Hi! I'm in India!

India is full of contradictions. You can be walking down the street, holding your breath to keep the urine fumes at bay, and when necessity forces you to inhale, you find an abundant, pure and beautiful scent, sometimes unidentifiable, other times sweet rose or jasmine flower. It encompasses you in that instant, such that you cannot find any fault in India. Similarly, you'll find a hand-pulled carriage parked outside of a modern tech store, or a beautiful woman clad in a brightly colored sari standing beside a pile of poo.

India is dirty. Trash litters the streets and beaches, people bath in puddles in the street and you have to be alert so as not to walk into someone's line of spit. Men pee wherever is convenient.

I flew into Calcutta (Kolkata) and took a yellow 50s cab to a Buddhist association guesthouse. My cab driver had to stop three times to ask for directions, despite telling me he knew where it was. I spent a couple of days exploring the streets, the markets, the food and the Victoria Memorial- a marble structure surrounded by ponds and parks, housing art inside.

I took an overnight sleeper train to a coastal town, called Puri. Many Hindus consider Puri a holy place due to the Jagannath temple. I wasn't allowed in since I'm not Hindu, but I surveyed the area from the terrace of a cafe. I didn't spend much time on the beach due to all the trash and annoying touts, but long enough to wish this cow wasn't eating trash.

Since cows are considered sacred, they are allowed to do whatever they want, including relaxing in the middle of the road.

From Puri, I took a day-trip to Chilika Lake, the largest salt-water lake in Asia. I took a 3-hour boat ride on the lake and admired the many large birds inhabited there. The best part was the dolphins. Luck was with us and we saw a lot of dolphins, a rare kind with flat snouts instead of pointy ones.

I decided to plunge right into the street food cuisine and have enjoyed some of the best meals at street stalls and tiny eating houses. Some of my favorites include momos (dumplings), dal (lentils) with chapatis (thin wheat flat bread- still warm!), masala dosa (thin pancake stuffed with potatoes and served with sauces and chutneys) and thalis (an assortment of dishes, pickles, relishes, breads, and/or rice). In Calcutta, the chai is served in tiny ceramic cups everywhere you turn. mmmm!
From Puri, I spent the day in Bhubaneswar waiting for another night train. I visited a handicraft village and a handicraft festival- so many bright colors and beautiful wares. The train ride to Chennai took 20 hours (highlights included diarrhea, vomiting out my nose, and sleeping the rest of the time).

To read my last adventures in Vietnam, click HERE.