It's the last leg of our journey south through Eastern India and my expectations of Kolkatta are low. Another dirty, overpopulated Indian city full of vagrants and hawkers. I am girded to be dismayed at the sight of huge slums and child beggars. This nightmare, however, is not what greets us as we drive through the outskirts towards the city centre. New tower blocks with private gym memberships and large, modern, shopping malls attached. Modern commercial centres that appear to be thriving. Yes, there are some signs of decay and dilapidation, as there are in every city, but this one is buzzing with life and the expectation of a better future.
Even the hotel is bright and modern, with the muted colours and the muted decoration of a European boutique hotel. A superking size bed, with flatscreen tv on the wall, and a glass bowl sink in the bathroom. It all seems fantastic. Just don't look at the 1/2” gap round the bathroom window, or the strange damp patch in the corner of the bedroom. We wait for the promised extra single bed. Eventually, what looks like a duvet is brought into the room and placed on the floor. We try to explain we need a mattress and sheets, not a duvet. Amanda clearly demonstrates what is required by lying down on the floor and pretending she is pulling a sheet over her. In her bright red dungarees, she will definitely has a new career on CBeebies but fails to successfully communicate our requirement. We give up and decide to start the nightly forage for food instead. Rumour has it there is a MacDonalds not far away. As we sit down to eat, the rest of Ozbus 20 arrive. Everyone has had enough curry to last a lifetime. Tempting though it is to terminate with a MacDonalds ice cream brownie, I have spotted a coffee shop next door with real cakes! Time for a little more self indulgence.
Even the hotel is bright and modern, with the muted colours and the muted decoration of a European boutique hotel. A superking size bed, with flatscreen tv on the wall, and a glass bowl sink in the bathroom. It all seems fantastic. Just don't look at the 1/2” gap round the bathroom window, or the strange damp patch in the corner of the bedroom. We wait for the promised extra single bed. Eventually, what looks like a duvet is brought into the room and placed on the floor. We try to explain we need a mattress and sheets, not a duvet. Amanda clearly demonstrates what is required by lying down on the floor and pretending she is pulling a sheet over her. In her bright red dungarees, she will definitely has a new career on CBeebies but fails to successfully communicate our requirement. We give up and decide to start the nightly forage for food instead. Rumour has it there is a MacDonalds not far away. As we sit down to eat, the rest of Ozbus 20 arrive. Everyone has had enough curry to last a lifetime. Tempting though it is to terminate with a MacDonalds ice cream brownie, I have spotted a coffee shop next door with real cakes! Time for a little more self indulgence.
RSS Feed
