Namaste!
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2005
1
4
137
Trip End
Sep 20, 2006
Calcutta,
India
Sunday, October 2, 2005
The taxi ride from Calcutta airport was extraordinary. The taxi driver only half-heartedly tried the 'Lytton hotel is very expensive, I know a cheaper place' line but maybe that was because it was 6 in the morning! We drove through street after street of the most unbelievable squalor, it really was an abrupt introduction to Indian urban living. Despite it being so early there was a lot of activity on the streets, people cooking & washing, cleaning their teeth etc, but most of it in the gutter, and all of it surrounded by rubbish and filth. We even saw some shacks built on sticks in smelly, stagnant water. At one point we did wonder if we were in a 'nicer' neighbourhood due to the fact that there were a few more trees around, but even then the poverty on display was stomach-turning.
We have to admit to our hearts sinking slightly when the taxi driver announced that we had arrived, as the street didn't look much different to the ones we'd been driving through, but when we entered the courtyard and reception we were very pleased that we'd opted for one of Calcutta's 'top-end' hotels as it was like a little oasis of cleanliness and calm amid the hustle and bustle of the street it's set back from.
Anne at the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta
Even so, in the road just outside our hotel there are people living literally on the street, you see them sleeping & cooking, it's amazing that these vastly different standards of living happen in such close proximity to each other.We went for a walk to the Victoria Memorial which involved crossing a massive street with the Maidan park on the other side. We weren't too confident about attempting the crossing and stood back observing the locals before trying it ourselves, the 'method' being look out for a small gap in the traffic.... and run! And if you only get half-way, stop in the middle of the road until another gap appears whilst being honked at from all directions...then run again! To our surprise, and against our expectations, we haven't been hassled particularly. There are the street vendors etc who try to sell you stuff, but they seem to respect your answer 'no'.
Traffic is pretty much made up of the yellow Ambassador car taxis who belt around, hundreds of them. Yesterday it was busy on the roads and it was not only Sunday but it was also a national holiday because it was Ghandi's birthday. So what it's going to be like tomorrow...!
First impressions: slightly overwhelming! We're still very new to India, still finding our feet a bit, but the people seem very friendly. This way of life & culture is incredibly different from what we're used to, and yet there are glimpses of the colonial past that make some of it feel almost familiar...
