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Published: January 14th 2007
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Well we have always heard that the wheels of India turn very slowly. We arrived at the airport 2 hours early only to discover our plane was going to be two hours late. Great way to start. We arrived in Kolkata around 11pm and were very nervous to be arrivng late at night but it was suprisingly no problem. There were even prepaid cabs at the airport so that we would not get ripped off right away. Luckily we had met a friend named Biplob who lives in Kolkata so he met us at a metro station and we had a nice place to stay there. It made me feel alot more comfortable. His house was in an area where there are no tourists. So every time we walked out of his house everyone would just stop and stare. Come to think of it there are almost no tourists anywhere we have been in Kolkata so we get alot of stares. Biplob was alot of help for us for our first days in India and I dont know what I would have done without him. He taught us how to eat, where to eat, the sights and about the culture. We
learned quickly that they do not give you forks here. You just have to eat with your fingers. Even with rice and curry. It is going to take a bit of getting used to. I am also left handed and it is rude to use your left hand for eating or shaking so it makes things even more difficult.
The next day when we woke up it was like christmas morning! When we arrived at night all we saw was the really poor people, some rats, mice and cockroaches. It was not a pleasant introduction. In the morning we could hear everything that was going outside and couldnt wait to see what Kolkata had in store for us. We had heard alot of really bad stuff about it and were expecting the worst but it really wasnt that bad. We did a walking tour of the city visiting all the sights. There are alot of different markets, temples, parks, british architecture, cultures and just plain chaos. Until now I did not know a place like this could exist. The theme of Kolkata seems to be it is living in the 1950's. There are really old cars, taxis, buildings and
they play Charlie Chaplin movies on the metro. There is an insane amount of traffic, pollution, disgusting smells, litter and poor people. Although it is worth going through all that to experience the culture of India. It is impossible to cross the streets unless there is traffic control because the cars dont stop no matter what. Even if they are going to hit you.
When we were going downtown on our first day Biplob told us to take a bus because the metro would be too busy. We didn't think it could be that busy so we decided to take it anyways. Oh my were we wrong. It is a fighting match to get on and off. You have to push everyone so hard to even get near the train. When we first saw the train we thought we would never get on. But after a few tries it was no problem. Getting on a local bus downtown was another adventure. The buses just shout out the stations they are headed to and you have to jump on while the bus is still driving down the street. At least there are handrails though. Luckily the bus we were on
British Architecture!
This picture makes Kolkata look beautiful. It was really only a block of these nice buildings..the rest definatly was not picture worthy wasnt super packed so it was easier to jump on.
The strangest and craziest thing we have seen here so far is the Kali Ghat Temple. All around the temple there are people that pose as priests, they come up to you and try and guide you around. The first two that came up to us tried to lead us in the wrong direction down a creepy alley. The next two tried to take us into a dark apartment saying it was a temple. Luckily we are not dumb and know what a temple looks like. We finally found a respectable guy to take us through and explain all the stuff that was going on around us. There was apparently a festival when we were there so it was alot crazier than normal there was probably a line of about 10000 people that went on for km's. The temple itself has been a pilgramage site since at least the 16th century. In the back of the temple there was an area where they were ritually beheading goats. It is apparently their way to honour the godess Kali. I coudn't watch but i did see after that the body was
still running around with no head on. It is the creepiest thing I have ever seen.
Luckily there are a few places in Kolkata to escape the mayhem. There are some really nice coffee shops and good restaurants. Biplob even too us to a pub to see a live band. The restaurants and hotels in India all seem to look really disgusting, dirty and dark from the outside. They also dont have any signs showing where they are so it is pure luck if you can find a good one. We hear so many stories of people getting sick in India. It is probably because you can never tell what places are safe to eat at and which ones are not. We have decided for the most part to be vegetarian in India so it will prevent some potential sickness. There are so many different dishes it is not hard to be vegetarian. Another great thing is on every corner you can buy cups of chai tea for 3 cents. It is sooo good! Every few blocks you just stop and have a cup of tea and talk with the vendors.
The people of this country are among
Kolkata Sweets!
Some are sweet and spicy, some are sweet and salty. You never know quite what you are going to get except they always have ALOT of sugar. Kolkata is known as the sweet capital of the world so these shops are on every corner the most friendly and curious people we have met. They will do anything to help you or make you feel more comfortable. They ask you so many questions about yourself which at home you would think is rude but here it is just their culture to be super open. Dave and I have to tell everyone that we are married unless the guys get creepy at me. So far I love it here. I wasnt expecting to enjoy it as much as I am and was very worried at first but all is well. Will try and update as much as possible but it is harder to do here.
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Dad
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Awesome Experience
Hi Guys. Glad you got to your destination safely, and have been able to experience the culture and lifestyle of others. Enjoy your time in India. Keep us updated with more great pictures and stories of your travels. Love Dad