from HaaRoNa Baa..to Team STRATOS (Part #03)
There we were, sitting happily in the plane waiting for its departure. It was a tense atmosphere for us, that day in the plane. As the plane took off towards Doha International Airport, scheduled for a 4 hours journey, the flight helped us getting some rest. It was like the pay-off time for the 2 months of hard work that we had put in for the project. This was the no sleep to full sleep period in our project. And we also missed our first lunch in air for that precious sleep. We felt bad later for having missed it. Anyway the hope that we would get another one such opportunity on the way towards Houston did lift our spirits up!
As the Pilot announced our arrival into the Doha airspace, at 6:30 in the evening (local time), I was excited to be setting my first steps on a foreign land for the first time in my life. It was all sight down through the sealed window of the aircraft. The view was amazing. I was simply amazed at the sight of one huge city that seemed to have emerged out into the atmosphere from the limitless sand cover. Huge buildings as tiny spots here and there spread on what appeared to be a sea of sand gave me goosebumps. After touchdown we were taken to a terminal were we had to pass through the security check, and as we were scheduled for a connecting flight there was no problem of immigration at Doha for us.
And in front of us was the duty-free shopping paradise. Even though the costs were too high for my standards it did feel cheap. After missing the lunch on the plane, we were all hungry and tired. Saw a hotel rather a eatery ( a take away kind) were there were a lot of people around. We thought that it would be cheaper there. Then I ordered for a veg-sandwich with a medium sized french fries bucket and a coke. Believe it or not, it demanded a whooping 900 rupees. And without doubt I refused on buying it. I did so in a very decent way, by just running away from the scene. But the good thing was that aki had ordered for a chicken sandwich with a coke. And I ended up sipping on the coke. That was a little funny incident of betrayal, that too 1918 miles away from my home.
Now we thought on some shopping in the duty-free shopping complex at the Doha international airport. First we had a long and a slow walk around. There was a Bentley I guess as a bumper prize as in most shopping malls. Taking photographs of it we proceeded. We then set off in looking for a gift to Deepak sir. Some cigars, some wine was in our mind. Having no idea on these we decided to decide on it later. The lavish complex took us all for a toss. I wondered how these guys can afford all these lavishness in the middle of a desert. I then realized how they are feeding oil to the whole world. There was the answer and the surprise element was no more to stay and the lavish complex seemed just like another boring Forum mall at Koramangala, Bangalore. It was a lot of time that we spent there and it was time to move. This was the moment, as we went into the terminal to board the flight to Houston, USA. I felt closer and closer to the target set by us two months earlier. The thought that everything was falling in place just at the right time was very hopeful and added energy to our already energetic spirits. It cannot be explained, how I felt. Fine, there we were sitting in the Boeing-737. It was just another amazing event in our hopeful path towards glory. The sheer size of it demanded a bow.
We then occupied our seats and the plane took-off without any delays. It was the smoothest 16 hours of my life. It is worthy to mention here the sight of Doha in the night is just amazing, especially, when you are in the plane gaining height every second. Cruising at 37000 feet, the outside temperature being a negative 40 degrees centigrade and with a lot of in plane entertainment (courtesy ORYX entertainment), I had one of the best moments of my life. We did not miss on the food this time around. And it tasted fantastic. The desert was one to savour in anytime of the day. As I longed for more of it, the tea was served with an additional option of coffee. I banked on tea most of the time as the coffee which I tried the first time did not impress me. It was black coffee, but I prefer it with milk. The burgers too were good. It filled our apetite. It was not so tasty though. Had a nice sleep. But this time we were cautious enough to stick the sticker on to the back of our seat which read, ‘wake me up for food’. And so we were. This was one instance in life where you are woken up for a sumptuous meal. It was a different case from the very common one where, everyday our parents try to wake us up to make us study for the never ending exams. After the meal our focus turned towards the entertainment the plane had in store. I started with a video of Ian Wright in a travel show, a Discovery Travel channel production. Movies then followed, with the games succeeding it.
After the regular orange and the apple juices, we were feeling refreshed. This was a new way. And it was time to check out the toilets in the plane. Akilesh and hari was curious on it. While hari was amazed at the speed of the flush, akilesh appreciated the material used to fabricate the toilet which according to him helped the designers of the plane save weight. It seemed quite funny to me. Anyway I had to join him in his appreciation stride and I did so, laughing on the funnier side of it in the back of my mind. With all these experiences for life it was an ultimate flight for 16 hours. And then came the moment. The captain announced our arrival to the Houston airspace. Goosebumps rose again. It was even more predominant.
I had lost the time sense after having crossed several time zones. What I remember is that, when the plane started its descent the sun was setting. And finally the plane touched down at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport at Houston, USA. Our reaction for our first step on the American soil was not filled with joy and happy rather it was auspicious. We then proceeded towards the immigration clearance which had a long queue. Like the one in our passport office. That was encouraging as I could relate to it. We split ourselves up following different queues. I saw many Telugu speaking people there. That too was quite encouraging. After clearing quite a tough immigration check we re-grouped. By tough I mean; the person who interviewed me did not understand a word I spoke. I tried helping him understand by speaking in different accents possible by me. But for that bugger, I think, it all seemed the same. Gosh! I had a sigh of relief when I cleared him with all his doubts. And he had his seal put on my visa. That was it. We were out of the terminal in no time. And there we were in the United States of America.
