I am not the same having seen the other side of the moon. Mary Anne Radamacher.

I hadn’t realized how far I had flown until about 2 hours out of Amsterdam I looked out of the window and was surprised to see snow on the ground. The Russian countryside lay below. The flight tracker indicated that the flight plan was taking us east across part of Russia and then south to India, avoiding flying over the airspace in Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

Continuing in the direction of Delhi we passed over many of the other countries that comprised the ancient Silk Road to the far East. About 4 hours later the captian informed us that we were entering Indian air space and would be landing on schedule at 11 p.m. local time. I ran my hand over my chin and realized I had been on route for so long that I needed a shave.

My nephew and his fiance (it was their wedding that brought me here) were waiting for me. After hugs all around and getting some Indian roupees out of an ATM machine we headed for the door and after negotiating the price of the fare we all piled into a taxi.

Pictures are one thing but unless you have seen India with your own eyes it is difficult to describe it. Someone once told me that it was like living in technicolour rather than in black and white. All your senses are working overtime. I was about to see for myself.

It starts as soon as you exit Indira Gandhi Airport and get into the traffic. It’s organized chaos. Like water beetles the ubiquitous green and yellow auto-rickshaws scoot in and around the cars, trucks, buses, bicycles and the occasional donkey cart. Horns blare incessantly. Pedestrians dart quickly between the vehicles as they cross the street. Everybody and everything is in constant motion.

Their wedding was a few days away but first there was some sightseeing – including a planned trip to Agra and the fabled Taj Mahal, one of the seven modern wonders of the world.

As I unpacked I couldn’t help but think to myself that I may be on the other side of the moon now but there really is no ‘other’ side anymore. We’re all connected and increasingly interdependent regardless of wheich side of the moon we see.