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.
No comments:
Post a Comment