Oh, Calcutta!

We traded chilly Darjeeling for Maximum City Kolkata yesterday. Yes, it's hot, but what a trip! Driving in from the airport on a super-flyover, we were impressed with all the greenery and parks and general orderliness. We're right in the center of the old city with its massive Victorian monuments and cricket fields and modern skyscrapers---not what we imagined! And last evening, we took an Uber through the bustling neon-lit streets, much like Manhattan at night, to a fabulous restaurant, Avartana. A very posh venue with a 9 course Southern Indian fusion menu topped off with an incredible dessert-- an "egg" made of fennel pannacotta substituting for the white, mango puree for the yolk, and all encased in a white chocolate shell. The "egg" then nestled in a spun caramel nest! The price for all 9 courses? $33 US. Wow! No wonder Conde Nast rated this place India's best restaurant in 2024.

It's Thursday and we took an exhilarating tour of Kolkata, starting with a moving tour of Mother Teresa's headquarters, and then visited a fantastic Jain temple. This religion dates to the 9th century BCE and its vegan adherents will not even eat root vegetables for fear of killing the plant. The most devout Jain men wear no clothes whatsoever. At today's temple, folks were crammed around the main altar, singing and working themselves into a frenzy. Next, we visited an elaborate Krishna temple and then visited an alley where artists create Hindu deities out of mud (which are then painted) for the never-ending festivals. A quick trip around Dalhousie Square revealed ornate Raj buildings, including the post office built over the site of the infamous "Black hole of Calcutta."

We finished today's tour with a walk through the most incredible flower market I've ever seen and concluded our visit with a brief stop at the Victoria Memorial. It was 100 degrees outside with very high humidity. Time to head back to the comfort of our hotel.

We're certainly not oblivious to the news coming out of Kashmir and Pakistan and hope both sides can reach a resolution soon, but there are no easy answers on this decades old conflict. We will be leaving for Singapore late at night and then on to SF, so tonight's flight paths are in the opposite direction--one less thing to worry about before our 19-hour trip home.

As our travels end, we especially want to wish you all peace, joy, and serenity in these troubled times. That's it for now.Read more