Transported?

If you were standing on the edge of a square, watching the traffic go past, what would you be thinking? I can recall being in Athens many years ago, feeling overwhelmed by the number of cars, vans and buses all beeping and jostling for position. Mumbai, too, takes the art of navigation to a new high where road users make their own rules as the situation dictates.

So, supposing there was a character poised to circumnavigate a roundabout in Mumbai, what would they be standing on - asphalt, compacted dirt, concrete? Would they be able to see their toenails? Can they smell the petrol fumes, the curry vendor or the Starbucks coffee? Are they 'in the moment' or transported to another time and place where unexpected memories surface?

Imagine my surprise when the first roundabout I stood near in Mumbai was empty of cars. Instead, half a dozen young men and boys were playing cricket, hitting a ball towards the stray dog fielding at mid wicket.

Circumnavigating this roundabout was easy enough - circumnavigating my cultural and cognitive dissonance was more challenging. Time to turn my attention to the more pressing issue...what will the character do now?