Shila International Hotel Kolkata (Calcutta)

... him as well. Heather was starting to feel better but still had a few threatening twinges of stomach pain. Out of all of us, Mar is actually hanging in there the best physically!

Needless to say, we called it an early night & just hit the sack. Heather did spend some time getting the internet connction set up so we can all update this blog, but fell asleep before getting any entries written.

... that they seemed to be like chameleons blending into the piles of rubbish as they slept, defacated staggered around or lit little fires. Poorest of the poor.It was a heart breaking early morning journey across town. Once at Calcutta station i realized i was in for a long wait on a sparse platform until my train left for Varanasi seven hours later. There was no food available there. About three hours in i met ...

... Those thoughts are tricks of the mind. The mind is trying to keep you where you are longer than you need to be there. "You have no idea where you are. You do not see yourself as you are. You see yourself only in comparison to others, through the filter of your expectations. "That happens to everyone on the path. You read the great Masters, the great teachings, and images form in your mind. Expectations form, of how you should be, how you should feel. You compare yourself to ...

... are actually the easier part of our new repertoire, as we have been taught the many rules and melodies of Raga Kafi, which we will be performing only accompanied by Tabla (the North Indian drums). This will be our greatest challenge as we have been billed as the first western musicians to play pure Indian Classical Raga Music on western instruments. Quite a high acclaim to live up to! We feel so lucky to have the guidance of such an amazing musician and ...

... now gel it's been a bad day but we'll get you set up with this net now...Waaaaait a minute whatcha think this is oh holy...look at the size of your... you call that a mosquito net oh no deary the mosquitoes we get here they're massive they're evil they're everywhere you just wait there ohhh yer a funny one but don't you worry I'm prepared for you foreigners and your ways now I'll just go downstairs and sort you out...' (voice fades away and down the stairs) 'Um okay. Thanks. Err I ...

... of the course to play... unless of course you sign up as a VIP. This is definitely a place to come to play Golf as a caddy only costs about 200 - 400 rupees (about 4 pounds max) and to play golf costs the same!!! This kind of course back home would have easily been 100 pounds or more!! The added bonus was the fact that the caddies are actually good instructors and help you with your game all the way round. There is also the Royal Kolkata club which costs about the ...

... The Puja house has indeed been transformed. Awnings and a large Pipili applique ceiling are in the entry. The idol has been moved to the back wall facing the main floor. Curtains have been rigged so it can be closed off from the crowd as required. There are two rows of butter lamps lined up on the floor on pieces of banana leaves in front of the stage. There are huge platters of food (Bhog) in front of the idol. Jai Jai Mata ...

... For any travelers reading this blog, Kolkata is extremely cheap. Clothing is the cheapest I have seen it anywhere in India. I would also recommend visiting Kolkata during the dry season. It was overcast and slightly drizzly the whole time. The muddy and polluted roads are slightly ... you can guess. My pants soaked up this delectable slurry up to the middle of my calf. Later on my feet smelled like feces, industrial byproducts, and sour milk. Just try to go during the dry season.

... mechanism or immune system to this ****. Imagine this: If you walk, you can be faced with 10 - 20 people per minute hollering at you to swindle you in some manner. Let's use 10 for our purposes. So 10 per minute. You go out for a 10 minute walk. You have been solicited by 100 people. Now go for an hour long walk. 600. Now walk 3 miles in a day. Now do that for 3 months. You get the picture. Insane and overwhelming. Worse, tragic what it does to you...

... so no taxi's only tuk tuk's. we were coralled into this tuk tuk which not only squeezed in three humans, but two large back packs and four carry on bags, its amazing how much room there is. once fully loaded we headed out onto a major highway, crammed with buses trucks cars motorbikes and tuk tuk's as far as your eyes can see. all darting in and out of traffic, cutting off trucks and buses, squeezing through little gaps that no car could ever get through. all this ...