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Published: February 4th 2006
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Cauliflower 'ere
A lone vegetable on its way to the big city Had another amusing rickshaw fare discussion this morning. I asked one of the hotel staff how much it should cost to get to NJP station (he said Rs 25), then he fetched a rickshaw, whose driver quoted Rs 40. I looked at the hotel guy, who studiously avoided my gaze. When I pressed him, he said that 40 was actually the right price. When I asked why he had said 25, he suddenly went deaf.
On arriving on the platform at about 9:15AM, one of the train catering staff accosted me and asked whether I'd like a veg or non-veg lunch. I assumed from this that there was a meal included in the fare, so I was a tad surprised when, 5 minutes later, some dal, rice and a small spicy veg curry were delivered to my seat, along with a request for Rs 35. Money aside, this was a little early in the day for such a meal.
For once, the carriage was barely half full so I was able to stretch out my legs. One of the other passengers was carrying a cauliflower, which I mention purely because it wouldn't figure in most people's definition of luggage.
On previous train journeys, at longer station stops, occasionally someone (usually a small child) has swept the carriage on their hands and knees, to clean up all the junk that gets thrown on the floor. Today, at 3 consecutive stations, this happened and each time the cleaner then went round the carriage asking for tips. I tipped the first guy, as he took away the remains of my breakfast/lunch, tipped the second because he looked a little forlorn, but refused to tip the third, explaining to him (though he probably didn't understand) that he had been preceded by 2 others in the previous hour, plus I hadn't contributed at all to the mess that he was cleaning up so he should direct his pleas to those that were responsible. I think the woman in front of me took this to be a dig at her (she had been gaily tossing trash onto the floor for the entire ride), as she turned round and gave me a nasty look.
On one of the chocolate bars that I had bought for the trip, there was a statement on the wrapper explaining why it had been double wrapped - apparently "this helps preserve its purity and goodness, for a happier chocolate experience". For all that, it still tasted like something that Satan, or at least Hershey's, might have made.
We arrived in Calcutta shortly after 9PM. My first impressions are that it's significantly more civilised than Delhi, with "proper" taxis (yellow Ambassadors) in the majority rather than auto-rickshaws, and the roads a bit wider and less littered. Sudder Street, the main backpacker area, reminded me more of Roppongi in Tokyo than Paharganj in Delhi, due to the presence of neon signs here and there, though after wandering around the place for a bit I realised this was a little harsh on Roppongi. Unfortunately the first 2 hotels I tried were either full or too expensive so, as I was feeling rather hungry by this point, I took the next room I was offered, at the Hotel Astoria. It's perhaps twice the price I was hoping to pay, but the room reflects that.
After ditching my pack, I headed out for dinner and, on the way, was horrified to see the rude Scouser I'd met in Varanasi, treating some unsuspecting woman to a barrage of his favourite portmanteau swearwords. I ducked into a cafe, hoping that he hadn't seen me, and that he wasn't also on his way to the same place.
This part of town definitely seems to be full of foreigners, more so than any other place I've been to yet in India. Calcutta also feels quite warm and humid, which is something I suppose I should expect for the next 4 or 5 weeks. Unfortunately, even though it was only 11PM, I couldn't find anywhere to grab a cold beer before bed.
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