All These Colors Tour: India Part 12
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Kolkata, India
I was psyched when I woke up today feeling much better. The gut ache was mostly gone, and I had a pretty good amount of energy. I jumped on the jam, I mean people-packed subway and rode it a mile or so South to the Rabinda Sadan stop, where I climbed out onto a sidewalk filled with plastic tarp homes–some of which came complete with tiny, primitive brick ovens. Hanging a left on (A/C) Bose Road, I passed by an assortment of eye-watering soot- and torn flyer-covered electrical boxes and super rustic, small wooden assemblages of unknown purpose. This stuff should be on display in an art museum. Scratch that. I’m convinced this whole city already is an art installation.
As I cautiously made my way through the fierce traffic at the next huge intersection, the greenery of the vast Maidan park became visible. At the first gate, I hung a right into the park, only to be greeted by the back of Victoria Memorial. You know what that name means–India was under British rule from the 1700s through 1947, and this place is dedicated to the Queen of the United Kingdom. After paying a 4 rupee entrance fee, I proceeded up a wide walkway toward the domed monstrosity. The sun was pretty low in the evening sky, but the best lighting conditions were partially obstructed by scattered clouds. A lot of people milled around, sat on benches or had picnics on the grass. It was really nice to walk around in such a pleasant place after being cooped up in my room for nearly a week.
By the time I made it around to the front of the building, it was almost sunset, and just a tad of light hit the top of the dome and towers. Too bad I got there so late, as the museums had just closed. Maybe I’ll try to come back. On the street out in front of the Victoria Memorial, I spied a long line of those regal-looking horsedrawn carriages just like the ones I saw near Kali temple. I also noticed some big fountains that were choreographed to music, but oddly enough, they were all fenced off with no entrance in sight, and it looked like someone was working on them. After poking around the area for a little while longer, I decided to head back up to the Blue Sky Cafe for dinner and a movie, I mean dinner and a web session. I hadn’t even laid eyes on the good ol’ intertubes in over five days, which may be a new record for me.
Roll over photos for captions.
Words and photos ©2012 Arcane Candy.
Glad you are feeling better, Garry! A week without an Arcane Candy update; I thought you had gotten lost in India.