Blogs from Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Asia - page 6

I kissed a snake and I liked it. I still doesn't quite seem real. I can't think about the trip as a whole thing yet, its just too much to comprehend. New Zealand to Singapore. Singapore to Kolkata. Thats as far as I can think at the moment. Singapore has been interesting. Amazig and challanging. Very cool, fun, and it feels like the play ground of the west. Asia Lite. The city is extraordinarily wealthy. And it feels like its lost part of its soul. Insane buildings, a whole island as an amusement park. BMW, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Bently, Evo X, Porsche, Lamborgini. Al the cars speak of wealth and there are no bangers. The lights, the sounds, the mega-construction, it all feels like an attempt to hide something thats missing. With the help of ... read more

As always, as the time for my departure from any particular place draws near, I give in to ruminations on the lessons an area and its people have taught me. India has been perhaps the wisest, most encouraging educator I’ve had yet. I’ve learned more about myself, and the workings of this crazy world, in the past five months than the previous 26 years put together. What’s more is that I’ve become aware that I’m learning lessons, even as they are being taught. Before, it was only in hindsight – from a safe emotional and physical distance – that I could look back and the see the inherent value in any particular situation; the reason why I met certain people or faced certain situations. The newfound ability to directly discern the merits of a given circumstance ... read more

We explored Kolkata via an air-conditioned car and a driver named Gautam. Gautuam guided us through many of the touristy spots of Kolkata including Mother Teresa's House, the Marble Palace, St. Johns church, St. Pauls cathedral and the mansion of Rabindranath Tagore . Tagore was a poet, writer, painter and Nobel Prize winner in 1913. At the time of visiting his masion we didn't really know who he was but he certainly featured in many of the places we visited on our India tour including the Taj Mahal. It was obviious that Kolkata was steeped in history and that there was plenty to see. The reality for us was that it was very humid and we were still very much adjusting to the chaos of Kolkata including the Driving! Diary Entry; " Driving through the streets ... read more

The Hallam family, Robyn,Lou, Nikki and Marco departed Tullamarine Airport at10.25am on Sunday 17th of June on a Singapore Airlines flight. We experienced two good flights to get to our destination with a 4 hour stop over in Singapore. We used this time effectively with a whirlwind tour of Singapore with Buddy Kath, who showed us her Inner city Apartment and shouted us a Gin & Tonic. After a long day of travelling we eventually arrived in Kolkata , India at '10.45pm. Being conscious of travelling with a 12 yr old and a 15yr old, one preplanned stipulation of this trip was that we stayed in reasonable accomodation. Upon landing in Kolkata we had an organised Pick-up that transported us to "The Park " hotel. This plan was a good one as it was a No ... read more

It has been awhile and I apologize for that- everyone is doing great and cannot believe how fast this trip is going. We have completed our stay in Kolkata and are currently in Goa with one of the other Creighton groups- it is a much needed weekend of relaxation. Kolkata was a crazy, beautiful, intense, dirty, poor, and historical city. While in Kolkata we worked with the Mission of Charities- Mother Teresa House; it was not only a life changing experience, but a very individualized one at that. For that reason I am not going to be the voice for the group, but over the next few days have each member blog their own personal experience while in Kolkata so you can get a different perspective from each one of us. On another note, our last ... read more