Kolkata

Kolkata was never really on my "to see" list in India. However three elements made me change my mind. Angelina had a gut feeling that told her she had to go to Kolkata. Then, when in Varanasi, out of the blue, I received a FB message from Sumita (whom I studied with at AU in DC, but with whom I never really hung out at all, and hadn't seen nor heard from since maybe 2002) acknowledging my presence in I did and inviting me to stay in her family in law's house and visit Kolkata. And last, I must admit that the name of that city had something of mysterious and "end of the world" like to it.

So ok, after a long and obviously delayed train ride from Bodhgaya, we arrive in Kolkata. Such a modern looking place with a decent infrastructure compared to Ladakh or Varanasi.

We ended up spending 5 days in that city. And each and everyday walked a good 20km to visit it and see as much of it as possible. Such an interesting colonial place. It actually used to be the capital of India, and was the very first colonial city of India back when the British took over the country.

Kolkata, it appears, used to be the center of literature and arts in India way back then, but after a continuous sort of "brain drain" towards the Mumbai and Delhi, is no longer such place. But in some ways, one can feel the cultural heritage left in the blood of the city.

The architecture is superb. The Muslim neighborhood is magnificent and so dynamic. The ghats are extremely disappointing yet very interesting as they are where all the slums are located. There is no such touristy river bank as there is in Varanasi. And well, the flower market under the bridge is such a spectacle of colors but also of culture and life.

But most of all, and aside from the quality and amazing time I spent with Angelina, the highlight of my visit to Kolkata was probably the fact that i reconnected with Sumita (and met her husband). Both of them are such fantastic people with such a fascinating background and incredible personalities. Kolkata without them would definitely not have been worth the detour at all!

And Sumita's parents in law's house is just so nice. The vibe from the different rooms were so incredible. All giving you the impression of traveling back in colonial times, and sending such a peaceful and relaxing feeling despite the chaos happening outside.

When we departed from the city, the train station really gave us a concrete sense of the size of India and the dynamism and chaotic behavior of its people. And making our way through this craze was such a challenging and fun mini trekk, perhaps not so challenging at all actually, but definitely fun! Hands in our pockets making sure to not get pick pocketed, and scouting out for our wagon...with all our gear on our back.

Though the train had a 3 hour delay at departure, it had a 12 hour delay at arrival...yes, India! :-[

So we ended up spending 31 hours to go from Kolkata to Delhi...and despite it all, we both slept really well, and managed to stay entertained the whole time...and arrived in Delhi by night. What a trip!

The next day, while Angelina made her way to Ajmer for her third Vipassana course, I got invited to my second Indian wedding, a few hours before hopping into a plane to Morocco...