Beijing - Mumbai

A late update, from the 01st of September

Leaving Beijing without any sleep… AGAIN! I was way too excited to sleep on Wednesday night. So I was literally awake from 1am. Got up at 3am, headed to the airport at around 4.30 am… and flew from Beijing to Shanghai. In Shanghai airport though, sleep was starting to call. But the tricky thing was: I had to wait from around 11am until 10pm for the connecting flight to Mumbai. This was the longest day of my life. I think. I’d planned to get lots of writing done and usually I’d have happily kept myself busy. But my mind wasn’t incapable of writing anything… I was in a daze and getting more exhausted as the day dragged on. So I was trying to get comfortable in the waiting areas to just rest my eyes (that were slowly sinking into my sockets)… or just sat on my trolley, trying to curl-up… But these attempts proved impossible. Especially as I had 3 bags to guard. So I couldn’t do ANYTHING… I couldn’t read, because I’d fall asleep. I couldn’t write, because nothing made sense. I couldn’t even have a cup of tea… The only coffee shop served only coffees and juices… and there’s only so many hours I can sit in one café, stocking up and caffeine and frothed milk…

Anyhow, enough of the complaining… Because, as soon as it was time to check-in at 7pm (it really wasn’t a moment too soon either)… things started to happen. Everything changed from that moment onwards.

Standing in line, as I was waiting to drop my bags… I was looking at the sign above the desk: AIR INDIA. Yes! And what passengers would be accompanying me to Mumbai… INDIANS of course! Yes yes yes… This is the part of travelling I love the most: you stand at the check-in desk and the majority of passengers who board the flight are (obviously) from the country to which you’re flying. When I was flying to China, it was the same; I flew from London to Beijing and I could see the western people vanishing and the Chinese appearing. The ratio of western people to Chinese people was changing. And now, I was at that point again. I could see the Chinese people vanishing and the Indians appearing. And there was me, the only western girl alone, in China, amongst the chaos of the Indians, loving that I could see the transition. Amazing…

Such simple little things can sometimes be so cool….

Anyhow, I’ll continue to share just how these tiny little details brought me to feel so calm, excited and welcome, on the plane. A handful of Chinese, 2 or 3 westerners and hundreds of Indians. And it felt so warming. I felt at home on that flight and so… happy. It was amazing. I couldn’t get over just how bubbly the atmosphere was. Everyone was so jolly – they weren’t in hysterics of laughter or anything. They weren’t even smiling continuously, but… there was something I could sense… an openness and instant friendliness. Maybe I felt it so strongly, because it was something I’ve not really been exposed to for ‘so long’. Of course the Indians can, and will, stare. But already I’ve noticed that it’s warming and it’s with a smile. It’s NOT a stare that resembles a glare. It’s NOT for them to strongly believe I’m an alien who’s just landed from outer-space and has been misplaced in the world. But it’s real recognition…

An unforgettable plane journey; the amount of people I spoke to, the communication I was already experiencing… … I made friends even. People were helping me, giving me advice on my train journey and on what to see and where to go. I even got somebody’s number… In that sweet Indian accent he said: “Call me if you ever need any help… my family and friends are there”. Wouw… I was shocked at the ease. Before leaving China, of course, I’d remembered how much English is spoken by the majority of Indians but it properly came through on that plane journey.

Talking, speaking and being seen as somebody real. This was special. Taking in the atmosphere, I felt the colourful lives these people live. I felt their hospitality and appreciation for things that truly matter… I could feel life around me and I was so ready to embrace India more so than before. I knew that I wouldn’t feel any element of fear (which I had done, when I first arrived, in February of last year). I knew there was NO barrier I needed to work past, when dealing with the chaos this Indian life can present outsiders with. Nope. I’d already done that… This meant, and still means, that I’ll have so much more energy to pour into truly savouring their lifestyle… Suddenly I was coming to life again, as I flew from Shanghai to Mumbai… wouw… What an Air Line can do to a person… haha… My fascination for their reality continued when I hit ground in Mumbai…