More on our meeting with amruth’s uncle, the stay in US and the competition coming soon. Wait maaDi please.
As the Pilot announced our arrival into the Doha airspace, at 6:30 in the evening (local time), I was excited to be setting my first steps on a foreign land for the first time in my life. It was all sight down through the sealed window of the aircraft. The view was amazing. I was simply amazed at the sight of one huge city that seemed to have emerged out into the atmosphere from the limitless sand cover. Huge buildings as tiny spots here and there spread on what appeared to be a sea of sand gave me goosebumps. After touchdown we were taken to a terminal were we had to pass through the security check, and as we were scheduled for a connecting flight there was no problem of immigration at Doha for us.
And in front of us was the duty-free shopping paradise. Even though the costs were too high for my standards it did feel cheap. After missing the lunch on the plane, we were all hungry and tired. Saw a hotel rather a eatery ( a take away kind) were there were a lot of people around. We thought that it would be cheaper there. Then I ordered for a veg-sandwich with a medium sized french fries bucket and a coke. Believe it or not, it demanded a whooping 900 rupees. And without doubt I refused on buying it. I did so in a very decent way, by just running away from the scene. But the good thing was that aki had ordered for a chicken sandwich with a coke. And I ended up sipping on the coke. That was a little funny incident of betrayal, that too 1918 miles away from my home.
Now we thought on some shopping in the duty-free shopping complex at the Doha international airport. First we had a long and a slow walk around. There was a Bentley I guess as a bumper prize as in most shopping malls. Taking photographs of it we proceeded. We then set off in looking for a gift to Deepak sir. Some cigars, some wine was in our mind. Having no idea on these we decided to decide on it later. The lavish complex took us all for a toss. I wondered how these guys can afford all these lavishness in the middle of a desert. I then realized how they are feeding oil to the whole world. There was the answer and the surprise element was no more to stay and the lavish complex seemed just like another boring Forum mall at Koramangala, Bangalore. It was a lot of time that we spent there and it was time to move. This was the moment, as we went into the terminal to board the flight to Houston, USA. I felt closer and closer to the target set by us two months earlier. The thought that everything was falling in place just at the right time was very hopeful and added energy to our already energetic spirits. It cannot be explained, how I felt. Fine, there we were sitting in the Boeing-737. It was just another amazing event in our hopeful path towards glory. The sheer size of it demanded a bow.
We then occupied our seats and the plane took-off without any delays. It was the smoothest 16 hours of my life. It is worthy to mention here the sight of Doha in the night is just amazing, especially, when you are in the plane gaining height every second. Cruising at 37000 feet, the outside temperature being a negative 40 degrees centigrade and with a lot of in plane entertainment (courtesy ORYX entertainment), I had one of the best moments of my life. We did not miss on the food this time around. And it tasted fantastic. The desert was one to savour in anytime of the day. As I longed for more of it, the tea was served with an additional option of coffee. I banked on tea most of the time as the coffee which I tried the first time did not impress me. It was black coffee, but I prefer it with milk. The burgers too were good. It filled our apetite. It was not so tasty though. Had a nice sleep. But this time we were cautious enough to stick the sticker on to the back of our seat which read, ‘wake me up for food’. And so we were. This was one instance in life where you are woken up for a sumptuous meal. It was a different case from the very common one where, everyday our parents try to wake us up to make us study for the never ending exams. After the meal our focus turned towards the entertainment the plane had in store. I started with a video of Ian Wright in a travel show, a Discovery Travel channel production. Movies then followed, with the games succeeding it.
After the regular orange and the apple juices, we were feeling refreshed. This was a new way. And it was time to check out the toilets in the plane. Akilesh and hari was curious on it. While hari was amazed at the speed of the flush, akilesh appreciated the material used to fabricate the toilet which according to him helped the designers of the plane save weight. It seemed quite funny to me. Anyway I had to join him in his appreciation stride and I did so, laughing on the funnier side of it in the back of my mind. With all these experiences for life it was an ultimate flight for 16 hours. And then came the moment. The captain announced our arrival to the Houston airspace. Goosebumps rose again. It was even more predominant.
I had lost the time sense after having crossed several time zones. What I remember is that, when the plane started its descent the sun was setting. And finally the plane touched down at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport at Houston, USA. Our reaction for our first step on the American soil was not filled with joy and happy rather it was auspicious. We then proceeded towards the immigration clearance which had a long queue. Like the one in our passport office. That was encouraging as I could relate to it. We split ourselves up following different queues. I saw many Telugu speaking people there. That too was quite encouraging. After clearing quite a tough immigration check we re-grouped. By tough I mean; the person who interviewed me did not understand a word I spoke. I tried helping him understand by speaking in different accents possible by me. But for that bugger, I think, it all seemed the same. Gosh! I had a sigh of relief when I cleared him with all his doubts. And he had his seal put on my visa. That was it. We were out of the terminal in no time. And there we were in the United States of America.
More on our meeting with amruth’s uncle, the stay in US and the competition coming soon. Wait maaDi please.
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