Wednesday, October 19, 2011

India Delayed - Wednesday,October 19, 2011





Sometimes, I feel that my sojourn in India is just not meant to be.  My
plans always meet with delay and this trip is no exception.  I was due to
leave San Francisco on October 23rd and to touch down in Mumbai two
days later.  Alas, my departure had to be postponed.  First of all, a
subpoena from the superior court of San Francisco arrived for a trial
starting on October 12th "to completion" for a case I did some years
back - with the ominous threat of arrest for contempt of court if I
failed to appear when summoned. 

Reluctantly, I switched my outbound "free" flight to Korean Airlines
from L.A. since nothing was available on Air France, the carrier I'd
been booked on previously.  That frequent flyer ticket cost me $179
in taxes, etc...not too bad for an India round trip ticket.  For the
Korean Airlines flight, I had to buy mileage, for an additional $345.
Of course, I'll also have to buy a round trip ticket to LAX, making
my "free" ticket amount to more than $500! 

The only nice thing about this is that I am allowed stopover in Seoul
with this ticket.  Since I've never been to Korea, I'm staying two
full days - though it will be really cold and my suitcases will be
packed for the hotter climate of India.  I do love Korean food
( well, if truth be told, I love most food! )!  I plan to ask my good
friends who own American Sushi House up the street what I
should see and do during my two days ( they have a Japanese
restaurant but they are both Korean! ).

I hope I can do most of the final packing and rent a truck to haul
all the debris so that Jeremy can get back from his two week vacation in
Mexico to find almost everything done.  That poor guy worked almost
singlehandedly to demolish much of my old furniture and garage
shelving and haul it to the dump.  He was amazing!  He'd just resignedd
from his two year position at Maxim Intergrated Producsts and was
immediately hired at Genintech for an amazing salary and wanted to
squeeze in a vacation before that job started.

I have been trying to let go of a lot of my belongings in anticipation
of moving to MUCH smaller quarters on my return from India.  It
will certainly take some adjustment.  I just wish the San Francisco
area had nice affordable duplexes like the lovely two bedroom one
my mother rented in Columbus, Georgia for about $600/month.
She lived in hers for 18 years.

I'm sad that my stay in India will now be much shorter.  I arrive on
Saturday, November 19th and return to Los Angeles on Thursday,
March 29th - that's 37 days less in my beloved India than I'd planned.
I will just have to win the lottery so this will not be my last trip!










Flight
Departs
Arrives

Korean Air KE12
Los Angeles (LAX)
Mon, Nov 14
11:50 pm
Seoul, Korea (ROK) (ICN)
Wed, Nov 16
6:15 am
Confirm  code: EITRTQ

Korean Air KE655
Airbus A330-300
Seoul, Korea (ROK) (ICN)
Fri, Nov 18
8:20 pm
Mumbai, India (BOM)
Sat, Nov 19
1:55 am
Confirm code: EITRTQ

Korean Air KE656
Airbus A330-200
Mumbai, India (BOM)
Thu, Mar 29
4:15 am
Seoul, Korea (ROK) (ICN)
Thu, Mar 29
3:00 pm
Confirmation code: EITRTQ

Korean Air KE11
Seoul, Korea (ROK) (ICN)
Thu, Mar 29
8:00 pm
Los Angeles (LAX)
Thu, Mar 29
3:00 pm
Confirmation code: EITRTQ


17 comments:

  1. Welcome to India sweetheart...
    Athithi Devo Bhava!!!
    Hope you have a fabulous stay here... :)
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  2. So you're taking the other way to fly to India - it will be Seoul instead of Paris! This is amazing. It's a shame your trip is shorter now, but visiting a country you've never been to seems a good compensation.

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  3. Welcome to India! Have a great stay! :)

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  4. Sorry to hear about the trouble, Carmen, but at least you are still going.

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  5. Well, India will be bit wintery by the November to Feb.... then it gets hotter..... this also specific in the northern region..... The south is never cold enough.....

    any who..... wish you have a eventful stay in India :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mitr Friend - Bhushavali -
    Thank you for the kind welcome! I'm just so happy to be coming!


    hitesh rawat -
    I was in Delhi in February last time I came. I remember it was colder than Mumbai but, certainly, not as bad as some winter spots I've been in.


    ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ/ Ashwini -
    Thanks for the welcome!


    Icy BC -
    Yes, the good thing is that I will still be making the trip!


    Josep -
    If I had the money, I would actually stay over a week in Korea and, if it weren't so bitterly cold there at this time of year, I'd visit some of the place I've always wanted to see and read about such as Gyeongju,the former capital of the Silla Dynasty. You are so right, for me it is most exciting to visit a new country. When I did my semester as a tourism student, Korea was the country I chose for my projecet so this is quite exciting for me!


    Indrani -
    I can't wait to FINALLY reach your oountry and to see all my beloved friends. I trust that, somewhere in the five months, we will meet!

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  7. oh, sorry to hear about that Carmen, hopefully, there will be no postponement coming your way.

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  8. What a shame, Carmen. I do hope the changed schedule goes ahead smoothly. You'll have a wonderful time and the added bonus of Korea!

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  9. Oh, I'm so sorry all this has happened, Carmen. But Korea will be exciting! Hope all goes well from now on.

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  10. Well, I'm happy that you will get to add another country to your list of travels. Interestingly enough, my buddy Ellen is going to India in Jan.

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  11. betchai -
    I'll get there yet and I am really excited about my Korea stopover. I've got the hotel booked and am looking at how much I can caram into two and very full days!


    Sheila @ A Postcard a Day -
    I've got to go into storage and find the suitcase where my coats are stashed. It'll be really cold in Korea but I want to do as much sightseeing as possible and I'll need some warm things instead of all the summer India things I've packed! Ummm, I'll feast on beef for the last time, probably, in five months!


    Sharkbytes -
    It's exciting to see a new place, especially since, with the job loss, I haven't cruised in a year and a half now and chances to visit new places are so numbered. Where will Ellen be visiting? Perhaps we could meet up while she's in India? That would be so neat!


    Welshcakes Limoncello -
    Korea will make up for the disappointment of missing out on a month in India. I'm sure I'll manage to enjoy the five months I've got left there, anyway! Things HAVE to get better, don't they?

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  12. When can I say "Welcome to Malaysia?"

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  13. It seems unfair to force you to attend trial when you already had travel plans. I'm sorry your trip is getting shortened.

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  14. rainfield61 -
    If I were still employed, dear friend, you might well greet me in Malaysia. However, we'd have to sip tea at the bottom of the trail, I'm afraid! I am not able to do any mountain climbing anymore!


    secret agent woman -
    As so often with these cases, I had a call from the DA's office yesterday afternoon, the case is continued. He will issue another subpoena. I told him to send it to India or to schedule the case after April!

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