October 9 – Flying to Varanasi

After Steve returned to the room, we went to breakfast. I was feeling a little better (thank goodness) so I ate a little bit, just enough to take med and vitamins. We reorganized/packed and, after leaving the suitcases outside the room, checked out the shops by the hotel. Of course, all of the shopowners kept trying to get us to go into their shops. We made a couple of purchases and then joined others in our group for the short ride to the small airport. Entering the building, we had to show our passports. A bit time consuming but not too bad. We waited in the passenger area and then found out the flight was delayed about 50 minutes. This isn’t unusual, from what we’ve been told. We got in line for security and had a long wait (about 40 minutes) as one man checked the passports (again), boarding passes, and hand luggage tags. Then our hand baggage went on the security belt for scanning. Each of us was “patted down” before we could get our hand luggage. We didn’t have to remove our shoes or show the quart size bag of small liquid containers. Many of us had water bottles in our bags. Some were allowed and others weren’t. No sense, but it’s just the way they do things. We waited in the other area for the plane to arrive. Of course there was a vendor selling water and snacks.

When the plane was ready for us, we walked out onto the tarmac to climb the steps to the plane. Most of us were sitting together, but not all as couples. On the short 35-minute flight, we were served half a sandwich, a small lime drink, and a small bottle of water. Comfortable flight. At the Varanasi Airport, we waited for Sanjay to locate our bags, and then followed him and the porters to the bus. Ride to the Radisson Varanasi wasn’t too long. When we entered, we were given rudraksha necklaces, a bindi on the forehead, and a cold glass of Coke. The luggage arrived within 15 minutes, so we changed for the evening.