The Kolkata Experience

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From the first moment you get onto the streets on Kolkata you are thrown into a world that is as far away from life at home as you can possibly imagine. The smell, fumes and poverty hits you harder than the heat (which is pretty hot).
I think we maybe hoped that experiencing these things would get easier, but unfortunately it wore us down until we broke and bought two flights to Nepal!

This is not to say that we would want to forget the experience. Some of the architecture is amazing and although a large percentage of the people live in poverty previously beyond our comprehension, you can always find a smiling face or friends sharing a joke. They just get on with their lives regardless.

I feel almost as we didn't give the place a chance, but we will leave that to the people a bit tougher and more experienced than us.

Starting a trip like this in Kolkata has brought us down to earth. Everything that we experience from here on in has been put into perspective, which has to be a good thing.

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Photos

Kolkatta Street
This is one of the streets in the 'touristy' part of town. We stayed just around the corner.

Kolkatta Street - take 2
This is the road we walked down to get to Blue Sky Cafe, Sudder Street.

Comments

[anonymous]

Why do you guys all live in the horrible Sudder Street area in Kolkata? It's like living in one of the worst parts of the city and then cringing - oh how awful the place is. Must be a Lonely Planet thing. - Kolkata Basi