Undesireables?

At each aiprort we've been through we've been subjected to varying degrees of security checking. At Sydney and KL it was ok and both checked and carry-on bags were allowed through with out drama.

But the ongoing security risks in India and this part of the world has meant Ian and I have come in for a lot of attention wherever we've had to pass through airport security. Could we be undesireables? Well that question hardly needs as answer but it's a royal pain in the butt for us travelling through Indian airports and the smaller ones are worse. Take yesterday for example...

After our harrowing trip down from Darjeeling to Bagdogra (Ian is writing that blog), we had to check through the airport security. Ian and I were both singled out for full baggage checks which means opening all bags and pulling stuff out for them to look at. Ian's non-prescription vitamin tablets were consigned to the checked baggage and my carry-on was pulled apart and exverything examined ion detail including pulling the batteries out of my camera and small torch. I also had to open all my prescription packs and show the scriptsd and doctor's letter.

But we left Bagdogra on time (in an old creaky Alliance Air Boeing 737-200 - Tip and Bob Bell to note) and flew parallel to the Himalayas across to Delhi. I can't swear on a bible but I am sure I saw some snowy peaks along the way. Ian reckons they were clouds but I've convinced myself they were the mighty Himalayas.

Our arrival in Delhi was the usual busy and crowded affair but we asked where do we connect with our outgoing flight to Bangalore? The Indian Airlines official said to follow some guy which we did. Out into the sea of waiting cab drivers, through a car park, along a truck-lined road, through a narrow alley dodging parcels and packages being thrown and loaded onto trucks and vans, across another car park and finally to the Delhi Domestic Terminal. Sydney airport this is not!

After a cursory security check (amazing!) we boarded our 2-hour flight to Bangalore where we arrived about 8pm. Our hotel had arranged a driver but it is like joining a student riot trying to navigate your way through the hundreds of cab drivers and other hangers-on who swamp arriving passengers.

Bangalore traffic is as mad as everywhere else in India with the usual mass of auto-rickshaws, cars, bikes, cycles, pedestrians and dogs trying to avoid each other, which amazingly, they seem to be able to do. As those who have been here will know (Pam and Karen) it all seems to work and so far we've not seen an accident... touch wood. We HAVE seen several hundred near-misses!

Our hotel, the Ramanashree, is in the centre of the commercial district but is also on a busy road so it's pretty noisy. So we are here for today (Friday) and tomorrow we'll head north to Puttaparthi and see what transpires.

We've found this little dingy internet place down a crowded side street but this too works so we won't complain. Next we're off to explore the IT capital of the world and we'll be sure to let every call centre we come across have your details. grin>

We've just had mail from Tip that he proposed to his long-time girlfriend Heidi on the 7:05am flight to Coolangatta. CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU AND ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI. Is Tip becomming a little eccentric like me???

P.S I've shown Ian how to blog so I take no responsibility for his entries!!!