Incredible India

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2014 India

Well it started well with my suitcase booked through to Mumbai – on the tag it said Kolkata but I knew I had to pick it up in Mumbai. I got my boarding cards for Cape Town and Johannesburg and was all set. The flight was marvelous – as I am usually a cattle class client to be in business was awesome. Of course I did have a few glasses of Tattinger and why not I had nowhere to go and it was only lunch time I could sleep it off. You get a meal before landing but noooo more drinky poohs for me then as I knew I had to keep my wits about me for India.

On leaving the plane I struck up a friendship with a girl called Nikki who was about to become my travel angel. She works for an NGO in Goa (since 2009) so I told her about Pack for a Purpose and as we walked through she knew what to do as she had done this many times going from international to Jet airways. Your bags get screened a few times going out! And then going in! but you have not left anywhere you are still inside the same airport just around the corner –making sure to hand the checked slips to the next official in line. It’s all very officious here! It was all going so smoothly a piece of cake until the check in counter when the clerk there told me I had been cancelled off the flight and must call my travel agent in South Africa if I wanted help. This is when my travel angel cool as a cucumber stepped in trying to sort things out but even she was blown back. I called for a manager – there was none. Clearly!!! We then had to go back and by now all the planes had emptied and our smooth inward passage was blocked by a tumultuous mass of people and suitcases. We beep beeped our way through (not sure if anyone of you have heard me doing that before but laughs were all round and the waters of people divided) we found the SAA helper and she tried to get me on (round two) it was back to through the seething mass of people to the uncooperative jet airways staff but that did not work so it was back out through the melee I kid you not to another jet airways desk in another part of the airport who said just one minute and few clicks on her computer and all was fine. So what was the problem??!! But back again we went through the throng of people.

Time was ticking on we still had to catch the bus to the domestic terminal and the queue was long, I saw my bag amongst the throng of bags and wondered if it would ever make it or if that was the last time I was going to see it. The bus journey takes you around the airport on the inside so you get to see the inside belly of it and it all looked like one mass of chaos to me.

We arrived just in time to get on my plane – so it was a quick goodbye to Nikki and off I went excited that I had made it by the skin of my teeth only to get on board and then we sat for an hour and a half waiting for other passengers whose flights had been delayed. I was happy to be on the plane and the later I got in the more beauty sleep Terry could have so he would be happy. The taxi ride into town thrust me right into Indian life, the taxi was older than me and did not have one shock absorber left, we had about a thousand near misses it really is one place I do not want to drive. I had got a pre-paid taxi the driver knew the Fairlawn Hotel and with a smile we were off but no sooner had we set off he started to tell me there was a service fee (of course) We integrated our taxi in the sea of yellow taxis sprinkled with cars, rickshaws either bicycle or pulled by old wiry men who are either bare foot or wearing thongs, brightly painted trucks (I love the paintings on the trucks) and busses and trams. Small fires lined the street where rubbish was being burnt and there is a lot of rubbish people washing, praying, eating going to school lots of dogs it was busy. Intact I am happy to say I made it and the bright green of the Fairlawn Hotel was very welcoming. Terry was awake and he made me a cup of tea the best I had had in awhile. Our room was big and spacious and the bathroom has had a recent overhaul and is good too. We had some breakfast which was not very impressive – either conflakes or fresh papya, eggs to order with cold baked beans out the tin,cold mushrooms out the tin and a few cold chips, 2 slices toast tea or coffee. The coffee reminded me of my childhood and the moer coffee my mum used to make in the perculator. My dad would get it going when he got up and then we would all have a cup when we had breakfast. The breakfast staff not very friendly I kept on thinking about Cathy’s smiling face at The Backpack and there was no comparison. The table cloths either need to be new or washed.

After a siesta we went walking around the market and getting to know our area. There are so many more street dogs than I remembered but in the same awful condition, the bitches so haggard you can see they constantly have pups the males in much better condition. I keep on thinking of you Wild Rose Lisa you would not manage at all. I did manage to get a new battery for my computer which was a great run around going into buildings we would not usually go inside seeing people eking out a living in tiny little compartments each specializing in something. we got a sim card going so we have a local phone number – I managed to leave my little phone at home but hey at least we have one. All the chores you need to do to get set up for a journey.

