Our Driver

The cars and drivers are immaculate - and are extremely good value for someone from nantwich

The journey

Worth making a couple of notes on the trip, a lot of lorries have no rear lights, it's OK to go as slow as you like in any Lane and not worry. If your lorry or car breaks down then it's ok to stop and try to repair it without any warning lights, and park anywhere you want. And red traffic lights are just there for decoration and do not mean you have to stop.

At one point Heather asked the driver what some building was, and he put his brakes on and nearly came to a halt, causing mayhem behind him with drivers all sitting on their horns!

Arrived in bangalore

The flight was good, and we made up the time so we arrived around 3.30am (seriously).

Then the queue... There must have been 500 people there, with a disheartingly long queue, and no way I could see a shortcut anywhere.  So 40 minutes to get to a very disinterested border guard, and then just when you think that's it, a second queue to show the visa stamp that the border guard had just seen, and then another long queue, where you have to go through an xray and metal detector, which was another 30 minutes.

It's the only Country I have ever been to where they give you the same treatment leaving the airport as they do entering it!

So we found our luggage waiting with chalk marks on it, and wondered why until we came to customs who made us xray out again!

Finally we leave the customs area and, bearing in mind there are hundreds of people , a man smiles at us and says 'Mr Kinch' - how did he know! Do I really look like that much of a tourist - anyway he took our bags and lead us outside to our waiting car, a skoda limo complete with driver in white uniform and hat, Heather commented that he looked just like Richard Gere in an officer and a gentleman.

We sat down in the rear and got passed some cold flannels and water, and were whisked of to the hotel.

Nearly missed the flight. .

The trip was great apart from one small thing! We are sitting in the lounge getting something to eat and heather asked me If we had plenty of time left. I said of course but quietly checked the monitors, bearing I mind the desk said to leave by 20.50, the clock showed 21.25 and the flight was due to depart at 21.40. And we were at least 10 minutes to the gate.

Breaking the news gently to Heather, who gave me a 'we will discuss this later look', we grabbed our stuff and took off at some speed.

And it is a long way to a gate that happens to be at the far end of the airport, with lots of people that do not have the same priority as you. Heather said she had never run so fast in her life. And we some how got lost missing a turning!

We arrived at the gate at 21.40 which was deserted, save for two frantic people and a waiting bus. Phew....

Finally on the off

An early start and on the plane for an 8am flight, and best of all so far on time! It is showing as 19c in Abu Dhabi which seems pretty cool to me but I guess it's still February.