Plane Spotting At DEL .... Part 4

With the short trip to Delhi almost over, I head to Mumbai this afternoon, from where I will depart for Bangkok early tomorrow morning and then onward to Incheon tomorrow night.

And as I wait to board, it is time for some Plane Spotting at Delhi's amazing Terminal 3...

The bright sunny day makes Air-India's livery look even more amazing!

I wish the window was a bit cleaner, but despite that Vistara's livery looks regal!

An exciting catch - Air Asia India's special livery - The Pioneer that features the doyen of Indian aviation, JRD Tata!

The aircraft bears the registration VT-JRT (Jehangir Ratanji (Dadabhoy) Tata) and features a portrait of JRD Tata with the Puss Moth, the aircraft he flew on October 15, 1932, which resulted in the birth of Tata Airlines which went on to become Air India...

Loving The Monsoons In Full Bloom, Again...

Whoa!

I am back home again, and seriously, nothing feels like home, the sights, the sounds and the smells and to beat it all, the very romantic Monsoonish feeling. And the swanky Terminal 2 gave me a very warm welcome with a quick immigration clearance, no queues.

Waiting for my bags...

And the display reminds me it is the beginning of the festival season, and Lord Ganesha is there to shower his blessings on his...

Checking out some interesting books in the bookshop...

I was famished, and I picked up a sandwich from Theobrama's, wow, they've opened a counter at the domestic departure gates. Man, I so wish they had eggs benedict here. Ohhh, I saw their magical brownies and picked up a few to take with me to Delhi and back to Songdo on Tuesday!

As I sipped on my Assam tea, I relaxed by the giant T2 windows, Plane Spotting. Indeed there is a very different feel to Plane Spotting in the Monsoons!

Delhipolis Moments... Part 3

Delhipolis Moments is back after a long hiatus...

And we are Lajpat Nagar's Cafe Coffee Day in between running errands, we stop by for a quick lemonade. 

Oh Gosh! Delhi weather sucks - it's hot, it's humid and it's overcast. I now miss Mumbai, where it's continuously splashing and yes, Songdo where the last days of spring are still there to be enjoyed...

As we sipped on our cool mojitos, we enjoyed the lovely graffiti on the walls here, that captured the essence of modern Delhi... 

Plane Spotting At BOM -- Part VIII

This morning we are heading out to Delhi to meet family. It had been raining cats and dogs since 4 AM this morning and is still continuing. I had prayed for a clear morning for some Plane Spotting here at the swanky new Terminal 2, but the rain gods had other plans...

Curtains of water pouring down my window...

Ahem, well Plane Spotting is a bit interesting in the Monsoon!

The boring old Jet Airways Boeing 737...

There she is - the magnificent queen...

The Air-India livery on the Boeing 747-400 does stand out...

The view gets better as we taxi and I get to ogle the Queen a lot more!

Sadly, the Boeing 747-400 is a dying breed, but now over to Delhi!

Up In The Air .... Part 31

And so my short visit to Delhi came to an end with a wonderful time Up In The Air admiring the Cloudscapes!

It was a hazy winter afternoon when I took off from Delhi. There was a haze on the ground as well as a dense cloud cover as we approached cruising altitude...

Overflying Rajasthan, the glare of the evening sun was quite intense...

Flying along the western coastline...

And there it is - a wonderful reflection of the sun on the Arabian Sea!

The sea looks like a golden mass of liquid...

It is in moments of solitude and silence that one really gets to appreciate these bounties of Nature, that we usually overlook!

And haze builds up again as we begin our approach into BOM!

Overflying Navi Mumbai as we begin our final approach into BOM...

The urban sprawl of Navi Mumbai below us...

And the mangroves of Vikhroli come in sight! This is going to be an exciting homecoming into Mumbai and I am looking forward to it! 

Plane Spotting At DEL .... Part 3

And here I am - Plane Spotting at Delhi International Airport's Terminal 3 after ages. And for a change I am spotting red instead of the Korean blue. But the winter haze was a bit disappointing!

The home base of Air-India...

The Dream)liner rests...

An Air-India Boeing 777 on the international ramp...

Their livery is amazing!

Pushback for the Dream)liner!

The baby - Air-Inda Regional's ATR42...

Air-India Regional's CRJ-700 - I quite love this jet!

A Boeing 777 from Emirates, India's "unofficial" national carrier that has long preyed on Indian fliers taxis to its bay...

This is the first time I spot Air Asia India's Airbus A320...

Jet Airways' Boeing 737...

Pushback from Gate 47 and a clearer shot of the two birds (both Airbus A320s) from the House of Tatas - Air Asia India and Vistara...

Delhi, Can't Ever Get Enough Of You...

A brief one and a half day visit to Delhi left me nostalgic about all things about this megapolis that make it stand out. 

NCR Delhi is where I had spent 6 years of my life - the later part of my eduction and the start of my career and that exciting "era" was interspersed with exciting experiences - driving down Delhi's wide green avenues, piping hot gulab jamuns in chilly winter nights, meeting like-minded young professionals. All those memories came back as a flashback on this short trip.
And now I am getting ready to head back "home" to Mumbai! But I do leave with a feeling that I havn't even soaked in that "Delhi-feeling" on this trip...

A feather in Delhi Airport's cap...

The food court in the departures area...

The Plaza Premium lounge - perks of holding a Jet Privilege membership...

Delhi Airport's Terminal 3 was the first new-age terminal development in India and it pioneered showcasing Indian culture to the world - this display of traditional Indian yoga's cardio-vascular exercise, surya namaskar...

On Gate 47 and waiting to board...