Wednesday 28 November 2012

Time to take Off !




Tuesday, 4th  December 2012,   02:45  a.m.  Yes, that is the actual time to take Off !  Literally and figuratively as well.  The British Airways  Mumbai - London - Dallas  flight   BA 138 will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji International  Terminal, Mumbai  and, at least for me, will create history of sorts.  The count down has already begun. T minus 7 days, ... The excitement is on so high, that, the mind has already done a recce of this 36 days tour, in advance.

There are many things which will be prefixed with the expression ' the first time'.
The first among 'the first time', is the longest break to be taken from my Office.  The heart trouble of last year forced me to take a break of  about one month. This time the break is of 36 days; so certainly longer than ever before. So far a break for travelling is concerned,  the earlier longest break was for 15 days (Kailash Mansarovar Tour).  Thanks to the professional partnership, and the capable partner, I am quite relaxed and prepared.   The work assignments for next two months are already planned.   There is more energy and enthusiasm now,  and a conscious attempt to finish/ dispose  the pending  work jobs at the earliest. Lot of planning has gone into important decisions to attend things in absentia.

The second among 'the first time', is the longest distance of about 10,700 miles or 16,560 km  (one way ) to visit the dream land of US.  So total travelling of about 33,120 km is the longest distance to travel.  This distance is almost 83 % of the circumference (40,028 km) of the Earth. Is it not exciting ?  Lot of things have been heard or known about US. Now will be the time to have first hand experience about the same.

The third among 'the first time', will be the longest flights. Mumbai - London is 10 hours flight by Boeing 777. After a break of 3 hours at Heathrow Airport, the next flight , London - Dallas will also be of 10 hours (by Boeing 747-400). This is going to be the longest flight for me, so far.

The fourth among 'the first time', to enter into west zone of longitudes. Travel upto Paris or Zurich (in June this year) was close to  the prime meridian  which is zero degree longitude (a vertical line dividing  the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres, and passing through London).  Just imagine the world map as a number line. The equator and the prime meridian together dividing the world in four quadrants.  The northern hemisphere would be first and second quadrants, whereas, southern hemisphere would be like third and fourth quadrants.  I hope you are getting what I am trying to compare.  So far my travel had been in the the first quadrant (i.e. east zone)  only. First time, I will be going beyond London, to 2nd quadrant (i.e. west zone) of the Globe.

Bangkok (100 degrees East) to San Francisco (122 degrees West) will be longest distance (horizontal as well as vertical) I would have traveled,  very soon.



The list  of  'the first time' is unending.   I will provide pictorial account of this thrilling journey soon.
Till then au revoir !




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