The Peerless Inn - Kolkata Kolkata (Calcutta)

... Sajnekhali, a favourite tourist spot. We checked ourselves in at the Tourist Lodge. We visited Mangrove Interpretation Centre and crocodile and turtle pond. We saw crocodile being fed. In the afternoon, we went to Pakhiralaya, the bird sanctuary. It was full of migratory birds from Europe and Central Asia. Ducks of many colour, storks, and so many other species were visible.

We saw stark poverty and great efforts being made by the Government to help the economy of ...

... of a personal

CLASSIC MARKHA

MARKHA valley, the classic trekking route takes you through some of

the most beautiful villages, were you can explore the traditional life

style of LADAKH, the crumbling forts and the Buddhist Gompas

scattered throughout.

The meandering Markha River is our guide; we follow it through

groves of apricot, willow, popular & Himalayan oak trees and gaze up

at the cathedral-like ...

... the chaos, India works. There is a glue that holds this great country together, and it's not just cricket! To travel through India is to leave behind everything you thought you knew about people and culture, all that you have learned about right and wrong. It's a land that you either embrace or run away from. We will be running back one day, with open arms. We will miss you, incredible India.


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... is the Maidan originally built as a killing ground for the cannons at the huge fort (closed to the public) but now used as a park and maybe 100 cricket pitches. We watched some cricket here apart from the amateur men's games hundreds of children play games with wickets crossing and fielders acting in several games at once. The kind of organised chaos that you see all over india resulting from so many people living in such a small place. When I wasn't walking the city ...

... Orissa about $1200.00....that would be close to 60,000 rupees. Some days there are no ATMs around so this seems problematic. The bank manager suggests we should to the American Express Bank in Dalhousie Square. This is the most busy part of the city...and it is now after 4pm....rush hour. Since I still have faith in the American Express company - I ask the bank manager to call ahead to make sure they can help me before taking yet another taxi across ...

... Park Street, the restaurant street of Calcutta. We took a tour. There was old Chinese joint Peiping, Trincas, Mocambo with its brilliant continental dishes, McDonalds, KFC, Waldorf, with its Thai cuisine and many more. We ate buffet lunch at Park Hotel. In the evening, we hired a country boat at Princep Ghats for a ride of two hours. Two boatmen rowed towards the middle of the River. As the sun went down, from the River we saw a beautifully lighted city and Howrah ...

INDIA....just the word itself conjures up images of poverty, mystery, beauty, enchantment, spirituality, suffering. It is the land of Siddartha Gautama, the Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Theresa, along with countless other revolutionaries, visionaries, and philosophers, and it's not hard to see why. India is a place of extremes, a place where you are confronted with the realities of human existence- it's no longer hidden from view. Just seeing ...

... of 100 years ago, then allow them to denigrate and crumble and decay, then thrown in 15 million people, then don't forget the humidity... it is quite an interesting sight and the place, though teeming with the splendor of yesteryear, has all the Indian characteristics of ill-upkeep and maintenance, which I do not understand. But don't get me wrong, I have loved it here because there are actually things to do. Bars! There are high-end themed restaurants ...

... the sixth floor. In my room you cant stand too close to the sink cos the water comes straight out the bottom onto the floor, the toilet doesn't flush and there is no seat. The stains on the bed look like blood but could be anything and god only knows what the stains on all the walls are. This morning I was lying in bed listening to the rats chasing the pigeons around in the ceiling. Its a classy place for the area. Last night I went to Chandi Chowk ( big ...