Calcutta: Remnants of the Raj

10/11/09 to 10/13/09

The plan was to go south...and not 4 days via train south, but by air south. That's what one bad experience on a train from Agra to Varanasi can do to you. My options for airports were Delhi and Calcutta (now Kolkata) and since Calcutta was only 14 hours away as apposed to 18, well...there I was. Let me start by saying that I have no pictures or great experiences to share for the simple fact that after 1.5 months of travelling, food poisoning finally caught up to me. It was inevitable. Furthermore, my two 1.5 days there were only meant to be a connection point for my flight to Kochi in the south. I didn't stray too far from my hotel as a result but what I did see wasn't too bad. At least better than what I had heard. Calcutta is the second largest city in India and previously the home and center of operations for Britain's East India Co. The wide boulevards, ample sidewalks and architecture evident of a city spawned by1st world ambition. Noticeably absent were the auto rickshaws. Apparently they are only allowed to travel set routes, leaving them basically irrelevant. I was, however, introduced to the man-powered rickshaw of old and the yellow painted (and ever-present) cab, a la New York. Whether it be a lack of touristic sights or a jaded view of foreigners by the Bengalis, Calcutta seemed to be disinterested in tourist activity...at least that was my very limited take. On to Kochi.....