packs and dashed to a ferry boat which took us across the river and left us off near the district where we could find accommodations. Near being the operative, and, as it turns out, relative, word. We walked many blocks, got some round about directions from time to time, and eventually made it to the Sudder Street neighborhood we were looking for. The hostels, there, however, were pretty bad, and expensive! There was also a bomb squad searching outside one of them, which was a little concerning. We stuck our heads into many before finding a rickety old building with little rooms available. Our room was a skinny little spot up on the roof. That night we walked a few blocks to a very modern area where there were big business buildings and nice restaurants, and we treated ourselves to a really good meal.
Ironically, Ben got sick that night. 3 weeks in India and the night we go out for a fancy meal, his stomach rebels.
The next morning, while Ben rested, I went with Pierce and Hannah to check out the Victoria Memorial, a huge marble building that looks like Victorian England meets India. Accurate, I suppose. There is some sort of museum inside, but we just checked out the grounds, as we wanted to get back to our neighborhood in time to visit the Indian Museum. Our walk to and from the Victoria Memorial took us through the Maidan, a huge, open stretch of land through the middle of the city. There are sports stadiums and parks, but mostly just open grass with a few trails. Walking through it, we passed pick-up sports games, hungry kids, businessmen, and shepards with flocks of goats. It was a surreal and enlightening walk. The Indian Museum also held a mish-mash of culture for us... art ancient and art modern, fossils, geology, and a hall of cultural dioramas that were fascinating and extremely un-PC.
After our morning of touristing, we returned to the hostel to fetch our bags and Ben. It was time to head to the airport. Kolkata has a fascinating history and the guidebook described it as a cultural center that deserved weeks of visiting to truly soak up. Regretfully for us, not this trip.
Our flight south was smooth, and we arrived in Bangalore with no complications. One long and confusingly expensive taxi ride later, though, we realized that a new and more distant airport (which we flew into) had been built since our Lonely Planet -- the most recent edition -- had been published. Ah well. Too smooth of a travel day would have been boring. We all made it in one piece to comfortable beds and hot-water showers... our last for the next two weeks!
The next day we scooted around town in heavy Bangalore traffic, looking for train tickets.
After some sticky, smoggy hours, we scored some for that night, an overnight ride that would take us to beautiful Hampi.
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