So... we got an auto rickshaw to the Metro, Belgachia station... strait forward... NOT SO MUCH. So there were several of them there and we were told to go to the third one. It was actually nice and clean, obviously brand spanking new. The rickshaw man said 10 rps each. Vishakha didi said, wait I paid 6 rps yesterday. So we argued a little, and it turns out that it is true.. overnight the price changed because of traffic. Soooo on we go.
And there WAS traffic and really bad smells. There is road construction and piles of bricks in the middle of the road. The "traffic cop" was a guy with normal pants and a 'white' t-shirt with the word traffic on the back. SO, after about a half hour we get to the station. The metro in Kolkata is actually nice(ish), marble floors and clean (ish). The cost is 6 rps to get to Park Street station... there was standing room only, but that is normal for the subway in any major city. The only difference is I am the tallest person on said train. The devotees I am with, lucky them, are all short and ethnic, so there is a little more blending. So the whole train is starring at me. .... I guess I would too, really if some giant got on the train at home.
At Park Street, Vishakha didi had to take over and show us where we were going, as we hadn't been there before.
OK, so I haven't been downtown Kolkata for about 10 years... and NOTHING has changed. It is crowded and filthy. There are young people who are trying to be excessively modern in their jeans and fancy hair talking in English, "hey man, you have 100 bucks [btw, the little moron is talking about rupees] for a ice cream, man?" There are middle class people on their breaks from work, beggars, street vendors, westerners that look so out of place that I'm staring... and they are staring at me. There are western businessmen with looks on their faces that scream, "what the he!! am I doing here?", hippie kids who are too stoned to notice, middle age tourists with big cameras thinking how many pictures they can show Bob and Jill, and how fantastically open they are to come to Kolkata, and then there are the young backpackers... who Know how fantastically open they are and are only a little stoned so still notice and inside are wondering when the he!! they are doing here.
So we get to the Homeo shop which is only a min from the train station... nice place with a vaisnava behind the counter... get my stuff... no worries...
Visakha didi leaves us to go do some other business, her saffron cloth aglow.
the adventure begins again... we need to find an ATM... why isn't this easy? It should be easy... long story short, after walking for about 20 min we are told to go back to where we come from and there was one right there. :-I Don't get angry... breath... oh wait, I can't.
The rest of us decide to go to Govinda's, the ISKCON restaurant... strait forward, right??
NOT............................................
Bringing back so many memories! What is it with that Govinda's? There is a secret bermudar triangle right there!! xoxo Rai
ReplyDeleteThe ond Govinda's bakery on Park street closed down, now they have a full resturant
ReplyDeleteNow that was a movie and a half.
ReplyDelete