Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Sonya

After a hot and uncomfortable overnight train, we arrived in India’s famous Calcutta. It was a first visit for both of us, and a particularly special one for Travis being the home town of his mum, my mother in law.

We left the station and immediately noticed the colonial looking, bright yellow taxis, named the “Ambassador”. These metered taxis were quite a change of sight for us, given most of the other Indian cities were filled with green and yellow auto-rickshaws (tuk tuks). We waited in the taxi line for ages (over an hour) due to an inefficient taxi system. It was so hot.

We eventually caught a taxi to Sutton Street and found the cheapest hotel which fortunately had aircon (though it was the size of a shoebox).

We had lunch at a delicious Bengali restaurant, I had a fish curry and Travis a prawn (chingri) curry.

Our afternoon was spent wandering around the area, the streets were clean and modern filled with tropical trees and greenery (except for the group of pigs and piglets rummaging around the rubbish near Sutton Street), quite different to what I had envisaged. We past Fort William and found ourselves at the Victoria Memorial, a beautiful white stone building built in honour of Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India. The gardens surrounding the area are spectacular and well maintained. We spent some time in the museum which had a really interesting exhibition on Calcutta’s history, from the arrival of the East India Company and the impact of the British rule. It gave us insight into what life would have been like during those times.

After, we headed to St Paul’s Cathedral, a striking Gothic style Anglican cathedral, admiring its beautiful architecture before heading back to Sutton Street, passing the Birla Planetarium along the way.
We had more yummy Bengali cuisine in the evening before heading back.

The next morning we decided to do a walking tour of Calcutta. We started from Sutton Street and walked all the way to BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square), passing St Johns church along the way. The walk was really enjoyable, allowing us to soak in the streets of Calcutta. I particularly enjoyed passing the street food stalls. We stopped for breakfast (puri and potato dahl for six rupee each!), later along the walk we had coconut juice straight from the coconut (and once we finished ate the coconut flesh from the shell!), I also tried an dish of white delicious looking dessert-like balls which turned out to be something called Doi Bora an Indian chaat (savoury snack), prepared by soaking vadas (fritter balls) in thick yoghurt. It also had spices on top. Admittedly I was a little surprised by the taste of this snack and was struggling to finish it as it was just so unusual but I did anyway as the street vendor and a few of the customers were watching me to see if I liked it or not (to which I politely said yes).

The walk brought us to the following sights, High Court, Calcutta Town Hall Building, the Writers’ Building, Standard Buildings, Standard Chartered Building and St Andrew’s Church where we went inside and had a rest from the hustle and bustle of the city. As we were travelling during pre-monsoon, one of the advantages were the bountiful supply of tropical fruits. We bought a few huge mangoes for thirty rupees each and a kilo of lychees for sizty rupee (a little over a dollar).

We then walked towards the Bara Bazaar area and Old Chinatown. This area was quite a contrast to the Victoria Memorial area we had visited the day before. Old and run-down, poverty was very apparent. Lots of make-do shacks made from all sorts of materials littered the streets. Remnants of the old Chinatown were still apparent – red doors scrawled with Chinese writing, however most of the area is now occupied by a Muslim population.

Next we decided to visit the Mother Teresa House, home to many nuns from her Missions of Charity. The house had a really comprehensive museum depicting her life and charitable work. It displayed many of her own items including her sandals, blanket, chair. Next to the museum was her tomb and when we visited, a mass was being held. It was a moving experience.

The following day, our last day in Calcutta, we headed to the National Museum a very old musty building and spent a few hours there before heading to Kalighat, in Southern Kolkata. Here we saw Nirmal Hriday (Home for the dying) which was the original hospice Mother Teresa established for the destitute and sick. It is now run-down and no longer used. Nearby is the Kali Temple which known to be one of Kolkata’s holiest Hindu spots. It was packed with pilgrims. As we entered the Temple area, I noticed two adorable baby goats tied to a bench. As I played with them, one of the men told me they were to be sacrificed shortly! We walked around and saw the place of sacrifice (where other goats were being slaughtered). The experience was so very raw. Travis went inside the temple itself while I waited around outside.

We then headed to Shanagar Burning Ghat, then had lunch at a local Bengali cuisine restaurant in South Kolkata. That evening we said our farewells to this wonderful, historical city before departing a train to our next stop, Khajuraho.

