India Update

Day 30    Goa

Woke up at 10am this morning as we had to check out by 11am. I didn't have to leave the hotel guntil 3.30pm for my flight and I wasn't allowed a late check out but Simon was staying another night and so he said I could put my stuff in his room until I needed to leave. We then went out for a final breakfast with the party crew - Ann, Simon and Marieloes. I had banana and nutella pancakes which were really good. I then had to say a final farewell to Ann and Marieloes as they went to the beach for the day which was quite sad. Simon and I then went to hire him a moped for a couple of days that he was staying extra. We then went back to the hotel as it was already the afternoon after our leisurely brunch. We watched some TV then Simon helped negotiate a price for my airport transfer and saw me off. It's sad to leave this group, we had a lot of fun together and spent a lot of time together. I then arrived at Goa airport which is a weird airport, it has one terminal and one departure gate and it's also a military airport so very strict and no photography allowed. As per usual, despite it's small size, it was quite chaotic. I find that all these airports have little/ no signs and no indication as to the procedures to follow.. it turns out that here you put your bags through a scanner before you check in but it's not in a security area as such but in the middle of the hall, THEN you check in, which is really weird, but each stage of this process has it's own 'opening time' so you wait 30 mins to scan the bags, then it's another 30 'til check-in opens and then another 30 until security opens.. bizarre. There are literally no shops at this airport either, just one selling ties and a drink vendor, very strange. I boarded the plane and it turns out I'm by the emergency exit, lots of legroom but I can't have my bag with me and I had to have a 5 minute lesson on my role in an emergency, ergh. Arrived at Mumbai airport, fashionably late or Indianly late. The airport was atrocious. Really modern but absolutely no direction, got dropped off in the baggage hall and then there were signs for connecting flights that led to no where, I then found a sign saying departures and followed that but I was told that was wrong, found a sign with my airline on it, followed that but this time I was told I was in the wrong terminal and directed back to follow the international transfer signs which led to no where. I then just gave up and sat down as I had almost 7 hours. I then saw something saying get uour coach ticket here and a thing saying next departure to terminal 2 in 10 minutes. At this point I didn't know how many terminals there were so I waited. I found a board which said where the flights were departing from but mine was 3 hours later than the latest one showing so I decided to just get this coach ticket thing.. It said next departure at 9.20pm however the 4 electronic boards varied in time by over 20minutes between them and the coach actually went at 9.50pm. It dropped us off outside the main terminal building where everyone else was arriving so it was crazy busy and I was walking along in the dark not having a clue where I was for about 15minutes as you had to enter via the correct door. My airline was not listed above any door. I asked a guy who worked there and he said B so I queued for 20minutes to be told it was A. I then went through that, I queued another 20minutes for immigration only to be told that I needed a departure card and where was mine. I then had to figure out a way back through security to find this illusive departure card that I had not been given cause I was on a domestic flight and transferred so didn't re-checkin at the international terminal. I queued again. I thought my ordeal was over. My flight didn't exist according to the screens so massive panic. And my card continues to not work. Mumbai is too stressful, I will never do this again. BYE.x