Thursday, August 8, 2019
Bombay-London
Goodbye Bombay, Hiya London! How Great It Is To Be
Back in T’Smoke Again!
Hiya from London!
The thing about having to leave at 8.00 am
to be at the airport at 9. 00 am for a 12 noon flight is that one wakes up inordinately
early. I was up by 6.00 (although I had kept the alarm for 6.30 am) on my last
morning in Bombay and in Dad’s flat. Without waking up the rest of the household,
I began my last-minute packing—night clothes, chargers, that sort of thing. Dad
and Russel awoke at 7.00 am and we said our morning prayers. Breakfast soon
followed—we had delicious patties that were bought for us by my friend Ashley
who had come yesterday to say goodbye to me. They were really good with
coffee. I had two as I did not know what
time lunch would be served.
By 8.20 am, we were saying our last prayers and, of course,
both Dad and I were really tearful. But we are mature enough to know that all
good things must come to an end. But for poor Bunty, these things are very hard
to fathom. That said, it was time for me to call for an Uber and with Rohit’s
help, I was able to take my suitcases downstairs and waved Dad off for the last
time.
Needless to say, I was bawling all the way in the Uber
and the poor driver felt so sorry for me. He was a Muslim and he kept telling
me to trust in Allah as he would take care of me and of my father and my
brother. About a half hour later, I gained control over my tears and another
half hour later, we were at the airport. I was there in really good time and
the sweet driver really made it easy for me to unload my suitcases and find me
a trolley.
The
British Airways counter was practically empty—the flight was very light and
they were trying hard to push their upgrades. Since I had to pay excess baggage
for my third suitcase (which would cost me $190 for the extra bag), I was happy
to find out that the upgrade was $168 for Premium Economy. This made it a
no-brainer and so I did it. It was the best bucks I could have spent. The
flight was wonderful—really light, so much leg room and arm room, great food
superbly served, service was impeccable. Truly everything was grand. I watched
a great movie, All for Love about the
life of William Shakespeare after the death of his son Hamnet and the burning down
of the Globe Theater when he returns to Stratford to resume his life with his
wife, Anne. Starring Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) and Judi Dench…it was
slow but very meaningful and beautiful. I was tearful through much of it. Ian
McKellen played Mr. WH. I also watched three episodes of the second season of Fleabag and still do not understand what
all the fuss is about. I did not get any sleep at all on the flight.
The landing was not spectacular although I
did catch a glimpse of one of the football stadiums—don’t know which. Immigration clearance took just a minute—electronic
fast track has made it so easy now. However, the bags took over an hour to come
out and I was despairing as I had started to use my free Heathrow wifi and I
was sure I would run out of the free time (not sure of it was 45 minutes or an
hour) before I ran out of it. I had no reason to worry, however, as the bags did
eventually come out and I was able to call for the Uber and to find out where I
had to go to get it. That meant that I could not find a place that would sell
me a Lebara card.
A
taxi driver directed me to the spot from where I would pick up the Uber, I had
to take the lift up one level and then get to Row R. The Uber also took ages to
come (more than 20 minutes although it kept saying 5 minutes!). And when the
driver did arrive, he had the worst body odor! Why do I keep getting drivers
that smell so bad? I thought I was done with this when I left India, but the
Pakistani chap who was driving me around was no better. That said, he was very
helpful and he did take me through the shortest route to Battersea to Roz’s place
which we reached over the ornate Albert Bridge in 45 minutes. He also helped me
unload my bags—I was lucky, I got a really big-made, heavy driver for whom
lifting my cases was child’s play! He was also kind enough to stop at the Sainsbury Local where I intended to buy
a Lebara but found that the single one left on the rack had expired. Instead I
bought fruit and nut muesli with Spanish Ginger and honey yogurt (for my
breakfast tomorrow).
Roz opened the door and after an affectionate reunion,
led me straight into the garden where I met Christie and the friends they had over
for drinks—Jeff and Susan—an English couple from their church who had once
spent a whole year in India (Tamil Nadu) and many years in the Middle East and
were such a delight to chat too. Roz put a glass of chilled lager in my hands
(very refreshing!) and asked me to help myself to nibbles (spring rolls, guacamole
with chips). Her garden looks lush and colorful with summer’s bounty and we enjoyed
a beautiful evening that offered the perfect temperature with zero humidity.
For that reason alone, I was grateful to have left humid monsoon-ridden India
behind!
About an hour later, their guests left and
Roz prepared dinner—she made a simply pasta dinner (ravioli filled with
mushrooms) which she garnished with coriander leaves and served with a salad, light
and fluffy scones made by Tania, (Christie’s grand daughter). By this time, I
had to admit that I was fading away and without much ado, Roz and Christie
stayed behind to clear while I excused myself to go and settle down in my room
on the top floor. It felt so good to be back in a place I knew and in which I
felt so much at home. I know I am going to enjoy the next few days in this
endlessly fascinating city and I am grateful that the Lord has given me this opportunity
to take this short holiday.
Until tomorrow…
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