The Ffort A Radisson Resort Kolkata (Calcutta)

... tiger, we remembered his words.

It was January, the best time to visit the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Heritage site where tiger on land, largest estuarine crocodile in water roam free. We had hired a launch at $150 a day and guide Muktar Hussein at $25 a day. Now we sailed to the Haliday Island. The Haliday Island is the winter nesting and egg laying spot for the Olive Riddley turtles. Reaching there, we were again disappointed. We did not find any ...

... Hotels in Leh (twin sharing rooms with breakfast).

Group transportation by private vehicle non AC.

On trek; Delicious meals, horse portering, local staff, spacious two men

Indian “A” shape tents, toilet tents, kitchen tent, dinning tents, stools &

table.

Our Service Excludes:

Travel or travel health insurance, India visa, flights, equipment rental,

alcohol and bottled drinks, laundry, tipping and other ...

... down with Dean and just take it all in. The home is on a major busy road and even here it seemed that calm and quiet invaded the space to allow Mother Theresa to rest in peace. There were lots of nuns and pilgrims there and children dancing around.

Although poverty in Kolkata isn't as bad as when Mother Theresa got here in the 40's it is still home to some of the poorest people in the World. We saw this alongside all the flash cars and new ...

... district and te colonial district and just off the main Chowringhee thoroughfare - with the usual infrastructure for travellers. There is also the Fairlawn Hotel there, which still runs a bit like it must have done in the days of the Raj - lots of old bric a brac from the colonial days, set meal times etc, (maybe we should have stayed there but for reasons best known to ourselves, we didn't) ... anyway they have a really nice leafy garden area out front which is ideal for a sundowner ...

... bags to our waiting boat. We all climbed aboard and the boat engine built to a gentle, muffled, easy sputter to carry us across the intersection of 4 rivers to the one heading to Gosaba and the Bengal tiger conservation forest. The air was cool, wonderfully pleasant and fresh. I estimated the river we were traveling on to be about the size of the Columbia...not small by any means. The women covered a platform with a pad and fresh sheet for Baba to sit on, and there were ...

... to discuss intimate details almost at once - 'Hello, how are you, where are you from, how long have you been hear, how are your bowel movements?' The group of Aussies I met in Darjeeling tell me all about worms, and we realise we will all have to curb our free-speaking habits when we return to Aus). He also teaches me a couple of strong Hindi terms (less strong is 'jao' - go away). It becomes abundantly clear as we eat that Simon is very ...

... also met a couple other whites from England who volunteered at an AIDS place in South Kolkata. I met Dennis and Ericka from England near Sudder Street. They were interesting characters and Dennis sort of attracted a whole group around him. He works for only 3 mos a year at festivals in England and travels the rest of the year. He is pretty wild, non-conformist and great with people. He sat in a chai stand and called out to me "Nice sideburns" as I walked by so I stopped ...

... and there is a museum of Mother Teresa's sayings and works. The pictures show her room at the Motherhouse. I donated some money to this work that Maryellen Kelley had given to me to give away as I chose. Near the Motherhouse is the Orphanage - which was closed, but I shot pictures of the outside. All this was a never to be forgotten experience.

... St. and the road was not a road, but one big construction mess (with men, women, and children digging, making bricks, and scattering it around to form layers of road). Once we got out of the cab to see this mess, and no sooner than we got our bags on, we got run over by 125 sheep. No joke. And we loved it. So, this is India. We found a place off of Sudder St which, although it was no jem, it was WAY better than many of ...

... she prefers to live. She took that image from Hawaii to India. Being the 'queen of the deck' she was going to Mayapur on family business- the selling of their home in the forest. She was taking the kids and the man Nakul called his father to Auroville. "I'm afraid the idea of Auroville is tainted because the government has stepped in. The school (in Mayapur) has been good for Nakul but I want him to experience something else. I mean, I chant Krishna sometimes but the ...