Day 12 - South a bit, West a bit...

18:00
A cracking sleep. A touch over 8 hours, and I wake with my alarm. I’ve a few hours before I need to check out, and about 6 until my driver will come to take me to the airport, so I luxuriate for a while.

Around 10:00, I spring (lies) into action. First, a shower. About midway through my shower, just as I’m at peak lather, the water runs cold. I emit something akin to a shriek, and jump backwards from the water, very almost doing myself a major mischief. The water does not run hot again. Curses.

I’m packed and in the bar dead-on 12:00. The bar has finally been restocked - hurrah! I treat myself to a Kingfisher Premium. Sad as it is to say goodbye to Pench and the very kind team at Tiger in Woods, I’m ready to move on. I’m actually looking forward to some baking sunshine in Goa.

Mr Prakash arrives a little late for our 14:00 pick-up, but not disastrously so. I’m always amazed at how sanguine I am about time in India compared to the UK. It helps that I’ve got plenty of spare time in my day, but even so - I just kick back and read my book until he turns up.

This is pretty much the opposite of the drive down to Pench. I largely slept through that, and after 10 minutes on the highway, wish I was similarly fatigued today. We have around 7 very near misses during the journey - one with a dog, several with rickshaws and cars, and one with a truck that almost gives me a heart attack. For each, I’m stamping on the invisible brake in the back seat… It’s worst in central Nagpur, through which we have to drive to reach the airport. The road is perhaps 3 lanes wide, but there are typically 7 vehicles trying to occupy those 3 lanes. It’s not difficult to see why Indian roads are regularly judged the most dangerous in the world upon which to drive…

Mr Prakash drops me off at a restaurant that sits right next to the departure area at Nagpur Airport. It’s a little after 16:00, and my flight doesn’t leave until 21:15, so I’ve a bunch of time to kill. I’m conscious I’ve not eaten anything today, and thought a bite and a couple of beers close to the airport would help burn through some of that time. The restaurant has some Sula wines in stock. Sula is one of the better known (and better quality) producers of Indian wine. The climate in parts of India is actually pretty good for some grapes, and the standard has been improving throughout my time visiting the country. I have a half bottle of a Chenin Blanc which is really pretty good. Oaked, with some good acidity, flavours of apple and pear. Decent.

I have my first palak paneer of the trip. This is a staple favourite of both Vicki and I, and it’s something I make at home as well. A rich, spinach sauce with paneer - an Indian cheese that sits somewhere between halloumi and mozzarella. Not the strongest flavoured, but has a great texture for cooking, and can stand up to grilling / tandoor roasting if needs be - a tandoori paneer kebab on the BBQ is a thing of veggie bliss. My dish today is great. It provides heft and ballast, but with subtle spicing, and just the right amount of chilli heat.

I’m attempting to smuggle my vapes to Goa. I knew when I booked my flights that this would be my day of reckoning. I have two vape kits with me. One will travel in my hold luggage, packed away very securely with my electric toothbrush. The other, I will disassemble, and pack in various part of my cabin baggage, so it hopefully least resembles a vape. I’ve got other nicotine products to get me through if that worst occurs, but I’m hopeful that at least one of them will join me in Goa…

19:30
They will not. After much planning and scheming, after much thought and ideating, after much packing and repacking, they’re both taken by the folks at the security check. I’d largely forgotten the strangely Indian practice of x-raying your hold luggage before you check-in at the airport. It’s not the worst idea in the world, but it does rather work against my needs at this point in time. As a result ALL electronics must be carried in your cabin baggage, and this is my undoing. The security guard is very kind, just points to where they are and gently demands I hand them over.

Turns out, I would make a terrible smuggler. Debbie is giving me the down-low on where I can stock up with disposables in Palolem/Patnem, and the awesome Vicks will be bring me a new battery on Wednesday that I left at home for emergencies…

On the up-side, there’s a cool little bar in the departure area, and they also serve wine. Another Sula offering, this time their Shiraz Cabernet red blend. Also decent. Maybe lacking a bit of structure and tannin, but certainly not offensive,

23:45
The flight was quick and painless. I think the guy sitting next to me is on a plane for the first time. He’s maybe in his late 20s, and everso excited about the whole thing. He badgers the dude sitting by the window into leaning forward during take-off so he can excitedly film the whole thing. He’s travelling with a group of about 10 other young guys, all of whom seem similarly excited. If there’s an Indian equivalent to LADS LADS LADS then this is it.

We land a little ahead of schedule at 22:30. Dabolim Airport has had a MASSIVE glow up since I was last here 12 years ago. The entire terminal building has been replaced, and where it previously felt like a crowded cattle market, it now feels bright, open and spacious. Our bags arrive quickly, no doubt the beneficiary of a modernised baggage handling system, and I’m quickly into my cab.

My driver is actually from the less crazy end of the Indian driver spectrum, for which I’m grateful. Unfortunately, his headlights don’t appear to work, for which I am not. This is not such a problem on the big dual carriageway that leads away from the airport, as there’s excellent overhead lighting. A little further South where the streetlights disappear, not so much. I pop my headphones on, close my eyes and tilt my head back. Hopefully, this will not be the last entry in this journal…Leer más