Descent into Mumbai

We descend into Mumbai, through a brown haze, and an earthen smell wafts through the plane as it banks over some mysterious black pointy mountains. Then the endless sprawling city appears and increases in density as we go, buildings and homes jammed together, with sprawling shanty towns filling the gaps. The confusion of Mumbai becomes more visible as we approach the airport, buildings of all sizes seem to be stacked on top of one another, evolving into a huge slum that doesn't stop until the edge of the runway. Once in the airport, construction is going on everywhere. Walls and ceilings are in various states of construction and demolition--it's hard to tell which--gaping open with pipes, wires and fixtures exposed. Dust hangs in the air. Sounds of people, planes, motors, horns and construction mix in a way that signals the looming chaos of Mumbai that I'm about to enter as I make my way through passport control that doesn't seem so, um, controlled. I slept for what seemed like 10 minutes on the plane, but woke up to find that hours had gone by, so I guess I got some rest. I'm ready. I think.

Hedging and Henging Around

Sara drove me out to see this ancient site, just a stone's throw from London. It's thought that Stone Henge was started around 6500 years go... makes the 1000 year old buildings in the city seem young. It was f-ff-fffreezing, so we went in search of a nice warm pub for lunch. If you ever wondered why all those English sports cars are so small, just drive along some of these tiny back roads in the countryside, with little wide spots to pass.

On the Mews

My wonderful friend Sara invited me to stay for a few days on my way to India. I had no idea that she lived on the mews behind the home of Hank the Deuce, right smack in the middle of London, around the corner from Big Ben, down the street from Westminster Abby and across from Buckingham Palace. Walking around the block I saw at least 4 Aston Martins amongst the BMWs and Mercedes... this must be one of the trendy neighborhoods.

Crossing the Pond

I'm sitting here, flying through the air in this large metal tube, lined with softly lit, curvaceous off-white plastic, engines quietly roaring away, drowning out most of the breathing and snoring around me, lulling me into a light sleep. Occasionally a cough or whiny child's voice cuts through the heavy silence and I drift into semi-consciousness, anticipating my forthcoming travels through England and India, wondering how closely or not everything will resemble things I've read, stories I've heard, or pictures I've seen.

I saw the film Across the Universe a few days ago, so now I'm half expecting to see British hipsters from the 60's dancing through gritty shipyards and rundown tenements, breaking into Beatles tunes. I'm also reading Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, and unlike the movie (one of my favorites), which takes place in Chicago, the original setting for the book is in London. It would be great to visit the British version of Championship Vinyl.

Slumdog Millionaire is another recent film I saw, and my visions of Mumbai are more vivid than ever (see it!) I won't be surprised if I see kids playing cricket on the Mumbai Airport runway when we land.

Beans & Bees

The Crowden 8th grade took a field trip today to the Jelly Belly factory and Marshall's Farm, home of the Flying Bee Ranch. The Jelly Belly factory displayed it's industrial candy making power with an interesting array of candy making and packaging machines, which we viewed from an overhead walk way. In contrast, the bee farm was all the more fascinating in that almost no machinery is used (only a centrifuge to spin the honey out of the combs), relying mostly on the bees and their amazing ability to turn anything that blooms into honey. More photos here.