Exit : Hyderabad, Enter : Nairobi
Posted on 23 May 2007 under Journal/Life Updates
(With a couple of hours of transit stoppage at Mumbai, of course).
In this first post that will cover my trip to Kenya, I’ll talk about the ”to” part of the journey, i.e. Hyderabad –> Mumbai –> Nairobi.
We got to Hyderabad Airport well in time for check-in. The flight to Mumbai was delayed by about an hour. Luckily, I was mentally prepared for long periods of useless waiting (thought not having my mp3 player did nothing to improve my mood) and this wasn’t much of an inconvenience. We were 3 (mum, sister and me) and we got the 3 seats that are in the middle of the fuselage, no windows. The aircraft looked like it had definitely seen much better days. It was spotty and looked “used” (the once-white panels were more yellowish-brown), some of the cabin baggage areas’ lids seemed loose and needed to be banged real hard to close them, etc.
The crew, too, weren’t as polite or helpful as one might expect. They were more like teachers trying to fly a plane full of timid students, rather than genuinely helpful air crew flying a plane full of people. Then again, there were a few things I noticed which might offer SOME explanation as to why the crew seemed to be less tolerant and less polite than you’d expect from the professional air stewarding crew of a big airline company like Air India :
- There were so many announcements that mobile phones should be switched off (to prevent interference with the plane’s communications systems and stuff) inside the plane that I almost wished I had one just to switch it off, shove it in their face and have them cease telling me to switch off my mobile phone. AND YET I saw a dude who calmly answered his phone and had a conversation just seconds after the plane landed at Mumbai airport.
- The lady sitting next to this dude washed her hands in her plate with the small bottle of water they provided with the refreshments.
- Luggage was placed haphazardly in the baggage area and without care about whether the bin cover would close. The crew in-charge almost lost his cool while dealing with one particular piece of luggage.
However, that was no reason for them to try and freeze us to death. I am not kidding. The flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai was the coldest flight I’ve ever sat in. Either their AC control was going haywire or they were simply trying to freeze people into inactivity. (or it could be possible that this crew was abducted by little blue aliens that stole their skin and are pretending to be the crew of flight AI 127. This is also a possibility when you compare this crew with the crew of the Mumbai-Nairobi flight, which was also Air India by the way :P)
In contrast, the flight from Mumbai to Nairobi was very nice. Even though the plane model was the same (Airbus A310/300), this one looked slicker, cleaner and meaner. The crew were extremely helpful and polite, the captain was more dynamic and frequently spoke to us over the PA system, and most importantly, they didn’t turn the plane into a big metal refridgerator. 
It’s interesting to note, like I previously mentioned, that even though both flights were Air India, the internation flight crew were much better than the “local” flight crew… hmm…
The landing, visa and baggage claim at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at Nairobi were pleasant and without any incident. We even managed to get through the (in)famous customs thanks to mum’s convincing speaking skills.
Now about Kenya itself… The airport is located in the outskirts of the city, so naturally, it’s surrounded by plenty of greenery. However, what struck me was that the feeling that we’re still in the outskirts never left me almost till the moment we turned into our appartment building, because there’s as much greenery in the city area as there is in the outskirts. Also, while the characteristic of weather in India is that no matter how cold a day it is, the wind will most likely be warm, it’s quite the opposite here. The sun was pretty strong during the day time, but the breeze that blew was cool. In fact, I’m finding it pretty darned cold here, but after the absolutely blazing heat we’ve been facing for the last few days in India, this is almost a good thing 
Photos and more updates to follow
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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Wow, sounds cool (double meaning)
Waiting for the pictures 
Air India Sucks!
That’s all I have to say.
Sounds niceee :).
I’m not really suprised by domestic crew services are worst than international. I mean, duh, the flag carrier defintiely has to have better services for international (Because it’s called international for a reason, leaving/entering the country is supposedly the first and last impression for a tourist or whoever) :p. You know, what I mean :D.
I wanna see the “Greenery” you mean d’oh, hope to see you online sometime soon :). But it really sounds atad like where I live (maybe with lesser greenery, but lots still exist).
A new post with some pictures coming soon. Instead of congesting a post with too many pictures, I may put them on flickr or something, and link to the gallery.
On a happier note, I seem to be getting used to the cold, somewhat.
Coldness is good. I mean..I’m feeling cool every night here where I live.
During the end of the year (and start), it feels cold through the day and it’s literally freezing in the night :P.
OK so u r there!!!
Actually I not a bit surprised by the difference in AI services, its famous that way. I was kinda worried if u might have any trouble @ Mumbai Airport, bcos In transit halts are where the most probs occour.
Anyways here in Mumbai I always do get a cool breeze, maybe bcos I got d SEA right out of my window (almost)
No, the transit was absolutely without any problems whatsoever.
By the way, I did notice another change in the 2 flights:
The “local” flight had people with elements of unsophistication (euphemism for “cheapness”
), whereas on the international flight, a couple of people struck me as snobs… but then again, that could just be the way I personally perceived things.
Domestic Air India flights suck bigtime. that’s a kinda open secret. They’ll give you more preference if u r not an indian or are on a direct flight abroad. suffered a lot on AI.
and i completely agree with you, it’s really annoying when all these supposedly well educated ppl don’t care a damn to what’s being said abt switching off cell phones. i mean why do they have to assume that they r are smarter when it comes to these things?
ppl fight (yes, i mean fight, not argue) abt little things like wearing seat belts or putting up their seats and trays. they think they’re acting intelligent but don’t we know better?
coming back to AI, u made a bad choice. that’s all i have to say. but at least you didn’t fly sri lanka airlines (thankfully it doesn’t go on that route). that’s the one you should keep AWAY (emphasis intended) from.
and yes, have fun there. Hope you enjoy. and i’m waiting for the pics!
Well, actually, like I said, the international flight wasn’t so bad
Anyway, a small update : pics are going to be delayed for a bit… I need to figure out a way to allow selective access to some pictures which may include me and my family.
And a new post should come up sometime soon… hopefully BEFORE the weekend is through.
hi
How is nairobi
How much time does flight from Mumbai takes to reach nairobi
Is better flights there
Also from Kolkata if some one goes to Nairobi what is the best route
Also anything nearby to see
also if vegetarian goes for 4-5 days , what are the foods available
Thanks for help
AIR INDIA is really earning the money without providing the gud customer service on both the way,either ground or in AIR.AIR INDIA SUCKS
@Mohammed ali,
I really can’t comment on it… like I said, my experience hasn’t been too bad, but I’m not a regular flier…
THANKS
WAITING FOR MORE UPDATES ABOUT NAIROBI
Well, I’ve come back to Hyderabad (quite a long time back, too)…
I’m yet to get the CD with all the pictures, and then I can post it online.
I like Nairobi But I heat kakuma Refugee Cap…..
the Gov Have to Think 4 thos Peuple.
Just Re lax