Another Quick Update

There is no Internet cafe in the Hyatt in Kolkata, so we use Susan's computer. Unfortunately we have been out a lot, so very little blogging time.

- Last night we went to one of the actual ceremonies that they do in front of the Durga idols at a medium size pandel in the neighborhood near the hotel. Was really cool to see, a lot of incense and drumming and smoke. The point of the ceremony is so the devout can see the Durga come to life for a split second in the smoke. None of us saw it, but will all the stuff going on you really want to believe that it will happen.

- We also had an incredible dinner afterwards at the Tandoor restaurant in the ITC Sonar Bangla hotel, the other ritzy place in the area. Really incredible meat, best cooked chicken I have ever had.

- Traffic in Kolkata is the worst. Kolkata has a larger car to every other vehicle ratio then anywhere else in India. Unfortunately all these cars reach gridlock much easier then the auto and 2 wheeler mix in most other cities.

- It may be because it is basically Bengali Christmas here, so everyone is in a good mood, but I actually appreciate Kolkata more now that I have been in other parts of India. People are very nice here, and even if you are a westerner at a Durga where very few westerners would ever be, people do not stare or make you uncomfortable. People were very nice at the Puja last night where we did not know anyone. Nisha was very nicely invited to go up and light some candles and people were otherwise very welcoming.

- There has been a lot of new development here, so the city is looking nice. However, they really need to get all taxis and buses to CNG like in the rest of Indian big cities. The air quality here is really bad compared to Delhi and most other big places. The issue I believe is the resistance from the drivers and car owners. I understand that this must be a difficult thing to push through, but once it is done it is really worth it.