23 hours in flight.  I knew it would be a long travel day. Arriving in Abu Dhabi to change planes and continue to Mumbai, I felt as if in a dream. 1:00a.m. And it is 80 degrees and balmy. The airport bustling, multiple languages so foreign to me, signs in Arabic I can’t understand and I, the outcast with red hair, LuluLemon pants and tennis shoes. Michael in shorts and a t-shirt. Burkas, turbans, flowing white caftans, headdress and long beards that seem to have never been trimmed. They surround us.

Facing another 5 hour flight to Mumbai, as we approach the plane, we are told they have upgraded us to first class. What a blessing. And what a shame to want only to sleep and miss the luxurious dinner and cocktails being offered.


As we deplane in Mumbai, 2:30 am (more time zones) and the airport is bustling with people from all across the planet. Hundreds pushing and shoving to be first in line at the baggage claim. The thought of ever locating our luggage feels insurmountable – but with patience, miraculously it appears. Trying to get through customs, I thought they might cut Michael’s fingers off when they couldn’t get his fingerprints to register. Multiple attempts – their pushing hard on his hands, speaking in Hindi (lord only knows what they were saying), exasperated, watching Michael reach on tippy-toe to push harder – finally, muttering something truly inappropriate in Hindi, the guard waves Michael off in disgust, as two burka-clad women begin to giggle behind their drapes.

By now 4:00 am we are driven to our hotel. Through dimly lit streets, lovers and loners wandering by the Arabian Sea, some ending their night of partying, others beginning their work day, I seek a glimpse of what this city holds – impossible in the dark – but for the lights glistening on the Arabian Sea, shining light on the fishing boats and growlers silently returning home from a long night of fishing for Mumbai’s food. We are excited to greet this city of both opulence (Bollywood) and abject poverty (the largest slums in India) as the sun begins to rise and we reach our hotel for a few hours of sleep.

 

*Written by: Susan Kelly