I am physically spent at this point. The trip was long but thankfully uneventful until we reached Mumbai, and then it became quite a torturous process to change/transfer planes. I had to go through customs, and it was very thorough, and the agents were nice, if just a little slow. Then, I had to retrieve my luggage, and deliver it to another part of the airport, and then, catch a shuttle to a secondary airport, or a subairport, which is several miles from the main airport. The sites were stunning, even if everything was quite blurred out by the torrential rains and my bleary eyes....the chaos, filth, and human bondage, all amix with space age digital billboards touting the newest Jaguar, literally in the middle of a ruin that resembled the movie "District 9." The huge colonies of shacks, with rusting tin roofs and oceans of blue plastic tarps to "waterproof" these dilapidated structures was both shocking and mind boggling. Masses of people living in sheer quagmire, unlike anything I've ever witnessed, even in Jamaica I was held hypnotized by the sight of it, until the rains made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. I just closed my eyes and listened to the cacaphony of horns (amidst a sea of no honking signs), and watched people scurrying by in the deluge, open taxis with drenched women trying desperately to close the flimsy little curtains that would block the sun in a vain hope of staying dry, others taking shelter under the numerous rotting and moldering edifices in every direction....
After reaching the secondary Mumbai airport, it was like a cattle call with all people being herded off the buses, like down a cattle chute. I was moving on autopilot at this point, but lucky thing God had his angels with their eyes open, or iI would have been shuttled onto another bus to a flight to Hyderabad, and this could have been a really strange tale from that point forward, lol.
So, then through more security--women in one checkpoint, men in another. That's another thing--this culture is sex obsessed, and I mean on every level. Here, there is segregated seating marked "ladies" everywhere...for a culture that seems to revere "ladies," they certainly do a whole bunch of leering and ogling...not very gentlemanly. But for me, an indifferent look has pretty much shut any frisky looking male down, so I feel fairly safe, but totally alien. I am literally the only "white" Western woman on this flight....there were a few on the other, but none on this one. Oh well, I am the odd man out.
I can't wait to just get to the hotel, and lay down. Take a nice shower, and relax. The air here is unlike any I've ever experienced--the humidity was so dense, it's like being in a sauna. The inside of the airport is airconditioned, so I don't know what to expect in terms of Goa. I guess I can only wait and see...
I am finally in my hotel room after what seemed to be the longest day ever. I could barely keep my eyes open on the connecting flight. The flight served up a sandwich that was really vile...made me nauseous just watching people eat it. It seemed to be some kind of curried pickle relish on a spiced roll, and people would then drizzle ketchup all over each bite they took...was enough to make me a little ill.
After landing in Goa, I wound up taking the LAST cab available for the evening from the airport, and had to share the ride with a young Indian guy. I was exhausted, and then when we started heading into the dark jungle, flying down desolate roads, I was convinced the cab driiver and the young man were in cohoots together, and I was dead--never to be found after they raped and robbed me. But, luckily, he was an honest driver, he dropped me off at the resort, and I thanfully checked in to my room. Not bad, until I used the bathroom and got stung by a giant wasp on the inside of my thigh, that must have been hiding under the toilet seat. No joke, most painful bite, thought I was getting stung by a scorpion and freaked out. Now, this bite is all swollen, right at inner mid thigh level, so I took some benadryl just in case, as well as an ibuprofen, and will try and get some damn sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day even with this sting. I guess it was better than getting bitten by a snake LOL
No comments:
Post a Comment