A cruise along the holy Ganges River, Varanasi, India

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Travis

A must do in Varanasi is riding a sunrise (or sunset) boat cruise along the Ganges River to admire the bustle of people along the Ghats. Sunrise also presents the Ghats in their most photogenic view. We woke up early at five o’clock in the morning and wandered to the banks looking for a boat owner. The day before, I had made a verbal arrangement with a keen local who had his name tattooed on his forearm and was surprised he managed to find us that morning, so obliged him our business. There are hundreds of boats and rowers looking for business for a mere one-hundred rupees an hour.

The ride presented us with panoramic views of the Ghats, the steps filled with people bathing in the river, and puja offerings floating around the boat from the prior nights festivities, men washing clothes on stones on the river bank and at the burning ghats were still burning. We enjoyed it so much that we extended the ride to two hours.

After the boat ride we wandered the streets of Varanasi, stopping to take photos of cows on the streets and many stores selling puja offerings. It really felt like the most spiritual city in the world.

Varanasi, India

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Sonya

We arrived into Varanasi late at night after catching a five or so hour train from Gorukpur. Upon arriving at the train station, we were met with a vast collection of auto and cycle rickshaws (and their drivers!), keen to win our business. We negotiated a fee with one auto rickshaw driver but after he took us to his rickshaw, he changed his mind and advised us to take a cycle rickshaw instead, as the B&B we wanted to stay at was supposedly not accessible by autorickshaw (or something along those lines).

We ended up taking a cycle rickshaw through the old city towards the Ganges, where we were staying. It dropped us off about five-hundred metres away from our hotel, telling us that cycle rickshaws weren’t allowed any further (again, this was supposedly the reason).

The B&B was hard to find in the dark and narrow alleys. It was a little spooky as there was no lighting, although my biggest fear being that I would step on cow dung which is almost always littered across the streets of Indian cities.

We managed to get a non-AC room, nominated in the Lonely Planet as an ‘our pick/top choice’. It was a big mistake as it was so hot that night! Possibly because of the design of the room and choice of building material. The next morning we awoke to see our first glimpses of the spiritual Ganges on our hotel rooftop. It was so much wider than I expected. Boats were floating by, filled to the brim with people. Colourful buildings were sprinkled along the river side.

We decided to wander along the river, passing along the ghats. Along the way we were spotted by a local man who took it upon himself to walk alongside us and explain the different ghats. Eventually we reached the Manikarnika ghat which is the main ghat for cremation. As it was still early in the morning, we witnessed some ceremonial rites for the deceased, and the actual cremation. It was a surreal experience. The local guy, turned out to be a tout, passed us along to a man who supposedly worked there who explained a few things about the cremations and ended up wanting a significant ‘donation’ for the wood used in the cremation (we did not succumb to his request). Understandably, photography is not allowed in this ghat.

We continued back, passing through the other ghats – Lalita ghat, Manmandir ghat. The heat of the midday sun was approaching, and there weren’t many people around, aside from men washing clothes along the river and some local tourists.

We headed to a local joint for lunch – where we devoured a thali each. After we headed to the famous Blue Lassi Cafe well known for its delicious lassis (but terribly hard to find). I had a papaya lassi and Travis went for the mango lassi. Both were incredible and were only thirty rupees each.

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As the sun began to set, we headed back to the ghats to witness the evening ceremony (Ganga Aarti) that take place each night. Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual where light from wicks are soaked in ghee and is offered to Hindu deities. We headed to the bustling Dashashwamedh ghat firstly. There were so many people around now that the sun was setting and it was cooler. Young children were selling baskets containing marigolds and tealights for puja (offerings to Hindu deities). Bright yellow and orange flowers were strewn alongside the jetties. Candles floated in the water. Food vendors were selling snacks and water. Boats were patiently lined at the dock waiting to bring people onto the Ganges to watch the ceremony. It was an overwhelming mix of spirituality and excitement. Many of the pilgrims were local tourists who had travelled far and wide to perform puja at the holy Ganges.

At about seven in the evening some male performers appeared onto the stage and the ceremony commenced. There was dancing, singing (songs of praises to deities), bells and open flames. We could see that a similar performance was taking place at another nearby ghat. We noticed that those who had paid to ride the boats had probably the best view as the stage faced the Ganges.