We slept in one more time at Casa Vishnu, and then spent most of the morning packing and drinking coffee. It was a very slow paced morning, which I think we appreciated. Once our bags were packed we went out for lunch at the beer pub, and although we were all not so hungry I managed to eat a panini sandwich to go along with a mug of cold beer. It was our last chance to talk with Vishnu, because he had to work in the afternoon. He arranged a driver to take us to the airport, however. Back home we gathered our stuff, took some last minute pictures, and said goodbye to Vishnu and his family. They really did a lot for us on this trip, and we kept telling them that we’d definitely pay back their hospitality if they make it out to Japan in the future.
Then it was off to the airport. The driver that Vishnu had arranged was very good, and we had almost 45 minutes of driving time to the airport outside of town. It gave us plenty of time to try to drink in all the scenery one last time. Bangalore is not really like Delhi, but outside of town it reminded me a little more of the capital – the cows, the people standing around on the side of the streets, the stands and shops and half-built homes.
At the airport it was a breeze to catch a flight to Delhi, and then at the Delhi airport we killed a couple of hours shopping one last time for some last minute souvenirs and also enjoying a cocktail before boarding our plane. The cocktail was the key to a fitful sleep on the way back. Our plane left Delhi at 11;50 pm local time, and we would be arriving in Osaka around noon Japan time, so I was hoping to get some sleep on the way. Luckily, the flight was smooth and nobody sat behind me, so I didn’t have to feel guilty about reclining my seat. I slept 4-5 hours out of eight hours of total flying time, and even woke up in time for breakfast.
On the bus ride back from Osaka airport to Kobe we talked about the trip – it was really one of our better ones. A little different style of trip than what we are used to, but the amount of stuff we accomplished in a week and the amount of relaxation (not to mention the amount of food) is something I was proud of.
We’ve got just a few more months until we’re traveling again – December will be Thailand and Cambodia, another (hopefully) relaxing trip ahead of us.
