Mexico Musings

South of the Border

Episode Uno – 29 Nov ‘17

It’s Blog Time again folks, so keep your eyes skinned & watch this space!

Hola! Hallo!! Aloha!!! Different words spoken in different parts of the World, but meaning the same!!

So, after months, rather a couple of years, the urge to migrate South of the Border ,,,(as the song goes)…..’ down Mexican  way.. got the better of us.  As always, the prelude to departure had all the makings of a Hitchcock story (some felt, it was closer to “Ramsay ‘comedy’ Show”—how mean!)

On Kalpana’s (henceforth referred to as LOH) recommendation, Reshoo looked up the concerned sites & booked us for the GVK “Pranaam” Service.  In short, from the moment we stepped out at Dep Gate 2, we were whisked away with practiced efficiency through check-in, Imm, Security etc. I must make a mention of Two of my NCC cadets, Ramashish Maurya & Ram Chincholikar of 1990 & 91 Contingents respectively, who came to see me at that odd hour. Ram works with Jet, so he accompanied us all the way. Very touching gesture!

GVK "Pranaam" Lounge

LOH 'lounging'!

The Lounge Luxury personified, would be an apt description, although clichéd! Well appointed with plush sofas & tables (no chairs pl), choice of food, snacky or A La Carte & dedicated staff, to serve us, escort us to the boarding etc. All this comes at a price, which honestly was not too heavy on the pocket, but definitely,  a service we can all avail of, to have a smooth prelude to the take off. 

Boarding & beyond  Like inspired “afterthoughts” ( aka late reactions), we had upgraded to Premium Economy class, the deciding factors being, more “lebensraum” & baggage allowance of 2 pieces! Food variety too, I guess. Considering we were flying Lufthansa, it is in keeping with that spirit, that I used this word. Actually, it translates as “ Elbow Space”, but means more space. Elbow room would also be appropriate, in anticipation of enjoying the occasions of excercising this appendage joint, to imbibe the German “spirit”.(Elbow lifting in Army parlance & in layman’s language, simply “drinking”)

Having had dinner at the lounge, we politely said “Nein” to food but a strong “Ja’ for the drink! Breakfast was welcomed with open arms (Lebensraum), the LOH opting for Continental(!) while yours truly relied on the time tested fare available South of India (Steamed & Fried Rice dumplings with spiced grated coconut & Lentil curry!!) 

Frankfurt Since we had a waiting period of at least 4-5 hours, there was no need to rush anywhere. Security was pretty detailed, our small water bottles from the ‘plane being consigned to the trash can! From there on, vending our way through the various ‘duty free’ shops & restos, we eventually arrived at Gate B 26. This was on the lower floor and shops/eateries were lesser in size & numbers.

Hot Choc+Croissant -F'furt!

 Having settled at the window overlooking the runways, we first logged on to the Wi fi network, followed by a cup of Hot Chocolate/Coffee & a jumbo Croissant. Time was approx. 8 am but people were still carrying over Oktoberfest to Nov!!  During our last trip, we had partaken of a typical German Breakfast at  Kuffler & Bucher, recommended by Anshuman. This time, ‘though we passed by it, we decided to give it a pass! Having exchanged posts with all & facetime with Reshoo, we did another round of the terminal, for “time pass’ as they say! This time however, we stopped at the Deli Coffee Kitchen for an authentic German Beer tankard! 

Paninis....& paninis!

Prolonged Oktoberfest!

The paninis  (sandwiches to the uninitiated!) were too big for even both of us, so I settled for a nice-sized pretzel!

Surprises never cease, pleasant or otherwise! Since our boarding passes from F'frt to Mex were required later, I didn’t feel it necessary to fish them out again & again ( this is a typical nervous passenger syndrome, where despite confirming all details of the next flight, the victim wants to reassure him/her self!!) However, when I saw the seat Nos. weren’t quite confirming to what we had selected, panic!! Wrong passes, wrong ticket, wrong airport, the works! However, some good angel watching over us had prompted the desk clerk in Mumbai, to upgrade us to Business Class!! Whoopee! The other surprise was that the boarding gate had been changed to another, luckily, just round the corner.
Time to Switch-Off. Will re-open in Aeroplane mode later! 
The trip's just begun, enjoy yourselves!
AshoKalpana