We arrived in Kolkata and took a taxi to Sudder St., which is where most backpackers go. The 16 km took us a good 1.5 hours because traffic is ridiculous. The air is filled with nonstop honking and most of the time we could reach out and high-five the person in the next taxi over. Our hostel ended up a grubby little concrete cell with a ceiling fan and a barred window, with shared squatty toilet holes for everyone.
Within a few hours, we quickly realized that we wanted to get out of Kolkata as soon as possible, but still had a day to kill. Waking up at 5:00am, we took to the miraculously quiet streets. It was quite a sublime experience to walk the same sidewalks minus normal chaos. I don't think I realized just how many of the street vendors and rickshaw drivers slept on the streets. People everywhere were just waking up, and it was interesting to see them in this much more vulnerable state.
Tonight we head for Darjeeling, a much smaller mountain town, on the train. Even in India we find ourselves fleeing from the big cities. So far this place has far exceeded what everyone told us it would be in terms of in-your-face noise, crowds, and poverty. It has also overwhelmed each of our senses and given new thought to what is aesthetically pleasing.
P.S. We also started using our UV light water purifier. Clay affectionately refers to it as his wizard's wand. It's kinda like birth control...you're not convinced it's working at first and just have to trust it and see what happens.
Within a few hours, we quickly realized that we wanted to get out of Kolkata as soon as possible, but still had a day to kill. Waking up at 5:00am, we took to the miraculously quiet streets. It was quite a sublime experience to walk the same sidewalks minus normal chaos. I don't think I realized just how many of the street vendors and rickshaw drivers slept on the streets. People everywhere were just waking up, and it was interesting to see them in this much more vulnerable state.
Tonight we head for Darjeeling, a much smaller mountain town, on the train. Even in India we find ourselves fleeing from the big cities. So far this place has far exceeded what everyone told us it would be in terms of in-your-face noise, crowds, and poverty. It has also overwhelmed each of our senses and given new thought to what is aesthetically pleasing.
P.S. We also started using our UV light water purifier. Clay affectionately refers to it as his wizard's wand. It's kinda like birth control...you're not convinced it's working at first and just have to trust it and see what happens.
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