Trimoorti Hotel Kolkata (Calcutta)

... begging for their own bit of money. We made a group decision at that point that we can't give to everyone, our resources are limited, so we would have to use discretion re: how much we give at any given time, who we give to, and for what purpose (ie: where our gifts could do the most good).

We then had an amazing ride through the city on our way to the YWCA, where we are staying.

The Y is the perfect place for us. It has open air meeting rooms ...

... again to describe the last few days, the book talks: I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. (my caterpillar rash) And your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch. (going solo without a travel partner) You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump. And when ...

... visited the Chinatown area where street people live and the poverty was very evident in this part of town. This area also had some interesting music shops where violins, sitars, and other instruments are produced. I (Rajiv) bought a harmonica to add to my musical collection. We visited the flower market on our last day where we got to speak to some flower vendors and take some pictures. Then it was time to get back on the train for the overnight journey to Varanasi, The city of Shiva.

... to the mystery and depth of our love for each other. Gradually, this sweet, subtle, giving light, became more Visitation, more Presence, more Being than light. Floating back and forth between prayer and thought, I realized, this is what it means to dwell in God. To dwell in the Eternal is to let God in! It is to open our hearts and let the fullness of the Presence that God already is in our lives, the energy of that, the true measure and magnitude of it ...

... and these giant reptiles attacked all things living including human in water. Now it was clear to us why did we see so many people, young, old and women without limbs in the Sundarban. Unlucky ones had become dinner of crocodiles. Day light broke beautifully. We could see many birds around the waterways and land. There were Spoon-billed Sandpipers shifting mud for food. We heard cuckoo singing and saw flights of shining green parrots. Cool and wind blue in from the Bay of ...

... with a short robe that I'll sleep in for the rest of the trip. The "Namaste'" tee shirt I brought will be retired. Terry says she won't recognise me without it! We have dinner in a really nice restaurant called "Oh, Calcutta" and broke our own personal veggie fast with a couple of fish dishes. Their "monsoon" fish is called Hilsa and we had a starter of smoked hilsa along with some indian drinks called sorbots which are lime & spice based ...

... Simon felt it had the old world charm and there's something about the Irish-Pub appeal of Dublin that warms the cockles of your heart - and it's definitely not just the great beer. Dublin doesn't offer much by way of raucous partying, but the dance floor here's as good a place as any to let down your hair in. The nocturnal activities take a full blast at midnight in the city. The pubs, bars, coffee shops and discotheques come to life. The dance floor rumbles and the ...

... directly towards me, a herd of over 100 sheep being ushered by their shepherds, while vehicles protest with their horns. Only in India. The park here is quite nice, and I relaxed there the rest of that day and a few others watching teams play makeshift and organized cricket, basketball, and soccer. Last night I was fortunate enough to watch the sun set over a giant field where teenagers rode horses in the dust, people flew kites, and cricket games were ...

... how much to buy, I was told to buy as much as I could buy. They had tins of half kilo each of oats, so I figured 20 would do for a while. The ensuing scene was eye candy for Bangladehis. I left the shop victorious in my quest of massive amounts of oats, and in typical Bangladehsi style, I hoisted the box of 10 kilos of oats above my head ready for transport back to my hotel. The sight of a foreigner carrying a huge and heavy box over his head excited ...