First Impressions of Mumbai
The 24-hour flight was neither particularly fast nor slow. The plane landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Hala International Airport in Mumbai, India.
This is India's most populous city and the capital of Maharashtra. Although it's not quite as clean and drinkable as the Ganges River, its sanitation maintains India's consistent standards and level.
Just imagine the moment the plane landed and the cabin door opened. Not only did the Kryptonian ' dog noses catch the smell, but even Kitty took a step back.
Even the air smelled distinctly India. This was the first time I'd ever seen a country like this, whether in my past or present life.
The crew wasn't all India. But they'd flown all over the world and seen it all. At least their businesslike smiles didn't falter; Henry was tempted to tip them just for that.
But please don't do that, because flight attendants don't accept tips of a penny or two. Especially not for crew members on private jets, where the women are hoping to hook up with a sucker and the men are waiting to hook up with a rich woman. Who are they trying to fool with that little bit of money?
However, it was the journey through customs that allowed Henry to witness the influence of Karun Patel, the portly butler, or rather, the power of the Kingo family, a prominent film dynasty.
Henry went through VIP customs. Kitty's treatment was simply to put a collar on her and put her on a leash. Unlike in the United States, where they have to transport her in a cage.
As for animal quarantine, Henry handed the documents over to Karun Patel to handle. It's unclear whether the documents were complete and legal, or whether the stamp at the bottom played a role. In any case, after a few stamps were affixed, Kitty entered the country legally.
Noticing Henry's gaze, Karun Patel, the portly butler with a distinctly India air, shook her head from side to side and said, "Mr. Brown, there is no corruption in Greater Hindustan. That's for animal quarantine fees."
"Yeah, I understand." You don't believe me for a second!
Watching the quarantine officer stuff the jelly into his pocket, Henry suspected that the officer hadn't even read the heading on the document carefully before stamping it and letting it pass.
However, Henry was in no hurry to undermine him. He Reason that guests should follow the host's lead.
Besides, it's convenient for myself, and I haven't done anything illegal or against regulations. I'm just speeding things up. There's no need for my obsessive-compulsive disorder to insist on following the rules completely.
Outside the airport, a Bentley was waiting. The car was very spacious; even Henry and Kitty squeezed into the back seat without feeling cramped.
Before heading to the Ginger family's Bollywood stronghold, Henry wanted to open the car window and enjoy the cool Hindustan breeze. Kitty, retreated into the car first, a stark contrast to her usual habit of resting her tiger head on the window to scare passersby.
Then Henry was overwhelmed by the irresistible aroma of India curry. He obediently closed the car windows and enjoyed the air conditioning system of his United Kingdom luxury car.
It's no wonder that the United Kingdom, who once colonized Hindustan, knew exactly how to adjust the equipment and models for exporting to India to achieve the best results.
Anyway, the inside and outside of the car were like two different worlds, making Henry somewhat regretful. Why had he rashly come to India?
It's the same old joke. The level of air stench can be categorized as mild, moderate, severe, and then there's India...
Bollywood is actually short for Bollywood Studios, a film studio located in Mumbai, India.
The numerous film companies, large and small, surrounding this studio, along with its name that Hollywood United States, have given Bollywood the same iconic attributes as "Hollywood," becoming synonymous with India's developed film industry.
However, India also has two large film studios, Kollywood and Tollywood, located in other states; there are also several smaller film studios.
The first three Hollywoods combined are roughly representative of the India film industry.
India films not only rank first in production volume, but also in the number of movie tickets sold.
Of course, the latter only refers to the number of moviegoers. In terms of box office revenue, the largest market for films in the 1990s was still North America. This is the main reason why Hollywood was so prosperous.
Kingo Film Company is located in the heart of Bollywood and is one of India's oldest film companies. It not only has its own sound stages, but also boasts a full range of film equipment and talent.
However, Mumbai, being India's most populous city, has some truly terrible traffic.
It was only because two police Motorcycle cleared the way that Henry's Bentley was able to drive relatively smoothly. Without police assistance, it's unimaginable what kind of traffic Hell they would have been in.
While large and small vehicles vying for space and arbitrarily changing lanes are not the main causes of traffic jams, Henry believes the real factor is the presence of too many things that shouldn't be in the lanes, occupying the road and obstructing traffic.
Merchants doing business, human-powered bicycles with their backs crammed full of goods, and livestock from who-knows-where. And, finally, Henry witnessed firsthand the legendary reason for traffic jams: because of cows walking on the road, no one dared to honk their horns and could only follow slowly.
If the cows lie down to rest and the road is relatively narrow, then everyone can enjoy a pleasant traffic situation while resting.
It's said that India respect cows so much that they wouldn't even dare to hit, scold, or honk their horns. But Henry also saw on the road that India herdsmen not only led their cows but also used whips to drive them.
Henry looked at it and asked curiously, "Mr. Patel, I've heard that India reveres cows. There are even laws that punish harming cows. But what's the situation there?"
Sitting in the passenger seat, Karun Patel looked in the direction Henry was pointing and said casually, "Mr. Brown, the only sacred breed of cow protected by our laws and religious beliefs is the Indian Zebu."
"In our beliefs, the cow is the mount of Shiva and a symbol of the universe, representing health and abundance. They are characterized by a prominent fleshy growth on their shoulder, which is easily recognizable."
"Ordinary water buffaloes, driven by herdsmen, do not have protruding fleshy bumps on their shoulders. They are used for plowing fields or raised and slaughtered as beef cattle to produce leather and dairy products."
"These cattle are simply economic animals, just like livestock farming all over the world. Our beef is exported in large quantities to South Asia countries and Africa, making it a major economic industry for India. We don't idolize just any kind of cow."
After hearing the explanation, Henry couldn't help but smile. India, which is known worldwide for its caste system, even has different classes of cattle.
Moreover, even they themselves didn't think there was anything wrong with this kind of discrimination. They spoke with a lot of pride, as if this was a perfectly normal thing.
Such cultural differences are not open to outsiders' opinions. Henry certainly wouldn't be so foolish as to criticize them or lecture them on what constitutes advanced and civilized behavior. Besides, who defines what is advanced or not?
He wouldn't do something so pointless.