2. Flight & 2. Layover: Mumbai

After the food from the first flight gave me stomach pain, I settled next to Tina on the plane. A nice gentleman from Mumbai was to my right, and Tina was to my left, and my smile faded faster than ever because, in addition to the stomach aches and constant fatigue, we realized my fatal mistake: the printed ETA approval was comfortably resting in my carry-on suitcase, which was peacefully staying in the belly of the plane. Thus, the flight did not start so peacefully for me, as we took off, which already made me nervous without additional worries. As soon as we were in the air, I inquired about a stewardess, but the nice man next to me calmed me down when I explained my situation. His following words were also very helpful: 'You can't change it now anyway.' Sadly, I had to skip the food that looked very delicious in the early morning because I couldn’t swallow a bite. And suddenly, the tears started streaming from me because I thought they wouldn’t let me into the country. While I was asking about my mom, Tina lovingly comforted me, and then I felt better (because she told me she wouldn't leave me alone in Mumbai, which I thought was really nice) and we were already beginning our landing approach.

'I want my mommy' counter for this trip: 1

We landed in Mumbai late, and the visa process took way too long. The good news: I had wasted so many tears and soaked Tina's shoulder as if it were a plant for nothing, because even though it said everywhere that they would only accept the printed ETA approval, the man took my phone without a comment and let me into the country. (Tina had trouble scanning her little hands, but she got through anyway.) 1:0 for us! The bad news: we got our visa 10 minutes after boarding was completed. 1:1 - equalization for the others. So we ran like crazy through this huge unfamiliar airport, making our way to the counter, hoping that there was still something to be done, and quickly learned about the democratic country of India, where there are no lines, allowing everyone to do whatever they want at any time - even cutting in line at the Indigo counter. You do nothing except despair. By a miracle, we did receive help from a friendly Indigo employee and learned that the flight was delayed, so we quickly checked in, zoomed through security, and finally took off with a 2-hour delay. 2:1 for us!

➡️ next stop: Raipur