Heading Home

Today was a fairly relaxing final day in India. I overslept, meaning I got 9 1/2 hours of sleep last night - much better than the 5-6 I've been getting every night this trip.

I enjoyed breakfast outside by the pool before heading to a brand new mall across the street. Some of the shops weren't even open yet, and although I went in a couple of stores, I didn't find what I wanted. The mall was a little odd - the escalators skip floors, so if you want to get to the odd numbered floors you have to find stairs or an elevator. Some of the stores I couldn't even find because they only had exterior entrances.

Since I didn't find what I wanted in the mall, I next went to a Bazaar store, a type of discount retailer with groceries, clothes, furniture, etc. It was a fun experience, and they had some really cheap dress shirts, but I didn't have time to shop for something that fit.

I made my way back to the hotel for my appointment at the spa. I had a sauna, steam, and 60-minute massage. The massage was wonderful - just what I needed at the end of a long week and before boarding the flight home.

After the massage, I had a buffet lunch with some of the students. There was some good food, including pesto chicken kebabs and something that looked like a little pot pie the size of a muffin. Very tasty. But the best thing was a little chocolate mouse-like dessert. It was amazing. I know people will ask me what was the best thing I ate in India. Chocolate, can you believe it?

After lunch I packed up and we loaded the bus to the airport. We're now all checked in and waiting to board our flight to Delhi. One student is staying in India and leaving us here. Another is flying from Delhi to Shanghai. We will loose more to transfers at O'Hare. It's a little sad that we're starting to split up, although everyone is looking forward to getting home, myself included.