DAY 6, MARCH 27, KOLKATA

KOLKATA

We saw the temple of the Jains,
A religion our guide explained,
The Queen Victoria Monument,
Mother Teresa's little convent,
And other attractions main.


Our third-floor suite in the Park Hotel here in Kolkata is spacious, clean, and comfortable, and the hotel staff is helpful. On the other hand, the wireless in the room was not free – and didn't work. It was $2.50 for half an hour, but I didn't end up having to pay since it didn't work. We exchanged some money. It was not possible to buy Indian rupees ahead of time at home. The exchange rate is approximately 50 rupees for a dollar.

We have been advised to use only bottled-and-sealed water for drinking and even for teeth-washing. It is provided to us for free by OAT on the bus and also by the hotels.

After a very short night's sleep in the hotel, we got up at 7 AM and cleaned up and had a tasty and plentiful breakfast at the buffet in the hotel.

Our 4-1/2-hour bus tour of the city began at 10 AM. It was hot and bright outside, but the bus was air-conditioned and comfortable and much larger than we needed. There was a driver and a driver's helper in the drivers' compartment, separated from the passenger compartment. Our guide spoke a lot with a loudspeaker. Helen and I sat up front, and I wore my hearing aids. I could hear him well and yet was only understanding a third or half of what he said and was sorry to miss so much. He had an accent, and Helen said she couldn't understand him well either and that others in the group had the same problem. I asked one them later, and he said he had trouble at first but learned to deal with the accent.

Kolkata, we learned, is a large city both in area (1,380 square kilometers) and population (~15 million by night and 20 or 21 million by day). It is a city of contrasts, of extremes of rich and poor and a city of many religions – Hindus, Jains, Moslems, Christians, Jews. He even mentioned Zoroastrians, which surprised me. I'm not sure he mentioned Buddhists, although Buddhism was born in India. I'm not sure he mentioned Sikhs either, and I didn't see any men wearing turbans.

We didn't see a single cow. Though many types of conveyances share the crowded streets, we saw no animal-drawn vehicles. Our guide said, unlike other Indian cities, Kolkata has outlawed other animals on the streets and requires strict controls for dogs. We saw plenty of evidence of poverty, but none of starvation. We came across some beggars – men, women and children -- but there were not hordes of them, and they were not persistent. Crosswalks are marked in the streets, but they mean nothing to the drivers, and stop lights seemed to be non-existent and traffic directors rare. You feel like you take your life in your hands crossing the street. We saw very few bicycles downtown but later saw more of them farther out toward the airport. We saw motorcycles, but there are a lot fewer motorcycles than cars. As in New York City, it seems that most of the cars are taxis. There are many buses – of a medium-sized, heavy duty sort with bars over the otherwise open windows. We were intrigued by how closely the cars park along the streets – almost touching and sometimes touching bumper-to-bumper. There are rickshaws pulled on foot downtown and bicycle rickshaws out near the airport, utility vehicles pulled and pushed by hand, and utility vehicles pedaled bike-style, and some three-wheeled motorized vehicles. Driving is on the left side.

In education, we learned, Kolkata and West Bengal is ahead of the rest of India. The literacy rate (ability to read and write) is about 94% in West Bengal vs. 51% in all of India. He said education is mandatory but didn't say to what age. I asked what percentage speak English, and he said most people in Bengal have some knowledge of English, and I know this is not true throughout India.

We made six stops on our tour in which we exited the bus and walked around. The first was the Victoria Monument. “The Taj of the Raj” is a most impressive marble building with huge, green, attractive grounds around it. We walked up to the entrance but couldn't go inside.

Our second stop was the Mother House, where Mother Teresa lived and is interred. We saw her tomb, her statue, and the little museum about her life. What a saintly and beloved woman she was!

Our guide gave some explanation of the Jain religion before we visited the Jane Temple. Jainism rejects the caste system and has been most popular among the merchant class. The temple is most opulent and impressive. I am very surprised it is not featured in my “India” guide book.

At our next stop, we walked down a narrow street lined with booksellers' shops and had a leisurely break in a large upstairs coffee restaurant.

Next we visited St. John's church and the surrounding tombs of some persons famous in the history of Kolkata, including that of its founder, Job Charnock.

At our last stop we had a leisurely walk along the river. It turns out to be the Ganges River. (Hooghly River is its “local name.”)

We returned to the hotel and were left on our own at 2:30 PM. I had been wide awake during our bus tour, but suddenly felt tired and took a short nap. Helen was not tired.

At about 4 PM, eleven of our group of twelve walked about half a mile to and ate in an Italian restaurant called “Fire and Ice, “ which Dick Opsahl had selected from his tour book because it offers free wireless. And, sure enough, Dick and I were able to get on the Internet for free in the restaurant. I received a welcoming e-mail message from Phub, who will be our guide in Bhutan, shared it with the group, and responded to it. It seems it is only Dick and I who have brought laptops with us.

We ended our day early and will start our day early tomorrow morning.

More men are seen on the streets than women. Most women wear saris. A few younger women wear clothing other than saris.

Our guide said only some Hindus are vegetarians. (There are various sects of Hinduism.) He said 70% of Indians, at least in West Bengal, eat meat.

Bernie :-)