Day Twenty Two: Back to India for a few days

Day 22 February 12th

India is notoriously known for its bureaucratic inefficiencies, this extends into the world of aviation and the railways. After three flights and four train journeys, there was only one train trip that made it on time. All the rest were at least a half hour or more late. The flight from Dhaka to Calcutta today was no different. I arrived in the "cultural capital" of India about two hours later than expected when the check-in desk had told me a mere two hours.

Immediately upon leaving the airport I am welcomed by a new distinct smell. It is reminiscent of Delhi yet not quite as sweet and pungent however it definitely carried that pungent mix of spices, urine and smoke that I now associate with India. This smell goes so deep that even certain foods seem to retain the smell. I have tried certain snack foods and gagged because it gave my mouth a tangible taste of the smell. Another sight seen right outside of the airport was the garbage fire. In very few places did I see open fires on the street in Bangladesh however in India these fires are all over and without fail a large six foot fire is raging right outside the gates of the airport welcoming me back to the land that never makes sense.

I explore the city a bit at night to find some food and drink before bed. There is an area in town surrounding Sutter St. that Lonely Planet has single handedly turned into the budget traveler haven of the city. I chose a hotel quickly and settled in. The room is a whopping 250 Rupees (~$5) a night but you do get what you pay for. It is seriously the size of a closet but I do get my own bathroom and cable TV which is great for catching up on my BBC World News.