The moment I step off the plane it hits me. I've been fortunate to do a bit of travel including some exotic locations: Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey, Israel. This is different than anything I have experienced before. Immediately there is an intensity of sounds, sights, smells and activity.
Intense. This is the word one often hears associated with travel in India. There is the scale of course, after all the place is huge and crowded. But there is more to it than size. It's as if the heat has boiled it down to an super concentrated mixture, undiluted, overwhelming and intoxicating. This theme of Intensity, which first hits me while standing at baggage claim will recur and be reinforced as we travel. Even now as I reflect, I can't think of a better word to summarize this vast and complex place.
The heat and spices of the food.
The overwhelming crowds and traffic.
The diversity of dress and culture and religion.
The dust, filth and crushing poverty contrasting with the natural beauty, wealth and opulence.
And the people. The rich variety of faces and skin tones. Wide smiles seem to come easily, even from the most disadvantaged. But there are also occasional scowls and sadness. The wealthy and some of the most wretched I have ever seen (and I've walked the back alleys of Istanbul and sat in a Masai dung hut) mix freely in the streets.
Yes, intense is the only word that will do.
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