Where is Roberg?

The Arrival

I arrived in Kolkata airport on time at 1 am this morning. Immigration went smoothly (only 15 minutes) and my backpack, which I am actually borrowing from my 40 year old sister (yeah, she is that old!) Kirsten, arrived with only minor damage (sorry Kirst).

I met a very nice couple on the plane named Shameek Ghose and Minta Chattopadhyay.

They made the flight from London to Kolkata one of the most pleasant I’ve ever had. They are staying in Kolkata for 13 days (if I remember correctly) for a cousin’s wedding and to see family. They said that they would check out the blog and e-mail me if they had a chance so we could catch up after a few days. Hopefully they do – they were cool to talk to.

The Missing Backpack and a Crazy Taxi Ride

As for the rest of my arrival, I waited for my backpack for 20 minutes before I overheard someone say that there were bags that had been taken off of the carousel before we got through immigration. Lo and behold, there was my bag. As a result, I was the last person out of the baggage claim area, because I had to convert money into the local currency (the Indian Rupi, which is about 40 per dollar).

After converting the money, I signed up for a pre-paid taxi (which is when I paid a teller at the airport, who gave me a receipt, that I gave to the taxi driver at the end of the trip: then the driver returns to the airport to get his money with the receipt I gave him – this is so new arrivals don’t get ripped off).

The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel was an experience I will never forget. As we rode through Kolkata at 3 am, I saw beautiful buildings surrounded by dozens of decrepit buildings. We passed five goat herders worked together to direct about 20 goats down the street, dozens of stray dogs, many homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks, and people unloading that were trucks delivering everything from food to lumber. Thankfully there were very few other cars on the street, or it would have been even more striking, as my driver took liberties with all traffic rules (which is how all people drive here from what I’ve read).

The Hotel

When we arrived at the Fairlawn Hotel, the gate was locked. I had a moment of fear, but I was definitely going to get in, even if I had to use my cell phone (which works over here with no modifications for $1.29 per minute) to call the front desk. Of course the taxi driver said he would take me to a less expensive place, but within a minute of me standing at the door, an older gentleman came to the gate and unlocked it to let me in. As I followed him inside, we woke the person attending the desk, who had been sleeping on a pad.

I apologized and told him that I had a reservation. He checked me in and was very kind. After he left me to my room (#5), I sent a text message to Heather, Kirsten, and Matt to let them know I arrived safely. It was 3:30 am on 1/10 Thurs Kolkata time (4 pm. Wed EST). Kirsten and Matt replied within minutes, which let me know that it had gotten through. (for more on my room, check out the Flat Kat tab above).

My room at the Fairlawn.

I could finally relax. I got ready for bed, set my alarm for 9 am so I could get breakfast by 10, and proceeded to lay sleepless for about 30 minutes. It was a long trip and it was a lot to take in. After a while, exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep.

My First Morning in India – Waking Up in Kolkata

I was awoken at 5:10 am by the Muslim call to prayer, which lasted about 3 – 5 minutes. When it was done, I quickly fell asleep again.

Today will be a relaxed day. I had a very nice breakfast and took my time getting ready. I took a 20 minute walk to orient myself and then stopped in to this internet cafe to update you all.

I’ll make future postings a bit more reflective and delve into the culture a bit more later. Come back and check it out tomorrow to see what I’ve found.

Until then, namaste (goodbye in Hindi – I’m not sure how to say it in Bengali, which is the language they speak in this part of India).

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have posted questions in the comments section. I will take some time to answer many of them tomorrow when I come back to the cafe.

Filed under: Background, India, Travel | Tagged: Kolkata