Bibelöd -> Greater Noida – Welcome to Venice!

12. + 13. May 2026

 

 

So here we go again! As always before a longer journey, there’s that inner struggle about leaving the comfort of home behind. Five and a half months of longing for a cozy blanket, a full wardrobe, my own kitchen, and three-ply toilet paper. But as always, there’s also that sense that I’m about to experience things that make it more than worthwhile to leave all that comfort behind.

 

Things have changed over the years. While I used to never worry about getting to the airport by train, these days I’m much more uneasy about it—especially with two transfers and previous problems I’ve already experienced on that route (technical issues, medical emergencies, and so on). This time, a freight train was given priority, causing a delay, but it really wasn’t a big deal. Slightly worse was that the waiting stations were colder and draftier than I’d expected, so I spent some time shivering to myself.

 

The airport wasn’t like it used to be either, when you’d arrive three hours early, stand endlessly in various lines, and only just make it to the gate on time. This time, I was through in 20 minutes! Boarding pass online, baggage checked in without a counter, no more awkward unpacking of electronic devices at security—and therefore absolutely no line. Definitely better than anxiously waiting and wondering whether everything will work out.

 

 

 

The next surprise: the plane was huge—and almost completely empty! I had an entire row of four seats all to myself! And the row in front of me too! And the one in front of that as well! Only the screens were a bit small. I’d also been told that large planes tend to be quite stable in the air. Not this one. It shook and swayed. And once again, I found myself questioning my urge to travel. I hate flying! But timing-wise, everything went smoothly, and we all arrived safely (via Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan)—and then so much immediately started happening again that I thought: This is India! And I suppose that’s exactly what I like so much about it. It was around midnight by then.

 

I summarize in bullet-points:

• The Airtel SIM card from the airport couldn’t be activated. Apparently, that’s currently an issue especially for Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. I’d have to sort it out myself the next morning.
• Because of that, I couldn’t use a taxi app and had to take an expensive prepaid taxi. For 56 kilometers.
• The taxi driver had a degree, had worked in his field, had argued with his boss—and has now been working as a taxi driver for seven years. Preferably at night. Nice and empty. The taxi wasn’t his own, though. And his boss still owed him two months’ salary. Completely ridiculous, but that’s just how things are in India, he said.
• When he asked my age, compliments came pouring in. Really? He would have guessed somewhere around 40! So energetic, traveling alone, and all that.
• He drives on gas—good for the environment. And so far, he hadn’t even noticed any of the stress surrounding Iran-USA-Israel in India. That surprised me.
• We arrived in Greater Noida at my booked accommodation. I was welcomed—they had been expecting me. The room: spacious, clean, quiet, and affordable.
• The next morning, I met another guest—he was from Bangalore and worked as a sales representative for an industrial product whose company is based here. He comes by every now and then.
• Then we tackled my SIM card issue. My host was only reachable via WhatsApp but communicated excellently with me. Meanwhile, there was a house employee whom he instructed to help me—for example, by lending me his phone. And somehow, we actually managed it! Without his phone, I was asked to verify the SIM card by entering a one-time password, except I had no idea where it had been sent. But the helpful airport employee had given me a phone number—and soon I had a gentleman on the line, my phone in hand, and we were able to complete everything required. What an ordeal!
• There’s a taxi app here I really like using: Ola. For that, you always have to enter your phone number. Since mine changes with every stay (India deactivates them after 90 days anyway—and you’re not allowed to stay continuously longer than that), I always have to update it. But this time, Ola had had enough. I got blocked for changing my number too often. Honestly! Fortunately, there are other taxi apps too.

And so, I had finally truly arrived! At lunchtime, I went outside. Right next to the accommodation, there was a patriotic pile of sand.

 

 

Greater Noida is unattractive. It’s sprawling, filled with industry and clusters of companies, and 50 kilometers to the south, one of the world’s largest airports is on the verge of افتتاحation. Temperatures are nearing 40°C. So why am I here? I had arranged to meet my cousin Soenke, who lives in New York. He used to live in Delhi for a while. Among other things, he works in the field of so-called artificial intelligence and was here to lead a training session. Here is a link to him at theUNESCO. We simply have to meet up in a case like that! It also gave me the opportunity to experience a rather unusual area for the first time.

 

But in truth, I didn’t see very much. It was too hot and too unattractive.

 

 

But there is a rather special mall just around the corner—I had already gone there alone at lunchtime, and in the evening I met Soenke there. This mall is themed around Venice:

 

 

 

 

 

You could actually ride a gondola through this lagoon. It was so utterly absurd that we absolutely had to do it!

 

 

 

 

 

The gondolier sang an Italian song, an Indian one, and during Bella Ciao he seemed a little less confident with the lyrics. He only moved the oar for show—the gondola actually had a motor. And he deliberately rocked the boat as if we were battling heavy waves.
The gondolier definitely belongs on the list of wonderfully bizarre professions in India.
And I was happy: India had certainly not held back on its usual surprises!

 

On the top floor, things became even more absurd—but that was too expensive for us. There was an actual snow paradise at -12°C!

 

 

 

So we had an interesting evening. Then there was a storm and after that I went back to the accommodation.

 

 

 

 

This time, I actually decided to leave my camera behind and only brought my phone. I can set it to either 4:3 or 16:9—which, so far, is the only thing that really annoys me. I’d much rather have 3:2! Cropping everything afterward is annoying too. So that’s why the format is a bit unusual for me this time.

I had originally planned to combine many more days into one summary, but since these first days already provided so much material—both visually and in storytelling—I’ll stop here for now. The next post will come from the mountains! There I am going to meet someone I don’t know yet. Just by whatsapp.