More on Calcutta

The exigencies of Indian Internet cafes. We have experienced disconnections, unavailable hotmail, sticky mice, keys that don't work properly AND (I guess it was inevitable) a long posting to the blog all about our time in Calcutta, which wouldn't then publish, so I lost the whole thing. Now I copy before I try to publish... However at between Rs 15 and Rs 30 (around NZ$1) per hour, we aren't complaining! And the phone booths and internet cafes (usually two or three computers in tiny booths) are certainly ubiquitous.

We stayed in the BMS guesthouse in AJC Bose Rd. Patsy and Steven who run it, came out to the airport to meet us (Patsy when we arrived from Bangkok and Steven when we returned from Tripura), which was lovely to have someone greet us and usher us through the mess outside the airport exit, especially when it was quite late at night. We shared a dormitory with several different guests, only one of whom (a large and very lovely Indian evangelist) snored EXTREMELY loudly! There was an American girl who had been doing her med internship out of Delhi and who loved Calcutta, and a Mizo girl who was going to England to do voluntary work in a church there for a year. The gong for breakfast rang at 7.30 and we chatted to all sorts of interesting people over meals as well - fascinating stories some of them had, and very much a family feel. One morning we joined all the staff for devotions at nine am - lasted an hour or so and everything was either in English or Bengali, switching from one to another depending on who was talking/leading.

On Sunday we went to the morning service at Circular Rd Baptist Chapel - exactly the same feel as when we worshipped there as a family. Over a cup of tea after the service we met up with Mr and Mrs Herman, who were baptised there on the same day as I was, and their daughter Indu, who is my age and still looks about seventeen! We will visit them when we return to Cal on our way home. In the evening we went to the special Carols by candlelight service, which I remember from our time there as well. The choir of around twenty led very well, and sang a number of items, there were carols for us all to sing and Christmas readings (sorry, lessons!) And at the end of the service we all filed up the aisle with our little candles and stood in a big circle round the pillars outside (think Baptist Tab!) and sang Joy to the World.

That afternoon we visited Swabhumi on the recommendation of Annie. We were the only Westerners at this cultural centre some distance out of town at Salt Lake, and wandered round the place enjoying the general ambience of a clean area, fixed prices in lots of little stalls selling craft from round India and the general feel of middle class Bengalis out for a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

No visit to Calcutta is complete without a visit to New Market, and the porters were as agressive as ever! The huge undercover area consists of scores of tiny shops, with the shopkeepers all clamouring for your attention and business. I was delighted that I could still remember where all the various areas were and we wandered around for an hour or so. The centre still sports Christmas decorations, and the shopping hours were extended leading up to Christmas. This is NOT a Christian country, but evidently it is commercially lucrative to observe any and all celebrations. Roxanne bought herself a sari (ball dress material?) and we both bought a salwar kameez.

We were grateful that Sarah, my niece, visited India last Jan and had given us all sorts of helpful tips, as well as lending us some salwar kameez which made us feel much more the part ont he street. On her advice we located internet cafe, excellent book shop, nice coffee place and the best eggrolls in Calcutta!

After several days, Calcutta has begun to appeal a lot more and we definitely feel more at home leaping into taxis, giving directions with an Indian accent and bits of Bengali and arguing with taxi drivers - actually only one tried to rip us off! We did have an abortive attempt at catching a tram. We knew which number we wanted and every tram except that particular one went past, so that in the end we gave up!

21F Gorachand Rd, where we used to live, looks much the same except that the street outside has been cleaned up substantially - from the heap of rubbish that I remember. However, there is still the sign on the outside wall saying 'Commit no nuesance' (sic). So we didn't!! Nor did we gather up enough courage to go and knock on the door and say 'I used to live here x years ago'. Instead we amused ourselves with the wedding procession on the main road outside - a band with amazing headgear, guys dancing vigorously and a flowerdecked car containing family members and the groom in more wonderful headgear. We considered going to the Russian circus, several huge Big Tops erected in the Park Circus Maidan, but the times weren't really appropriate.

Calcutta is a rich place to visit - we'll be back!