the hotel we got a member of staff to repair the suitcase with tons of parcel tape which would work well enough to get us through our next flight.
I always enjoyed the large breakfast selection they had in those big hotels but I had forgotten how cold they can be because of the excessive use of air conditioning. It wasn’t just us, as there were several people wearing coats. I don’t know what our leaders do when they all jet out to luxury resorts to discuss how to tackle the climate crisis. They make all kinds of pie-in-the-sky promises when they could cut emissions at a stroke by simply setting a minimum room temperature of 22 degrees. I spoke to someone who worked in a large office in the USA who had to leave her desk every hour to warm up outside in the street. Many hotels in hot countries provide quilts on the beds as some guests prefer to have the room really cold and sleep under a quilt. What a scandalous waste of energy.
2024 Nepal and India
