Non stop noise

Well, my latest trip to Mumbai is almost at an end, I have the joys of catching the 02.45 to Heathrow in a few hours time. Every time I'm here the place amazes me. It's just a mass of humans, all going about their business, whatever that is. Five star hotels (literally) rub shoulder with corrugated iron slums. On Saturday I went to the Aer Bar on the 34th floor of the Four Seasons where the drink prices compete with top clubs in London or New York. Next door is a run down cafe, where ordinary Indians stop, drink and chat. Under highway flyovers, people take a mid-day sleep, despite the screaming, honking traffic that hurtles by them a few yards away. The driving here is something else, the only place as bad that I know is Cairo. If you see a space, accelerate into it. That's the only rule. Honking the horn is standard, and very much an un-aggressive action, unlike the UK. In fact, despite being cut up, honked at, narrowly missed and blocked in - and despite the blistering 38c heat - nobody gets upset at all. And I mean not even a flicker of anger. It's just the way it is, and nobody takes it personally. How different from the UK can you get?