Yesterday was a big walking day, we started out going to Mother Teresa’s place which was very spiritual – her life led so simply giving it all to the poor folk and children. It was also the cleanest place we have come across something to be said for Godliness and cleanliness! There were warnings not to take your shoes off or if you do to hang on to them otherwise they might disappear. She is buried in a tomb inside the building so in fact she is always at home. Her room was Spartan and I could only compare this to Nelson Mandela and his prison cell. It said she never had a fan even in her room and I can’t imagine living in the heat without even a fan and her room was above the kitchen so it was even more hot. She had one pencil and one pen and only got another when they were finished. We never seem to finish ours they always seem to disappear down a big empty never ending black hole. Oh and that reminds me of how the saying Black hole of Calcutta came about – in the 17 hundreds a whole bunch of English were taken prisoner in one of the skirmishes that happened and were imprisoned in a foul cell without enough air and about 40 of them died due to lack of oxygen – the English newspapers then coined the term.

We continued our day heading for the Victoria Monument and on the way passed an old cemetery which we wandered around in for awhile. It seems quite a few people in one family get buried in the same grave sometimes children preceding parents. We stopped for lunch at a vegetarian fast food diner which was bustling with people. We ordered masala dosas and a bel poori chat which I love. This is a mixture of savoury biscuits, cold potatoes, topped with yoghurt some red stuff that looks like chilli oil but it is not hot coriander, cornflakes of various sizes and shapes (ok not cornflakes but they look similar). We finally made it to the Victoria Monument which is a marvelous building – locals pay Rs10 and us foreigners Rs150 but that is fine with me. It was filled with people whom I can only imagine are escaping some dark hole for a bit of space and fresh air and of course the couples who come to get some privacy sitting closely together behind a tree. We were stopped often to either be in some ones picture or to take a picture. Inside the building were a few exhibitions of old artists and a good history of Calcutta but too much to take in in one go. There were so many people it was good to see that this place is well used. We walked back as the sun was setting and that made for some fantastic pictures of this wonderful building.

We ended our evening drinking some beers with students we had met the previous night who were fun and wondered around the corner to what had become our local for some dinner. I had spinach and paneer (a type of curd cheese) with a garlic nan. Terry had chicken masala. The food tasted delicious and we have not been sick eating there or anywhere for that matter. We always choose very busy restaurants so we are sure the food is moving.

This morning it was packing then off to the Marble Palace. Outside, the garden was quite lovely full of dahlias and marigolds and a small zoo that had a few animals that looked quite sad but probably better off than a lot of people we have seen. Clean cages and food compared to some of the hovels that the locals live in these were very smart. As we were not allowed to take any pictures here but I can tell you there is a lot more stuff in this beautiful building than even I have in my house. Loads of marble carvings in fact the whole place is made of marble – floors, tables and walls – built in 1855 and is still used by the same family today. There were some amazing chandeliers in the dancing room that must be worth a small fortune. Huge mirrors that God only knows how they made it intact and then secured to the wall. We walked back through Sunday streets that were not as busy as during the week but still a fair amount of street vendors open. You walk through areas so if they are selling lungis then a whole lot of shops will be selling lungis then it’s the shoe section or the wedding attire.

Terry is having some beauty sleep and I went to get some lunch – pilau vegetable rice and tea. I heard some loud music and followed it to find a young girl who could only be about 5 thrust upon a tight rope walking across it with long pole. When she came to the middle she wiggled her hips from side to side and then carried on. After that she had a plate under her foot which she moved around the other foot and then she had a wheel that she used to go across with. Your heart goes out to these hard working kids. In the café that we eat at the young boy was there late last night and is there today I am sure he does not get a day off. He has a job is he an apprentice? will he be there his whole life? a professional waiter?



We packed up our room and checked out and made the drive to the airport just in time to meet Russell and his boss Miraj to take the plane to Bhubaneshwar

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Photos

Bel Poori
love this vegetarian dish with crispy snacks yoghurt coriander and more crispy snacks

Victoria Memorial
A magnificent building even more so at sunset

great signage
but no one listens need to implement South African rules and make people pay for them

Holy Men
not shy to demand lots of money for a photograph

Child performer
a great little acrobat and so young - note the wheel rim at her feet

Comments

[lisa]

keep writing
Wow Lee - looks like you\'ve dived straight in. India is not for the faint-hearted. You are completely right about the dogs bit, but I think I would have already had a heart attack with the airport drama. Luckily you found Nikki!!! Wouldn't have been fun alone. Have fun my friend, and keep writing. Love to Terry chat soon Lisa

[Toni]

wonderful creative writing Lee!
Tjoe, you really can write sister... love it! sounds like you are having a blast! xx