Living is Easy with eyes closed, but it's just more interesting with Eyes Wide Open

The smell of the muggy air reminds me of something in the recesses of my childhood. It's just a whiff, lingering it stays with me, even comforts me. Tangy, exotic, but despite the conjured familiarity, completely foreign; a mark of what India has been to me for countless years. The warmth is welcoming, and after many hours in the air-conditioned Arctic of the plane, anything would be. Following a designated stranger (he is a driver from my hotel, not a random) into the car park, I stow my luggage and hop into the passenger's seat. The surroundings, despite being a parking garage, have me mesmerized. I should say I was actually mesmerized by the people, the smells, the stray dogs, the beauty of the New. The absurdity of the night only increased as I sat next to the man who hardly spoke a word of any language I claim to understand, the Bollywood strains leaking from the radio, and the night blanketing all except the human life that defies sleep. Zipping in and out of the tight spaces between the uniquely painted trucks, their colourful swirls only visible long enough to confirm we had indeed passed without a scrape. The tiny taxi, possibly a Toyota, or another Japanese brand, dwarfed by the bejewelled giant trucks, competing with tuk-tuks and like minded drivers, the need to brake seemed superfluous and the driver was confident enough in his skills, or perhaps it was the beads of protection hanging from the rear-view mirror. Either way, the driver managed to roll and proceeded to light his cigarette with nothing short of two matches, yes matchsticks, the ones that require striking on a matchbox. He also did not ask for any assistance, one knee was perfectly fine to steer this zooming box between quickly closing gaps amongst the swirl-decorated trucks. How did I come to occupy this particular seat, cracking upholstery and all? There are of course the obvious logistics; booking plane tickets, visas, saving up, reading the travel guides. But how was I here, in this very moment of my life? At the edge of an adventure I had only dreamt of and two months previously had no idea I was about to plunge into, off the edge of this cultural cliff and be fully embraced by the waves of India. And I was going to embrace this current; even if it meant trusting the driving skills of this man, who in all fairness seemed like a good guy. Drawing in a breath, I let India take the lead.