So, Rohit's getting friendly with the Big C, and they want him to
talk to them again. The best time is Thanksgiving, since he wouldn't
need as many vacation days. Adam, Da Man, is worried about other
commitments, and doesn't think it's worth the dough. Rohit doesn't
want to go it alone. So, Sunday night, I joke with Rohit that I'd be
free.
By Monday afternoon, I am Da Other Man. We get signoff from Road
Runner on Tuesday. Of course, Rohit being Rohit, we always fly east
to Japan, crossing every time zone and several continents and islands.
To make it more interesting, Rohit's in Sweden, so I get to handle
the arrangements.
By this point we have buy-in from my family (for missing
Thanksgiving), my company, Road Runnder, and the Big C. What we don't
have yet is tickets (though we have reservations), assorted gift
boxes, and APPROVAL FROM MIT.
To make things fun, I have to leave tonight so I can be in Chicago on
Friday to get my India visa. So, hopefully we'll hear back from MIT
right away, or things could get very interesting.
Oh, and the high mockery bit is that the big 22 for Rohit (11/25/74)
will be almost entirely spent on a plane to Delhi, thus carving 7
hours or so off his day. It would have been even better if we had
managed the western route, where we'd cross the date line and
obliterate the day entirely.
Yours for the soon to be perpetually jet-lagged,
-- Ernie P.
FINAL PLAN
All-united rtw:
ENP: LAX-ORD. ORD-LHR, leave 5PM sat, arrive 7 am sunday. Customs, ARRIVALS
shower, etc.
RK: ARN-LHR on BA arrive 9:40.
Where do we meet your cousin, Ernie? Terminal 3 is united; ba is 2. is
there a meeting point? phone #?
See if my LHR-DEL tix merit a hotel night at Heathrow on United Sun
evening.
Mon AM LHR-DEL
Arrive midnight Monday.
Alternatives: get a room in delhi for a few hours, trip to Varanasi and
back Wed evening to Delhi to meet Ernie's uncle, or stay in Delhi, or
take a daytrip to Jaipur or Agra? Ernie, talk to my mom about this...
Midnight Wed, on to HKG. Connect after 2 hrs to NRT. Arrive Thu afternoon.
Takinawa Prince reservations? one double room.
Saturday 9:30pm to HNL.
Arrive 8AM in HNL. United hotel service incl?
Spend saturday few hours in downtown HNL, take 2PM island-hopper to Maui.
Spend sat night in Maui. Hotel? Car?
Take Sun PM maui to SFO. Ernie to shuttle down to LA.
Mon am, RK to work with W3C in SFO.
RK Tu night redeye to BOS
So, RK is left with an open one-way segment for United -> Europe in
business class -- the leftover BA london-bos coupon may have some value
too. Just hold the final united slot open to CDG for up to one year.
[******* all we are waiting for now is final mgmt clearance from MIT ****]
Total: 80% RTW in just over 200 hours.