Break from the monsoon

We had a break in the rain so took the boys to the club to play in the sand today. The rain is pretty intense some days and then sporadic on others. It is great to get them outside when the opportunity presents itself as the rest of the time we are stuck inside. Braden was able to really enjoy the sandpit for the first time as he is walking so well now. It was a great break from the rain for all of us! Now that the rains have been here for a while, you can see and smell several changes in the city. First of all, the trees are all green again! Eight months of grit and grime washed off to reveal green again. Hills that had been only piles of dirt are alive with fresh new vegetation. It is quite nice. The other thing that is different is not so nice...the stench. The smell of Mumbai has returned once again. It is such a familiar smell to us now, but I can't say it's one we enjoy. It is just a smell of rot; rotten vegetation, sewage, trash, you name it. I remember this lasted for a while last monsoon, but in a few weeks the smell will start to dissipate. Until then, the moment we open our front door in the morning it rushes in to greet us!