I'm on a plane reading when the intercom announces breakfast. I check my GPS; I'm flying over Stockholm. It occurs to me that this is the furthest I've ever been from home in the Northern Hemisphere.
![Pictures shows my ticket stubs for my plane to India from New York](/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/02/x11-300x225.jpg.pagespeed.ic.rDxUJMxu3L.jpg)
I look out the window and see a marvelous metropolis shining its pre-dawn city lights, which is a nice refreshing change from the endless stretch of the Atlantic.
My clock says it's 22:15 EST. When I land in Delhi in 7 hours, it will be August 14th, 14:25 IST. The day before India celebrates its independence.
![Picture shows Mikey's passport stamped with India arrival stamp](/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/02/x3-300x225.jpg.pagespeed.ic.5WV3dzlYvM.jpg)
Hours pass. The food on Indian flights is quite good. I'm glancing between the airplane window and watching the new Great Gatsby film. Just last weekend I walked across the Queensburough bridge in NYC for the first time. Now I'm watching Gatsby cruise over the bridge while flying over Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
![An auto rickshaw displays the Indian flag on Indian Independence day](/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/02/x12-300x225.jpg.pagespeed.ic.J9wRwZWfWc.jpg)
The ground below in Pakistan is brown for miles, but then it changes sharply to a more fertile landscape. I see a wide, gaping river, and I learn that I'm flying over the Indus. Just below me (well, quite a bit below me) is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. Incredible!
Hi mikey
I remembered you said you gonna stay at India for one year.
?
I am kosin the mtb guy who met you at kathmandu Indian visa center.