Departure and a Celebrity Encounter - 08.16.19

Today is the day we depart from our crazy Indian adventure. Well... technically our flight leaves at 1:15 AM tomorrow but today begins the journey. I had my classic two hard boiled eggs and watermelon for breakfast. After breakfast we began our long mini bus ride for 6+ hours. We took a break at a Cafe Coffee Day where I ordered a lemonade. However, I received a lemon soda which did not taste good at all (I have learned that ordering lemonade in Indian is not the best idea). Our bus driver was a crazy asshole who drove like a maniac and rarely used the air conditioning. I was very relieved when we were finally at the airport and I would never have to drive with him again. At the airport we stayed outside in the shopping area for hours. We had lunch (Clara, Anna, Gabs, and I) at a small cafe. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with fries. After we ate, we went to the shopping booths. I bought three pairs of earrings, a ring, and a scarf. We then went for a drink at the bar and I had a glass of white wine. We walked around and chatted with some friends who did not have their flights yet. Eventually, it was only Gabs, Stacy, and myself left outside. We decided to go to a bar/restaurant to grab a drink. We all got tequila sunrises. Just after we ordered, I called my mom to update her on what had been going on on lately. While we were on the phone a large posse approached the restaurant. This man with a fancy mustache, head turban, and fancy outfit sat at the table behind us. He had bodyguards directly next to him and about a dozen armed guards surrounding the restaurant. He sat with a few other people. We were all totally freaking out. We knew he had to be important but we did not know why. We thought he was maybe an actor or the president. We found out that he was MS Bitta which is short for Maninderjeet Singh Bitta. He is the chairman of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front, and former Chief of the Indian Youth Congress. To sum it up, he was pretty important. We were able to take a picture with him after he finished his meal. He was very nice and liked Stacy's Indian flag. I did not know how to act around him, whether to shake hands or not. We did not shake hands nor touch during the photo. After the picture we did all say namaste to each other. It was an experience like none before. Soon after we headed into the airport to begin our long awaited check in. The process went more smoothly than I imagined it would have gone. I went through immigration easily without being asked any questions amazingly (the trip coming was not the same way). However, security was just the first step of a very long journey ahead of us.