Diplomat Hotel Kolkata (Calcutta)

... party of the society that is creating, propitiating, and/or apathetic to their situation.  If someone is really in need shouldn't they seek the assistance of their own people??  Anyway I although I did give money to some people, I didn't give money to these kids today.   The boat finally came and we got on board.  The roofed section of the boat got filled up really quick because it was insanely hot so we sat outside on the deck.  I am making this boat sound really big but it wasn't ...

(Kolkata 4th Jan - 11th Jan) Most of the time we just walked around the city. The first thing to hit me was the busyness. All the pavements were crammed with people - eating from stalls cooking chappatis, chana masala, and puris (all cooked right there on the street on coal or gas fires!), drinking boiling chai masala or just living. Hundreds of people just living on the streets. Often the pavement would be so full you had to walk along the ...

... state of Washington! I received it via Email and now must mail it back. I sure hope it gets there and that my vote counts in this very important election!!! BUT - the same clerk cannot take the envelopes once they are stamped and sealed. For that we have to go to yet another counter with nobody in attendence. Eventually we leave the envelopes and hope someone takes them somewhere. All this is just warming up for the real endurance test! Noor takes ...

5 hours in a jeep, 12 hours on a bumpy local bus and two Indians get beaten up on the buss by the old bill. Done some sight seeing and it really is like London bridge here with **** and excrement everywhere. Not worthy of a stay though. Going Madras tonight where it will no doubt be hotter than it is now.

... sur le sol de paille, des corbeaux pataugeants dans la *****, des fronts barbouillés de rouge et d'ocre, des tas de feraille faisant office de bus, desquels emergent tetes, bras, etoffes, des vendeurs de tout, des vendeurs de rien, des corps allongés peut etre endormis ou peut etre deja morts. Et j'ai mangé le dhal et le riz avec mes doigts dans ces gargottes sombrent, entouré d'incomprehension. Je suis rentré, j'ai souri et j'ai fait comme tout le monde.

... chai coffee chai". At Varanassi the guy in the tourist center said an auto rickshaw would cost me 65Rp to my hotel, or close cos they cant go near the ghats cos the lanes are too narrow. So the first auto driver says 80Rp I say 65 and we agree. When we get to auto he gives me the old old line "your hotel is full I will take you to a better one" I said "no my hotel or nothing" This went back and forth a few times then I got out and go another ...

... hours...



We set off - it was so good to be moving on - and I was a little disappointed by the relative lack of defecating people by the tracks. Maybe it's a morning ablutions thing and not done at 5pm so much?



The warmth and the rocking of the train made me sleepy, so by 8 I was in bed, like the crazy westerner I am. I was woken for dinner (finished off with ice cream, yey!) but then I didn't get up until 7am. I'm not sure why I'm ...