Monkey Valley

I got out of the flight and was hoping to see my luggage in the conveyor belt and saw it. I took my luggage and went to the foreign exchange and changed my US Dollars to Rand. I came inside the airport, so many people carrying the placards and none for me! I was thinking what to do then I see a gorgeous woman and a young man coming to me and saying ' you are definitely from India - you look like Aparna to me' and lo and behold that was my pick up. The driver was a guy named Ricky and he immediately took charge of my luggage and said ' let me do this my dear you might be tired' and I was relieved. I tried to sms venky and Ricky was joking and saying 'tell your husband that you are with another man who is paying lot of attention'.... He was indeed a warm flirt he said, ' it takes 45 minutes to reach the place, since I am with a beautiful woman I dont know how long it is going to take, dont blame me if I am lost'... A total flirt he was.
I came to the venue, it was bang opposite Atlantic ocean and I took a shower before I met people, and the wind started again to blow and blow...

I met an Indian girl and a passionate mobile activist during dinner. She was talking about freedom phone and how it connects to people and the costs etc. I was thinking of Thayamma and Lakshmi and the mobile bills..
It is a bit top down place to envision technologies being useful to communities.

I have lost all my humour right now to tell anecdotes. May be the food is the reason.
All my meals are salads and fruits so far. Vegetarian means vegetables (cooked or fresh) and fruits to these people! I am slowly losing my appetite for breakfast, lunch and dinner as it is the same! Hope it is better in Cape Town.

I attended a open exchange forum on spanish poetry tonight. Gabby read the poems. She is a lesbian and she read about her upbringing and her images of love and sex. It was very interesting.
I am signing off with low creative juice in a promise to do better tomorrow!
One more culprit could be the cold. It is so cold, my hands are freezing, my body is in want of warmth and I cant think straight outside the room.
The warming factor is Malevo - the local potent wine - it is divine!

Boeing to Cape Town

I was in this longest flight of my life (nine hours) and since I slept very well in the Dubai hotel, I was wide awake.
This is for Madhavi's (Sorry akkayya) benefit - Everybody's seat has a TV with headphones and we can watch films, TV sitcoms (Yes venky Friends too), listen to music or see how and where the flight is going (impressive isnt it?)
I watched films non stop, drank juice, demanded for my vegetarian meal and had a can of Heineken beer (after seeing old women down two - three bottles of wine!)

Pilot announces in a grave voice - " For your attention passengers, we will be ready to touch down in five minutes, please fasten your seat belts, there will be mild winds, cabin crew will assist you with further safety procedures"
Knowing me you might guess what I thought at that moment.. why should cabin crew assist us and with what safety procedures more than seat belts are necessary? I tried to read the safety brochure - one extra information was 'bend your head forward in case of emergency'... Ok, Any way I decided to look down through and through. Woman next to my seat was sleeping. I looked at her for a while and she said ' dont worry Cape town is always windy, this happens all the time...
I was thinking why should the announcements sound ominous all the time, why cant they be cheerful and connect with people? It is a kind of snobbery right? Imagine two people compeering the flight announcements (Maniakka and Madevanna or Ningi and Siddanna types)
Mani: Anno Gaali badithaithe kananno eevatthuvi,
Madeva:Ye aden parvagilla manyakka iddidde alwa (houdu bidu) hangantha sumkirbedi, belt aakkali, innenara idre eevakkadeeru yoltharappa
Mani: Oudalwa, nam jaagratheli naavidre olledappa yaavatthidru, alwenanna

We had an uneventful landing and I got my luggage without a problem and changed sixty US Dollars to 496 Rands.

Dubai Millennium Airport Hotel:

9 November 2008-11-09

Time: 6.50 pm (Dubai time of course)

Guess what! My first ever international flight was delayed by two hours and I missed my connecting flight to Cape Town by arriving an hour late than the scheduled time. It also means that my luggage made its first international trip without hitches. Lucky cottons! Bet you will be there to meet me 

I was sleeping on my feet when the flight was finally announced in Bangalore. I was proud of myself for fighting my demons. There was a compassionate doctor from London who told me to plug my ears and see the effect it has on my nerves during take off. God bless her sweet soul it was dramatic.
But several things I noticed during my flight…..
Indian hostesses were a bit reluctant to attend to Indian commuters
Frozen breakfast – Though looked good, chilled my fingers and what is the big idea of eating a croissant and Parathas with channa masala for breakfast. Yes I know I am a bit stuck up on my food preferences .. anything above room temperature is fine I think.

