Kolkata was a pleasant surprise. The Rough Guide described it as having 'some of the worst air pollution in the world' so I prepared myself for more choking fumes, erratic traffic, piles of litter and cows. However, this was the first sighting of pavements for pedestrians, cars keeping to their lanes, pelican crossings, tree-lined roads and no cows! I can't say I fell in love with the place, and the Hotel Victerrace was pretty grim, but it was fine for the 24 hours we stayed there.
I had discovered in Varanasi that some evil critter had had a good feast on my feet, ankles and both my legs up to my knees. Looking a lot like I had measles and itching like a flea-ridden mongrol, Ben and I traipsed around Kolkata and finally found a couple of chemists. After trying to explain to the first pharmacist that I wanted some bite cream, he just looked at me and said 'no', which was helpful. At the second place, he understood, but told me that cream wouldn't help and I needed antibiotics (it's a few days later now and they are healing fine without antibiotics). Back at the hotel it all got a bit much for a few minutes and I burst into tears and wailed at poor Ben 'I just want some bite cream!' Luckily a kind lady on our tour had a tube to give me and I have been walking around ever since with my bright red spots covered in a crusty white cream - nice.
It was sitting in the revolting restaurant at out hotel that we first saw the newsreels about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Security in Kolkata was heightened - I saw police looking under cars with mirrors - and a lot of businesses were closed the next morning. The whole thing is pretty horrific and I can't help but imagine what it must have been like for the tourists, just like us, in that situation.
On the last night of the tour the twelve of us and our tour leader Akshay went out for a nice dinner, where we had a our first taste of seawood in India. Then we said goodbye to Barb and Sue and Roger and Sue from Australia, Matt and Jas from New Zealand and fellow Brits Dave, Margot, Tom and Kate and headed off to catch the plane, on our own for the first time.
