On Tuesday, September 15, 1998 we both traveled again to India for consulting service to a new mushroom company in Pune,
A business man from Connecticut had begged us to go there and help them out. They even paid us up front and booked our flights in business class.
So we caved in and went another time to India... On KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Amsterdam in seats 15 A+B.
On Wednesday, September 16, we landed ahead of schedule at 6:50 in Amsterdam. With our telephone card we did call Mom, Dad seldom came to the phone.
Pieter called with his brother Thé and around 10:45 we continued with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Mumbai. The time difference with The Netherlands is 3.5 hours and the flight takes some 8 hours.
We were one of the first passengers to be outside at 23:20 (again only carry on!) but after some 20 minutes there still was nobody!
With my sharp hearing, I just picked up the name "Vedder" and walked towards the person and said: "I back your pardon, did you mention the name Vedder?". It was our person, without name shield and his driver stood behind the masses of people. They just got there too late, due to a party...
We got dropped off at the Iskcon Ashram temple where his family was a life patron and thus had access to two rooms...
There was in 1998 in our room, NO SHOWER and it did not smell clean either.
Thursday, September 17, by 1:00 we each were in the rather short twin beds, with our feet sticking out. Our own goose down travel pillow helped for having some more comfort!
By 4:00 they started waking up everyone for prayers... by means of an instrument that sounded like elephants trumpeting. NOT pleasant to wake up to after only 3 hours on the mattress!
The monks started chanting...
By 6:00 we went with our person to the Rail Road Station.
Train ride to Pune got cancelled due to heavy rain and tracks being under water...
Our person started calling for 3 airline tickets instead and suddenly realized that he had sent his driver off...
So by taxi we went to the airport and had a kind of breakfast there before take off at 11:00.
Again we got dropped off at a hotel and now Pieter was quick to jump into the shower, while I started to unpack.
Soon, Pieter yelled at me from the shower, that I had to repack everything: "We're NOT staying here he said firmly, after he'd shrunk from ICE COLD WATER!"
After lunch at the mushroom farm owner's home, we went to his farm for a first observation.
Afterwards we got dropped off at the Taj Blue Diamond Hotel in Pune, very good! It is in the same group as the Savoy in Ooty.
Pieter did attend right away a Rotary meeting in the hotel. Again, a meeting without any food, like before in Ketti Valley, Tamil Nadu/India.
We ate some cookies with fruit in our room.
We continued with our work and got up at 6:00 for having first breakfast before the driver of the owner came to pick us up.
On Sunday, Pieter did video tape while on the road due to less traffic that day.
We slept very well due to this hotel being a good distance off the main road and thus quiet.
Some of the staff members we knew already for many years as they'd worked for Pond's India at the time we consulted there.
On Saturday, September 26, we packed up and checked out after one more delicious Indian breakfast.
We went to the mushroom farm and together with the harvest manager Shubhada Sandeep Cruz, some photos got made when she handed me fresh flowers... We have them on our video tape!
We did receive a very special gift, a beautiful stag, entirely made out of leather.
Did post about this gift in a previous post:
{History of the Poinsettia} in 2011.
We got dropped off at the Train Station by 17:35 and our carry on luggage got placed for us in the overhead rack.
Pune to Mumbai
Dadar written on the back so we knew where to get off.
Just in case Amjad our driver would not be there...
By 20:45 we reached Dadar Station and the same driver from September 16, Amjad, recognized us and he dropped us off at the airport.
Checked in and we had time for relaxing in the Taj lounge before take off by 0:50 on
Sunday, September 27. This stretch was flown by Northwest Airlines and the service was by far not as courteous as from KLM!
We landed in Amsterdam, called my Parents and flew on to Atlanta at 13:05 and got home by 19:15.
End of our Indian travels for work! That means 10 x for husband Pieter and for myself 7 x.
It is never easy such a long journey with time changes and lay overs etc.
But we always did it with love, for educating those that needed it MOST.
Thanks for your visit and comment!
Related links:
My 6th Consulting Trip to India with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
My 5th Consulting Trip to India & Visit of Taj Mahal | previous post by me
Pieter Hands Check to Rotary Club Ketti Valley, India | previous post by me
My 4th Consulting Trip to India after HUGE Landslide | previous post by me
Natural wax base extracted from rose petals... so SOFT!
