We leave the Ashram, refreshed but oh-so-ready for caffeine/alcohol/cake/drugs/whatever, and I am feeling blissed out and happy that we've managed two whole weeks of being completely virtuous. Sadly, this calm doesn't last long, because the man on the bus next to me is a tit-perv-groper who pushes his luck one too many times, and I have to put on my shouty angry voice and tell him to back off. Which he does. Knew my inner-peace would be short-lived!
After a long day of travelling on sweaty buses, we arrive back in Cochin, where out flight leaves from. In merely 5 hours, we'll be on the other side of India; an entirely different landscape, climate and set of cultural ideals. It's a strange thought, but definitely an exciting one, and both me and Lisa are excited to see what the north has to offer.
So, first impressions of Calcutta.... Well, it's not too dissimilar from most other Indian cities in terms of crowds, smells, noise etc. But there is definitely something completely charming about it. The roads are wide. There are beautiful parks. The building are stunning. It's modern, and yet some areas look akin to depictions of Dickensian London - so much so that I almost expect to see Oliver Twist artfully gimping along Sudder Street markets. The real Victorian aspects of Calcutta are not the buildings though, but the sheer scale of the poverty that we see here. Dirty children, covered in lice, scabs and welts regularly beg us for money, as do their desperate mothers. It's a truly horrendous state of affair, but sadly one that is apparently endemic in West Bengal.
In spite of the poverty, Calcutta is a great city, with a great atmosphere. The markets are buzzing, the street food is ridiculously cheap and delicious, and it's a great place to simply wander around, taking in the architecture. Particular favourites are the British Cemetery on South Park Street (this being India though, there are families actually living in the cemetery...), St Paul's Cathedral and The Victoria Memorial.
Unfortunately, our choice of accommodation is not quite so inspired. Hotel number one may as well be a prison cell - think newspaper covering holes where the windows once were and a bathroom so dirty that to shower would be taking our lives in our hands. Quite simply gross. So we stick it out for a couple of nights, and eventually, on our last night, move to somewhere considerably cleaner. Where, ironically, Lisa get's sick. You really couldn't make it up!
Of course a prerequisite for visiting Calcutta is making the pilgrimage to Mother Theresa's House, where the saint lived, worked and ran her orphanage. It's in a fairly bleak area of town, with bodies stretched out and sleeping everywhere, dead dogs lying on the road and rats running in amongst all this chaos. But the orphanage itself seems to be a happy place, and the children are well-looked after. A few too many rich-white-couples roaming around looking orphans to adopt, though.
In amongst all of the virtuous activities, we manage to squeeze in a trip to the cinema to watch Puss in Boots. Ok, so we are the oldest people in the theatre by at least 15 years, but after 2 weeks of meditation, a trip to the cinema is perfect.
After 3 nights, we decide to leave Calcutta and head up to Darjeeling, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Looking forward to some fresh mountain air, and quite literally dying for a decent cup of tea....
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