The following was written in a stupor while waiting for a flight. Just wanted to give a taste of the journey so far… I’m now in a hotel room in Visakhapatnam. The following rumination took place mid-journey, earlier today:
Kolkata, India, Jan. 15th, 2012.——
Well, here we are, unexpectedly awaiting our final connecting flight to Visakhapatnam from the iconic Kolkata, a place I never expected to see. It’s been quite a journey so far. Much has gone “wrong”, if that could be the word for it. Our flights were star-crossed from the very beginning. There was an unexpected, and largely unexplained, delay while we (Rob, Deb and I) were checking in at Toronto. It seemed to be quite a complicated process to sort out our connecting flights. It involved three separate people and a couple of supervisors, though we were assured by the exceedingly pleasant woman at the counter that all would be well. I’m sure it will be well, however, they booked us onto a flight that wasn’t part of our itinerary because our second-leg flight from Delhi to Chennai was cancelled. No one told us this, they simply gave us our boarding passes and sent us on our way. We realized once in Delhi that our flights had been botched. It was an amusing (slightly) moment when I took in the information that the flight that would take us from Delhi to Chennai and the flight from Chennai to Vizag left at exactly the same time. Oh, and the acoustic guitar I brought along didn’t arrive in Delhi either. I’m hoping that will resolve well, but I’m not pleased about that development.
Because of all the confusion, we never did get to make our way to the hotel that had been booked for us in Delhi. We weren’t even allowed to leave the airport without the accompaniment of a staff member from our airline–all of whom were indisposed with other duties so that didn’t seem to be an option. So we pulled an all-nighter in the Delhi airport terminal. No rest for us. Glad we didn’t actually pay for that hotel room.
The Delhi airport is the very pinnacle of modernity. It’s clean lines and striking architecture are a study in urban design. It offers a truly cosmopolitan experience, at least aesthetically. The guards, armed with automatic rifles at every exit, were something of a stark study in contrasts for an India that in many ways can go toe to toe with any modern culture, and yet continues to live in social, economic and religious tensions that run deep and have been around for a very long time. Being told that we were (more-or-less) not allowed to leave the airport made it something of a glorious prison. It was an odd feeling, no doubt exacerbated by exhaustion and frustration.
Traveling internationally is particularly interesting because every airport/country and even region seems to have their own protocol regarding security and procedure. Being polite in our ignorance seemed to be a good way to have people shuffle us along, whether in Brussels, Delhi or Kolkata.
Kolkata is quite something else altogether. A profoundly different experience from Delhi. Coming in over the city for landing afforded us a glimpse of this sprawling place. Clusters of run-down, unadorned concrete structures grow like weeds on the landscape. This city is enormous, and the show of modernity, so evident in Delhi, is nowhere to be seen here. The airport here is, well, pretty much of the same ilk that we saw of the city during landing. It is rundown and regional, very dirty in some regards, yet utterly fascinating and beautiful at the same time. There are no trendy colours here. No glimmer of sheik design sensibilities or even efficiency. It is, however, an incredibly human place. Where Delhi (the airport) was nearly flawless in design but seemed largely absent of the culture I’m certain must surround it, the Kolkata airport is simply alive with humanity and life. The colours are bright, the smells are vivid, the horns are loud. The drivers are crazed. We wandered outside for a brief stroll (rules are different here) and I glimpsed INDIA for the first time. This place has a exerted a force on me that is very interior in nature. It is hard to define. Again, the only word that comes near the mark is simply “human”. I’m grateful for our unexpected diversion to this place. I’m glad to be able to say I’ve been to this city. Maybe I’ll be able to come again and linger longer.
This is still, in many ways, only day one. This is only the journey, though as many have said, often the journey is the destination.
Right now we’re tired and disoriented. I am physiologically confused (should I be tired or energized? What hour is it? Am I supposed to feel hungry right now?). Truthfully though, I love this feeling.
The adventure has begun for us. I won’t lie though. I’m looking forward to the shower and bed and friends that await us in Vizag. There are several hours and maybe a few unexpected turns before that however.
God bless you, India. It’s nice to meet you.
