The journey to Kolkata was pretty standard, my 'Ladies quota' berth still had men in it but there was a nice family with baby to stare at. Anyway all was well until the end when I put my phone to charge and turned my back for one minute to look at the scenery outsideof the door, only to find that somebody (probably the strange man who appeared from nowehere and squeezed himself into the side berth opposite) had taken it and scarpered. It is a shame really because I always felt at ease on the trains but now I have learnt my lesson not to trust everyone so much and be more vigilent!
Luckily I had mentioned where I was aiming to stay to my friend whom had invited me to Kolkata for a wedding which was the reeason for my trip there in the first place! The Times Guest House, unfortunately not a place for spending much time in. My single room was definitely the most budget so far, a matchbox and a communal bathroom I could just about fit in...my first shower was quite an experience. Thankfully I was saved from despair when my friend turned up at my room, perfect timing. Good food was had at the rather randomly placed Moulin Rouge restaurant where plans for sightseeing and the wedding were discussed.
The first full day in the city was pretty busy, we headed off to be tourists visiting various sights such as the Planetarium with amusing show, Park Street Cemetery which was bizarrely beautiful and a mini pilgrimage to the 'Motherhouse' where Mother Theresa did much of her work.
Bengali Wedding
This was a special event. I found the whole affair very interesting, from watching how the bride and groom were separated into different rooms giving the large volume of guests a chance to swarm around and take countless photos. Then they each got fed Gulab Jamun, I guess to help stave off the hunger whilst everyone else was ablt to feast on the fabulous buffet. It actually was the same GJ that finished me off!
After a lot of chatting and admiring of outfits, the evening ended with the ceremony involving the bride hiding her face behind some leaves whilst being carried around the groom re-enacting their 'first meeting' and then swapping garlands before reciting some prayers. I was glad to have had the opportunity to see a Bengali wedding and wear a sari again.
My last few days in the city consisted of more walking, photo-snapping and eating. I grew to feel a bit at home in my matchbox butit was time to move on, to a more mellow destination further south in the state of Orissa to a town called Puri.
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