Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

Date: January 15, 2025

After not traveling anywhere in 2024, I began 2025 with a trip I had been planning for months prior. When Coldplay was going to play in Bangkok in 2024, I read rumours about the British band bringing their Music of the Spheres tour to India. So I held back from spending way too much just to go see Coldplay in Bangkok.

Tickets went live on BookMyShow on September 22, and although I struggled to purchase tickets, luckily I had a friend who got one for me. As luck would have it, the tickets arrived just a few days before I had to leave for Bangalore, and so I took the train to Calicut to meet my friend and got my entry tag.

I have already published the blog post about the Coldplay concert in Navi Mumbai, so now I’m going to begin my Mumbai series with all that I saw in the few days I spent in India’s financial capital.

Past midnight, I took an Uber to Bengaluru’s Terminal 1, which is now all domestic.

Akasa Air check in BLR airport — My flight was with Akasa Air

I booked with Akasa because at the time of booking, I got a fare of ₹3591 ($42/€39) including luggage and meals — which I thought was a good deal. More importantly, the flight was supposed to depart at 8:10 AM and arrive in Mumbai at 9:50AM — which I felt would have been a perfect to start my day and check-in to my hotel. Then one month prior, I get an email from Akasa Air saying due to a schedule change, my flight time was changed to depart at 3:50 AM and arrive at 5:35 AM! Grrrh 🙄

BLR airport Terminal 1 domestic check-in — I didn’t have any check-in luggage since I crammed everything into one backpack to save time waiting for luggage

But while passing through security, I was sidelined and asked to take out an old mini mosquito bat that I was carrying. I was told that I would have to keep that in my check-in baggage because a device that can create electric shocks cannot be allowed on board. I told the guy it was old and not very strong but security wouldn’t allow it. So there, if anybody is wondering if mosquito bats are allowed in hand baggage on flights within India — the answer is no. I ‘gifted’ the security staff my old mini mosquito bat and walked to my gate.

BLR domestic airport Akasa Air boarding gate — Other than that, there were no delays and I didn’t have to take a bus to get to the airplane either

Spicejet domestic early morning flights BLR airport — I don’t think there is a single moment when BLR airport isn’t busy nowadays

Phone holder plane seat Akasa Air — This is what counts for in-flight entertainment in a budget airline these days — a phone holder and a pull-out tray to place tablets 😊

Chicken cafreal poi Akasa Air flight meal — For my meal, I pre-booked a chicken cafreal poi

Sadly it was served chilled but other than that, it tasted good. Cafreal poi is a Goan (originally Portuguese) dish — basically meat stuffed bread pockets.

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Mumbai: Visiting CST and Gateway of India Early in the Morning

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