I left Canada in rain .I had not seen the sun for nearly a
week and had kind of started missing India .Vancouver is a lovely city –lots of
trees ,the Frazer river ,wonderful roads ,and lots of hills .I saw Canada when it was probably at its colourful
best –The Fall as they call in that part of the world .Its a time of the year
when the trees change their colours in a most magical way .But without the sun –well
it is not quite the weather I am used to, for extended periods of time .
The formalities of immigration into the US are at the
Vancouver Airport .Once you are checked in at Vancouver –you have checked in to
the United States .And they really check you .Biometerics ,body scan ,questions
about your stay ,about what you are carrying in your luggage –everything .!!Once
through with it –one is in America though geographically one is in Canada.I
picked up my tit bits at the Duty Free, because I was told that once in Newark
Airport , I would have to go straight out to the conveyer belt to pick up my
luggage .And that conveyer belt was literally on the road .!!
The flight was long .It was a Canadian Airlines flight that
took me from the tip of the west coast to the tip of the east coast .I flew across America –over
its widest part .I was not too impressed by the Airline –they did not serve
anything on board except coffee or a soft drink .Everything else had to be
bought .Which is strange especially if one is flying six hours and those six
hours are contain your dinner /supper
timings .I had left Vancouver at 3.35 and was scheduled to reach New York at
11.54 .Thats a long time –almost the time it takes to fly from Delhi to
Istanbul .Imagine not being served meals .!!Thats what makes the Emirates a
really great Airline .They look after you really well when you are onboard .And
they charge you for it .Fair enough .
The weather started to clear after the first hour into my
flight .In the beginning,I could see
nothing from my window seat as I looked down .It was covered with a thick
blanket of clouds .But gradually the clouds disappeared and I could see the
vast expanse of America below me .I flew over Montana ,Dakota ,Milwaukee ,and
over Lake Michigan ,then over Detroit and lake Erie.Every student of Geography
knows or should know that America has 5 great lakes in the North . Of these 5
,it shares 4 with Canada .The only lake that is totally within America is Lake
Michigan .Its a big lake and has a number of cities around it .By the time I crossed
it ,It was pitch dark dark –but I could
see the brilliant lights of Milwaukee and Chicago and Detroit before I came
over the dazzling lights of the city of New York .It was a clear day and I could
see a million lights as we touched down at the Newark Airport in New Jersey .
It was exactlt 11.54 when we touched down –the scheduled
time for arrival of the flight in New Jersey .There was nothing like standing
in queues with your passport and fill forms .I walked out from the plane
,through some long corridors ,and went down a escalator and towards the
conveyor belt to pick up my luggage .I had two bags and the hand baggage with
me ,and my sister Kusum had warned me that I would have to pay for my trolley
.I had done it in the past (even in Istanbul one has to pay ),but I did not
have a 5 dollar note to insert into the machine .I was just figuring it out
when I was greeted warmly by Ravi who is my nieces husband .He had come to pick
me up and along with him was his dad a retired University Professor .He was
quick –he took out his credit card ,punced in the amount ,and swiped it .The
trolley disentangled itself from hundreds of others and I was finally able to
load my luggage on it .But I had learnt how to get a trolley if I did not have
paper money .On my way out when while returning to India ,I saw a old man
struggling in an attempt to get a trolley .Promptly I asked him whether he had
a credit card and when he said yes ,I told him to watch me while I got my
trolley out . “Please look the other way while I punch my 4 digit number”,I joked
with him !! “And just see what I am doing”.Within seconds we both had our
trolleys .We learn so much from each other .Never ask anyone to do something
you can do yourself .Its good to know –and you can only know if you decide to
be independent .
Very soon we were on our way to Manhattan .Storm “Sandy”,had
hit the East Coast –but there was no sign of it that was visible to the naked
eye .Ravi kept telling me about the landmarks as we drove towards his home
.Many of the names were familiar to me .In between I got a call from my niece
Shrutima .She was waiting anxiously she said .Even I was very excited about
meeting her .We passed Broadway ,Times Square ,and the legendary Central
Station .
“Kulu Mama ,we are nearly home”,Ravi said .His Mercedes (yes
I have to mention this !!as also the fact that he is from MIT!!),pulled up in
the building where he stayed .Outside it was cold .!!Very soon we took the
elevator up to his penthouse .I waited for the elevator door to open .And when
it did ,I found Srutima waiting to receive me !!
“Hi Kulu Mama .Welcome to New York”,she cooed .And I heard a
dog bark .It was Misty who was to become a great friend of mine over the next 4
days .I was in Newyork –from the other side of the globe .It was a long journey
and it had taken me a number of years to
get there .I was tired ,bleary ,and wanted to hit the bed .But that was to be
only at 3 am !!
(To be continued .)
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