The first thing that hit me at Dibrugarh airport was that I’d probably lost my phone on the airplane. After the 155 minute flight, all I wanted to do was get on the tarmac and smell the air. After I’d spritzed my face with some rose-water of course – airplanes are super dry.
Once I’d resigned myself to having actually lost the phone, only then did I notice the cold breeze forcing itself into the plane via the doorway. Dibrugarh isn’t hot and humid in April, it’s cool and humid, ergo I can barely register the humidity.
The phone was found. In the hurry to deplane, I had handed it over to my Dad before I got the luggage out of the overhead bin and Dad had deplaned and I was left looking for the phone. I had no recollection of handing over the phone to him. Big PHEW. But I’d already reconciled myself and might have been just a little happy to have misplaced the phone. A real vacation it would’ve been. Alas.
We’re at the transit camp in Dibrugarh, Assam. The airport, on the other hand is closer to what is known as Mohanbari, which has an Air Force base as well as one particularly large tea estate.
There’s just one main road that leads from the airport to the main town and it’s right next to the railway track – they’re kissing cousins – like I sometimes wave to kids in other cars in Delhi traffic, I could’ve waved to people on this train on this railway track while being driven in a road vehicle myself.
It’s a pleasant little town. I’ve been informed that this little town also has a “mall”! I’m tempted to go visit just to check out the local crowd but then there’s enough malls in the city and I’d rather stay in and laze. Visiting the main market also turned out to be a no-go because the sun sets around 1700 here and lunch only ended at 1530, by the time I got to the market, I would’ve had only an hour or so. Who am I kidding, I got lazy. I’ve also been informed that the BODO folks are still around and life isn’t all that simple. So fuck that.
Tomorrow onward to Likabali / Lekhabali and the river crossing.
It only felt like a vacation once I’d reconciled the loss of the phone and the Dibrugarh air had hit me. This feeling will intensify till the time it is time to head back to Delhi. A peak and then a complete downward spiral. But, I will not think about the future. I will think about the now. The two people sweeping the mud compound in front of my room, turning over the damp earth, sending waves of earthy perfume into my room via the large netted doorway, mixed with the smell of the two insect repellant instruments inside the room. The Belkin strip charging my various devices, my butt hurting sitting on a thinly cushioned piece of furniture. The now. Deep breath. Goosebumps. Sigh. That’s better.
2 comments
nice
Great insightful snippets… Thanks for sharing!!
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