More or less everybody who took the Bangalore Dubai flight was stranded for the day. I met a woman who was flying for the first time to meet her son’s family in US. There was a busy guy from UNDP who made his busyness very vocal and now I know that he is going to Switzerland and next week he will go to Ghana. He tried to chat up and I was relieved to have some social contact (Human beings – we suck at being on our own all the time!). We realized that we both need to be at the airport next day more or less at the same time. And then he asked casually whether I want to have some coffee. I clammed up immediately and Sridevi’s tear streaked face in ‘Gumrahh” came into my mind (Please trust me, I am innocent, pleaase). So I told him that I need to sleep and then told him that I will see him around and scooted off to my room. (to check how safe it is for me to stay alone!)

The room I am given is a spacious and luxurious double room with all the works. (Oh Venky, I miss you). I was sitting in the restaurant eating ‘Spinach lasagna, rice with vegetable stew and fresh fruit salad (it was organized in fruit shaped expensive crystal bowls seated in ice bed with lighting in strategic places which made it look like fruits from heaven) and I was thinking of the image people might be making of me. I wanted them to think of me as this ‘jet setting busy body of a woman who knows what exactly to eat in their hotel’. But, may be I was looking a bit lost and tired to give that impression (especially not in my wrinkly dress and pink shoes).

I have never looked forward to fly before but right now I am hoping and praying that I will soon fly and be in Cape Town with my fellow feminists from all over the world. Long live pink shoes and purple clothes.

I am trying to watch TV and on offer are music channels from India, one Hollywood film channel (Dubai One) and other Arabic ones. (never did a film promo generate such an effect as today – ‘You think World is a safe place, think AGAIN).

I feel like I am ‘pasted on’ to a travel brochure of Dubai. But, very interesting to be in it right now (no choice here!).

Musings before Cape town travel

The day before I left for Cape Town:

It feels a bit strange, lot exciting and an underlying current of anxiety which is running through all I do right now.

I got warmth and care galore and quite unexpectedly from various quarters. I will list it putting the most unexpected on top,

1. Bala called to wish me luck for the journey and made a date for after I come back !!! ( he is a good friend who lost touch after he got married two years ago)
2. People in the office got together (sneaked and planned to be precise), announced a surprise gathering and gave me a lovely bouquet of roses (all colours!!) and gave me a sweet card which translates to ‘Go in comfort and come back safe, and let everything be good’. This coming from a team which I thought was alien to me a bit either because they feared me or they felt the power difference I don’t know was a fantastic surprise which got tears to my eyes. I cant forget the round of hugs (though groaning a bit inwardly thinking I might be smelling of smoke and caring!)
3. Madhavi organized a party behind my back and we had a lovely time drinking a can of beer and convincing each other that we are not at all anxious! She gave a serious card which stated how anxious and excited she is for me at the same time tried to lighten the mood by giving a ‘sisters are through thick and thin’ type of funny card. A party organized by a ‘almost’ non drinker is a great surprise indeed.
4. Hari Prasad sent a message in his sweet language – ‘Happy Bon Voyage’ and look forward to see you kane,
5. Chin said ‘I am already missing you’ when I was in the bus from Mysore to Bangalore
6. Mom said ‘ I know you are going to be safe because I know Hanumantha the God of wind is with you and I hope you make your country proud’
7. Venky ( the husband) shopped till we drop with me and I have not heard no from him for anything, ‘venky this is a nice dress but it is very expensive’ and he said ‘please go ahead and buy it, I insist you buy it because you need to have this for your trip’ .. this is the manthra for everything so far
8. Kavi went to my office and spent one and a half hours collecting my stuff, and made sure that I am well groomed and my luggage is well packed before I left. She is a warm soul.
God, at some point it feels like I am writing to acknowledge what everybody did before I get into the plane (where what all might happen or not happen)…
I might feel very silly reading this ‘emotional’ account in fifteen days from now (after I am firmly back in my home town Mysore and in my home with Venky dear). But, I feel like this right now, so let me out with it..