Michelle Smith

We are finally in the hotel room, its 19:20(Indian time) 13:40gmt on monday, I’ve been awake since 8:30ish on Sunday! My eyes really are starting to go to the extent I’ve now got my glasses on which is a rare occasion for me
 
So managed to get all packed yesterday without any issues as our manager had the common sense to book us 2 hold bags plus rifle, plus ammo, plus hand luggage… I don’t think my hand luggage has been so empty!
 
Mikey drove me to the airport, I cannot believe it is going to be 2 weeks until I see him again.  It will be the longest time we have been apart
 
We arrived at LHR at 18:30 I said my goodbyes and headed on into the terminal with Richard Wilson who we had collected on the way.
 
People were already there and it was easy to identify our group with the vivid England Tracksuit tops.  Virgin Atlantic did a fantastic job of booking us all in with no arguing about baggage allowance unlike BA!!
 
We were stood in our queue waiting to get our bags booked in (Me Richard and Pickle)  when some guy came and joined us carrying a surfboard in a giant sock…  it was very funny as he had written on the sock “please don’t hurt my board”  polite, funny and says the point!
 
Anyhow through the usual palavers with customs and the rifles were checked in and we could proceed through passport control. 
 
This was a different experience as was queuing to board and boarding the plane.  Because we were travelling as a team and were wearing our tracksuits everyone was “ooh who are you, what are you doing, where are you going”  really good PR and press for the good side of shooting that lots of people seem to miss
 
So as the flight was a long one I came prepared   iphone with music and films, laptop with all of Two and a Half Men, and my DS!  That should last me the 8 hour flight!
 
The last time I was on a plane like ours was when I was about 12 and on our family holiday somewhere… we had tv monitors in front of us, our own controller so we could watch or listen to what we wanted to as well as…
 
Pillow, blanket, socks, pen, toothbrush, toothpaste & eye mask!  The service was excellent from Virgin as well, it was great to be able to ask for a drink and get just what you wanted and whenever you wanted it too!
 
I was sat next to a nice lady on the plane,  she was off out to India to teach English (one of those life long ambition things)   on planes I do like the window seat however I am also up and down so can be a bit of a pain…  fortunately this lady didn’t mind.
 
I had planned to stay up all night as my way of combating the time difference… once we got on the plane I changed my phone and watch to Indian time  I really think it had fooled my body combined with staying up.
 
I watched Cloudy with a chance of meatballs; I was tempted to watch paranormal activity but didn’t want to scare the living daylights out of me!
 
Being a flight to India the food choices were either meat curry or veggy curry!  Ah well!
 
I did start to struggle staying awake at about 7-8am(india) but plodded on watching films, playing on the DS   looking for lights of cities etc  daylight broke very shortly after I started to struggle and it was fantastic to look out and see the snowy mountains of the middle east and the little settlements in the middle of nowhere
 
We landed just after midday after flying under the clouds and letting the smog dissipate before seeing our first views of India and New Delhi!
 
Well after our team meeting tonight we are to give positive views!  I cannot think of any positive views on our first Delhi sights.  Getting through the airport was a breeze as the organising committee actually met us coming off the plane!  We were taken to passport control, we had a queue of our own which really annoyed one bloke in the long normal queue,  muhahhahahahahahha, and collected our things, showed our rifles and off we went in an escorted bus convoy,  and the escorts had AK47s with them!!!!
 
The bus journey took some time as we went beyond our planned hotels and arrived at the Quality Hotel in New Delhi.
 
Now that bus drive.  I don’t think that 3 minutes went past where the driver of our bus didn’t honk his horn and nearly take someone out.   It was so unbelievably scary, they are all mental for driving over here.  People just merge into other lanes without looking or indicating!   It is an experience I will never forget.
 
So our guns were on one bus and that bus delivered those rifles to the range, were some of the England team arranged them in the armoury.  The most I have seen of the range so far is the machine gun patrolled gate!
 
We were all told that we would be staying at the Atrium hotel.  As we passed it we thought wow that’s nice and close, but the bus kept on going
 
Some 45 minutes later we arrive at a different hotel, the Quality Hotel.  After some confusion and pondering at why the hotel staff were taking our kit out of the buses it turns out that there was a security issue at the Atrium which is why we, along with the Indian team and the Scottish team, are now staying.
 
We finally got into our room after a good 13 hours of airports, airplanes, and buses.  I’m sharing with Sharon Lee this time… we opened our door and….  Double room again!
 
Straight off to reception this time and Peter was there already sorting out some other double rooms.   Within 30 minutes we were finally in a twin room
 
I’m going to leave things at that as that’s about all which has happened up until now and I’m about to fall asleep
 
 
Night yall
 
Oh and I LOVE YOU MIKEY!!!!!