Aizawal - City on the Edge

In preparation for this trip, I viewed the area on Google Earth. The airport is not near the city of Aizawl; it is about 1 hour away. Flights in and out are a bit sketchy as the airport is on top of a mountain surrounded by taller mountains, and the weather is variable at best. All the Google Earth preparations could not prepare me for the real experience. This is the most spectacular runway/airport location I have ever seen, and I am a plane junkie. This is the rainy season,so the jungle is lush and green, the mountains seem to defy gravity with their steep slopes, and the vegetation seems glued to the surface of the mountains. The pilot skillfully spiraled down into the airport and gently settled the aircraft onto the runway. Even at this high altitude, we hit the tarmac to a sweltering 31 degrees.

Rama met us, helped with the paperwork, and led us to our car. We started off for Aizawl on roads that are very narrow and twisted but in pretty good shape compared to Saskatchewan, for instance. It is important to have a good driver, and it seems that we do, thankfully. The traffic is like a ballet. I don't know who is doing the choreography, but all the dancers all seem to know their part. I thought I was getting pretty good at foreign traffic, but on my first time out of the car I got clipped by a mirror. It's a good thing that no one here drives faster than a brisk walk and that I am bigger than most cars on the road, but it was still a good reminder to me to watch my step.
As we rounded a bend, Ray pointed across the valley at Aizawl. My first impression was that it looked like someone poured Lego blocks on a rock pile, but, in fact, those blocks were houses stuck to the impossibly steep slopes. Roads are carved into the side of the mountain, then houses line the downhill side of the road. The houses are built on long concrete pilings that are anchored 30 or 40 feet below on the cliff's edge. I can honestly say I have never seem anything like it! The pictures just don't do it justice.
Other than the fact that everything is hanging on a cliff, Aizawl is like many other remote cities I have visited. I love the little shops lining the street, the markets, the vender's and the people. These people are very friendly but polite at the same time. The school children walk by in uniforms. The tiny taxis honk as they creep by loaded with an impossible number of passengers. Two young men run by carrying a 20 foot length of electrical conduit. Shop owners set buckets out to collect the water pouring off the roof as a cloud burst drenches the street. Smells of curry and open cooking fires fill the air.

I feel comfortable and safe, and I am really enjoying learning about yet another corner of our world. This is my first visit to the part of the world, but I bet it won't be my last! I might have to talk to Carole about extending my leave. I suspect you won't hear from me for a week or so now, so, until we connect again, enjoy what you have and love those close to you.