The first air trip to wonderland...called Venezuela..Part I

  Dad had already left and we were to follow in a few days.  The days turned to months and finally the day arrived for us; mom, sister and me; to leave for that beautiful country settled in the Amazon forest area.

  We were travelling out of the country for the first time, and the added bonus was, by air plane that too for the first time.  Something we could only dream about in those days. It was big news for my immediate and extend  Ahh! those were the days so carefree, so bright and mostly sunny, me 9 years old, and was enjoying each and everyday of my life.  Dad got transferred to a country in the South American Continent, called Venezuela.  At that time it sounded so far away and so exotic.  I was all over the atlas with my cousins to find out where this country was.  I felt so proud and exited altogether, just like Alice when she was in her wonderland.
ed family that, we were going abroad.   No one in our family or any one known to them had ever taken an airplane, leave alone gone abroad.

  We were seen off with a big fan fare from our family and friends at the Dum Dum Airport in Kolkata.  My mom, put up a brave front, although her heart was pounding at million miles a second.  She had to travel with two young girls for more than 40 hours and change flights 3 times, as if this was not enough, we were to stay a night in Rome.  

  We were flying British airways, once aboard, we tried our best to decipher the mechanism of fastening our seat belts.  After much hard work, I decided it would be wise to take help of the air-hostess.  Then the plane took off, and the refreshments started.  In those days Coke and Pepsi was the drinks for wealthy people, and I had my eyes for those.  When the steward asked me, I bashfully pointed out to the drink, and waited breathlessly to take the first sip.  My mom had warned me against any drinks, she was not sure which was alcohol and which was not.  I took a long swing at it, and braved a sidewards glance at my mom.  She had a ice like stare set on her face.  I looked at her and took an other tentative sip, and gave her a bright smile and said, "Ma, it is ok, I am fine, look."  She just bend down and hissed in my ears, " I am not taking care of you, if you pass out, or act silly."  That did it, I just plunked down the drink and did not even look at it.  Today when we talk about that incident, she has the grace to find humor in the whole incident.  We laugh our bellies out, thinking how novice we were.

  Then we landed in Rome.  The great city of Italy.  As we walked down the plank way, the cold air hit us like a ton of bricks.  We knew it would be cold, but this cold, we had no idea.  The wind took us by total surprise as we were not equipped to handle the weather........