Monday November 24, 2025
Breakfast at the hotel was good,
though spread out with some things inside and the rest outside. (tricky getting
doors opened with plates of food) It was nice eating outside in the courtyard.
Our first stop was the Mullick Ghat
Flower Market which is Asia's largest flower market and located under the
Howrah Bridge. It’s a wholesale market and it was jam-packed with crowds of people
rushing here and there with deliveries and getting their orders filled. Weddings
are probably the largest portion of their business and festivals. It was
difficult navigating through the narrow alleys, and we felt like we needed to
clear the way for the workers, after all we were just tourists. The smell of marigolds,
roses, and lotuses filled the air. Once we got in the back alley it was less
crowded and we could walk freely.
Many of the sites were just a drive by.
We drove through White Town (historic European-built area featuring grand
colonial architecture), passed the Writer’s Building (it housed clerks of the
East India Company & in the 19th century, Calcutta became the capital of
British India, and Writers’ served as the secretariat of Bengal state, & later
after independence, it continued to house the state government).
Our next stop was Mother Teresa House.
From 1953 to 1997, Mother Teresa lived in a modest room on the first floor of
Mother House. No photos are allowed but you can view the room through glass.
The small museum, “Mother Teresa’s Life, Spirit and Message” houses whatever
minimal belongings Mother had such as her sari, crucifix, rosary, worn sandals,
worn out enamel dinner-bowl. There are also a few handwritten letters and
spiritual exhortations on display. (even a drop of blood on a Band-Aid)
Photos were only allowed in the courtyards
and the room with her tomb.
Greg noted that there was a sign saying not to give money to the homeless. I guess they want only organized helping.
I had requested to see South Park Street
Cemetery, a historic burial ground for early British colonial figures. These
old cemeteries are always interesting to visit.
Next, we visited St. Paul’s Cathedral,
an Anglican church, noted for its Gothic architecture and dedicated to Paul the
Apostle. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. No photos inside.
Next up was one of our favorite lunches
of the trip. Mocambo is known for their sizzling platter, so we split one of
those with some garlic naan. They have a varied menu of Continental and traditional
Indian cuisine. The sizzling platter was a tandoori mixed sampler, and we had chocolate
ice cream. Our guide stopped joining us for lunch and paying for it. Perhaps,
she was informed they weren’t included.
We had about a half an hour of free
time and we just wandered. Then we drove to over an hour to see something the
guide felt was a “must-see”. All we wanted to do was get a suitcase and said we
wanted to go to the mall. I also told her it wasn’t on our itinerary, but it
was clear we were going. After sitting in slow to stopped traffic, we reached College
Street, which is Asia's biggest book market. When we finally got there, she
asked if we wanted to get out. I think everyone said a hearty “NO” at the same
time. There is a famous coffee house there and if she wanted to take us there,
she should have just taken us there for a break.
Greg’s suitcase had a broken handle
(the one he just bought in Germany on the Viking River cruise). We told her we
wanted to go to the mall, but she insisted on going to Hogg Sahib's Bazaar (New
Market). Fighting our way through hordes of people wasn’t fun, nor was having
to choose one in the small shops and even less fun dragging the suitcase back
to the vehicle in the crowds. It was too late in the day to have time to get to
the mall and still make the Aarti on time. To top it off, the guide overheard
the driver talking to someone and despite not speaking the same language she
understood enough that she said we should take our backpacks with us as perhaps
the van was being taken to have some maintenance. So, we dragged those along
through the crowds of people. (and the suitcase) Upon our return to the van it
was indeed a different one.
We asked if we could have a restroom
break and she took us to the hotel where we were supposed to stay until I
upgraded to where we are now. I think I made the better choice.
All day long there was an ongoing
discussion on the sunset boat trip and whether we should go to the Aarti
tonight versus just the one where the boat stops tomorrow. The boat company wasn’t
responsive, and it was frustrating. She said she wasn’t sure the boat was
running and then we would miss it entirely. At one point she puts me on the
phone with Ranjeet at Magic Tours (who booked the whole tour in India) and he
felt we should definitely go to the Aarti tonight. Finally, the decision was
made to see the Aarti tonight and keep the sunset cruise tomorrow. (if it runs)
We took a very short break at the hotel until it was time for the Aarti. While not as elaborate as the one in Varanasi it was great we had 2nd row seats with a clear view until 4 people sat in front of us and one proceeded to stand up until the guy in charge told her to sit down. We were told not to cross our legs (as it’s rude to show the bottom of your shoes). This time we were close enough to get the holy conch water they tossed on you at the beginning and at the end.
The major difference between the two Aartis was the setting up process. In Varanasi there was a lot of time spent decorating the shrines with flower petals, candles and decorating the idol at the center altar. There were 11 stations but being so close we could only watch the ones in front of us. I resisted the urge to stand up to get photos as it’s a very religious experience for them and not a “show”. Each of the items used is deeply symbolic. Even if you aren't religious, it's a deeply emotional experience. Since we took video in Varanasi, I only took one short one here. (online only)
We went back to the hotel and ate at the restaurant. The chef came out to chat, and he used to work on Royal Caribbean. He was telling us that the visas they are given are only good for a 5-mile radius from the ship. Greg had mutton biryani and I got colonial vegetables with béchamel and cheese sauce with garlic toast. Yum! They were out of the dessert we wanted so we got chocolate ice cream.
Greg got his suitcase changed over and
the staff took away the broken one.
Tomorrow, we have another full day
tour of Kolkata and an evening river cruise that stops at Balur Math.
photo album: Kolkata https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXezdDccivJ47Ekx7
No comments:
Post a Comment