“Black Hole of Calcutta” Redux

Thursday March 27, 2007 (day before journey to Calcutta, now officially Kolkatta)
Called to confirm our reservation at Presidency Inn. Skeptical and honestly concerned about the “wall to wall carpet” but couldn’t find anything better. Well mustached man on the other line politely states that our reservation made one week ago was lost by the new trainee. “Deeply regretted, sir.” Mr. Alex, uncharacteristically, flips his lid, but no yelling could change their fully booked hotel. Spend rest of the day calling hotels and surfing the web for options. After 4 hours, I finally find a visually satisfactory option and book. Relief.

Friday March 28 (trip to Kolkatta)
Eat a quick egg on rice followed by some pb&j’s in the car on the way to Chennai airport. We try napping, but the jerky driving is too much. Swerving around ambling oxen, cars going in the wrong direction on a highway, and bicycles in the highway passing lane, make it impossible to go a smooth 55 mph. Instead, we ask each other about the puzzle that is India. Yesterday, Jeeyung finally asked her nurses what the side to side head bob really means. (for those of you who are not familiar, a side to side nod means both yes and no here). They said that the slow side to side bob was a “no”, and that the quick jerk to one side was a yes. No head movement meant, “I know what you are asking, but I didn’t do what you told me to do yesterday. Instead of saying so, I will blankly stare into your eyes and say nothing.” This offers some clarification, but we still feel like we are working in a vacuum sometimes.
Arrive at the airport in good time, show our tickets to at least 3 uniformed security guards who examine them closely at various entry points to the terminal. After asking an airline employee where to check in, we learn that we are in the international terminal. On the way out, we have to show the tickets again to those same guards, who say nothing and hand them back to us like it was our mistake.
The flight leaves on time. A smooth ride. Eat a yummy veg meal, but unknowingly it may have future repercussions. Events go as follows:

7:30 p.m Arrive in Kolkatta. Thought we could take a subway into town from the airport, but we cannot find it. Swarmed by 30 mustached men muttering “Taxi sir, madam taxi”, we hear from different sources that the station is 1 km away, then 5 km, then 8 km. Suddenly, a well coiffed, and mustache-less man takes us aside and asks us where we were going. We state the location, and he gestures for us to wait. Seconds later a car pulls up, and the man says, get in, this is my car, and I will drop you on the way. Huge pangs of doubt and suspicion swell inside us. Around us are mischievous men with questionable intentions. Could he be any worse? Can you trust a man just because he doesn’t have a mustache? Sorry to all the moms and dads out there who will be shocked, but we accept his offer. The ride to central Kolkatta is long, so we get to know our host well. He is a 1 star general in the Indian Coast Guard, and this is his personal car and driver. We learn a little about the city, and a lot about smuggling and fish-stealing in Indian waters.

9:00 p.m. Arrive at Astoria Hotel on Scudder Street. Deluxe room is huge, but doesn’t appear to have any windows. The bathroom is dimly lit but light enough to see the ants crawling all over the sink. Promptly, I say, “lets see you other room, please.” The room is located in an annex behind the main hotel. The stairs are wobbly, not structurally considered, and carpeted. I am nervous about the combined weight of my body and the suitcase on this stair. The stair does flex, but perhaps the carpet keeps the stair treads and risers connected. The room is a “shit hole”. It cannot be described any other way. Rest of evening is spent calling other hotels to check availability. Finally find a luxury hotel with an opening. Booked it.


Rat's-Eye View


Saturday March 24: 1:00 a.m.
Jeeyung wakes up in “shit hole” with cold sweats. Proceeds to bathroom and vomits. She shivers for most of the night but finally falls asleep.

9:00 a.m. Pack up stuff. Check out of Astoria. Take taxi. Check into Golden Park. Ahhhhh. Worth every penny. Jeeyung, gets in bed and goes right to sleep. I go across the street to get some Tylenol and anti-nausea medications.

2:00 p.m. While Jeeyung sleeps, I walk around the area. Incredibly hot and humid like the hottest summer day in New York City. Visit the Victoria Memorial, erected in honor of Queen Victoria. It is set inside the Maidan, an enormous urban green space much larger than Central Park. I visit the gardens and surrounding park.


Victoria Memorial in the evening. Marble used here
is the same as Taj Mahal.


Alley near BBD Bagh. Area of old British
Government buildings.


Decrepit residential building in alley of BBD Bagh.


7:00 p.m. Dinner at hotel. Jeeyung can’t make it outside the building. She eats 4 bites of pasta and gives the rest to me. I completely gorge myself and can barely make it up from the table. I am ready to stop but the waiter convinces me to take the sweet curd dessert. He says it is, “Mind Blowing!” Well, let’s not get carried away. It taste like Danon Yogurt with some extra sugar in it.

Sunday March 25
Jeeyung feels slightly better and wants to see the city. We visit the inside of the Victoria Memorial as well as the Indian Museum. Memorial is a grand space but mostly pomp. Indian Museum is part Smithsonian, part Natural History Museum, part middle school science fair. The displays have gone untouched since 1953. Our favorite was the Volcano diorama; (so awe-struck we knew a picture couldn’t do it justice) a black painted volcano inside a glass case with a pulsing red light. Shreds of yellow and red cellophane are dynamically streaming at the volcanoes summit simulating an eruption. See other exhibit highlights below.


Pen and Pencil Exhibit.


Special Exhibition Feature.


Coconut Man exhibit. Click on image for a
closer look at the prime attraction.

12:33 a.m. Jeeyung wakes up with cold sweats again similar to Friday night.

Monday March 26: 11:30 a.m.
Jeeyung still feels miserable. Unfortunately, she has to go to her meeting at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases. Some researchers there want to do an identical study to the one she is currently working on. The hospital there is in poor condition and makes the hospital in Vellore look inviting. She struggles through the meeting but is weak. When offered a Lays chip, she declines citing her extreme nausea.

5:30 p.m. Arrive safely at Kolkatta airport and board the plane. Jeeyung hasn’t eaten all day, and refuses to eat on the plane. Sleeps the entire trip.

11:23 p.m. Arrive home in Vellore. Jeeyung goes right to sleep.

Tuesday March 27
Jeeyung is in bed all day. She eats some egg for lunch and then some dinner. I tell our maid Geetha that Madam is sick in the stomach. She makes a lemon drink and forces her to drink it all before she leaves our home. Jeeyung complies.

10:55 p.m. Finishing up the blog now. Jeeyung is in bed reading. She seems stronger and has good color.