Kolkata to Gangtok

We are now at a beautiful spot Gangtok way up in the North near the Himalayas and the Chinese border.
The day before yesterday we had an amazing day of sightseeing in Kolkata and there is just so much to see there that it's hard to absorb it all. The hero of the day was our bus driver and his side kick who spent most of his time leaning out the window yelling at tuk tuks cars bikes and people to get out of the way and the traffic is as heavy as you can get! Not only that but the beggar children are tapping on our windows for money in amongst this traffic and how they are not squished..
Kolkata is where the Ganges meets the sea and apparently the most densely populated region on the planet and where more than a million people live on the street. The slums of course are dreadful with children picking through the big piles of rubbish and dogs sleeping on the street but the whole place is just heaving with life. The beautiful fabrics, the fruit markets the flower markets and generally just life being played out on the streets.
We visited Mother Theresa's house which has a wee chapel and her tomb, plus a small museum and the room she lived in. I think we all were very moved by her house and it was all so plain and simple with nuns quietly going about their day. There was so much to read about her work and of course the work goes on all over the world including NZ.
Our guide of course had to show us the huge cricket ground which seats 92 thousand people and had photos of all their famous cricketers over it especially Tendulkar
Kolkata has a very English feel due to the influence of British rule and Queen Victoria but now these old homes are not just faded grandeur but derelict grandeur with trees growing out of them and facades falling off Thankgoodness Kolkata doesn't seem to get earthquakes.
We visited the flower markets near the famous Howrah bridge crossing the Ganges and so aliv with colour. One poor man was cooking in a tiny wee hovel naan bread which was very popular but the heat must be intense for him.
There are big trees and greenery everywhere and the beautiful Maidan park which is Indias version of Hyde Park. It was full of people playing cricket and soccer and picnicking.
So many contrasts everywhere from the big marble monument to Queen Vic to the slum hovels around every corner. We even saw a glass covered carriage being pulled along with a dead person inside for all the world to see! The heat inside must have been intense and certainly puts a new spin on hearses!
All in all it was a pretty intense day and it's the sort of place that is very hard to describe in words.
How spoilt we felt at the end of the day walking into our beautiful air-conditioned hotel.
Unfortunately my tum is till on a rumble so am missing out on all the beautiful food but hopefully time will be the cure!
Off up into the hills today and more to come of our trip here later!
Great to see we got a gold in the sevens
My photo s are not all here . Tech glitch but more to comeRead more