Western Flicks (Calcutta, India)

Welcome back Kotter

Well, I'm now back in Calcutta after...

- 1 6hr train ride from Bangalore to Chennai
- 1 6 hr stop over Chennai
- 1 32 hr train ride from Chennai to Calcutta
- 4 hrs of staring blankly at a wall
- 2 groups of Coolies (porters) praying, eating and preparing for a day's work
- many police officers passing me by with their rifles (I don't like guns)
- 6 samosas
- 1 veg sandwich
- 3 bottles of water
- 8 bananas
- one rice, veg and dahl dinner
- one packet of cashew biscuits
- one packet of 'good day fruit cake'
- one kit kat (a well deserved break indeed)
- 2 packs of this 'hot mix' (like trail mix, kinda)
- one Indian sweet dessert
- one chai tea
- the completion of my 80 page abridged Gandhi autobiography
- many chapters read in my "City of Joy" novel
- 6 Indians who could hardly speak english, trying to communicate with me
- 4 eyedrops into the eyes of this one man who wore sunglasses
- 1 water run for this old lady who was too scared to jump out of the train at a 5 min stop and do it herself
- 1 closing of the windows for the same lady, who just couldn't do it herself
- 5+ hrs listening to my discman
- 2 upper berth seatings
- 1 cold night
- a whole lot of sleeping!!!
- hours of watching the country side of India pass me by
- lots of self reflection

Its good to be back to a place where I've already been, a sense of familiarity. I feel more street wise and... tougher! I don't think that Calcutta's as scary as it was when I had first arrived here 2 months ago. Also, I think that its different now that I'm not walking down the streets with 2 white girls. No offence to Emilie and Melissa, but the matter of fact is that they brought a lot of attention to us. Consider it a compliment!

Bangalore

I just came from a city called Bangalore, its the 5th biggest city in India. I have tried to avoid all the major cities other than Calcutta, but I'd heard that Bangalore was really different and westernized. Well, that's correct. I was actually quite impressed with the city. The city's pretty well off because it's main industry is the computer world. Its really high tech there I guess and a lot of major companies reside there.

There was actually some organization to this place. The roads had lanes, like actual white and yellow lines on the street, that the drivers stayed within! There was even a meridian that seperated the traffic into 2 directions. A lot of the rickshaw drivers complained about it, saying that its a big hassle and that I should pay more because they have to go down one way roads. Luckily for me, they are forced to use the meters by the gov't, now there's a concept. However it was still really expensive, after 9pm the charge is an extra 50% of the meter rate.

I had a bunch of rickshaw drivers refuse to take me to the train station because it was all one ways and that it was really chaotic, they knew that the fare would only be RS10 because of the short distance, but insisted I pay RS20 for the hassle. I fought with them (they always team up on you) but no one would take me. I walked down the road a bit to see if anyone else would and I got quoted even hire rates and all refused to use the meter. I had no other choice but to go with the RS20. After the ride to the station, I understood why, it was pretty hellish to get there. I think the rickshaw drivers in Bangalore were actually nicer and a little more honest. I tipped one of them and he was a little surprised by it. I also offered another one of them my clientele if he only waited for me like 10 min, but he said, "that's okay, there's lots of other drivers here to take you." Normally they'd fight for your business, but it must be different in Bangalore.

I must admit that the whole place wasn't 100% organized. I went to the "City Market" and I honestly think that it was pure and utter chaos. This has got to be the most chaotic place I've been to in all of India. I couldn't stand being there, I only stayed for about 30 min and then I had to leave. This however, is actually how I imagined all of India to be like, fortunatley my misconception was merley just that.

Mahatma Gandhi

After a failed attempt at seeing the Gandhi Ashram, due to my tired state during my 5 hour stopover in Ahmedebad last month; I was able to suffice with a Gandhi Picture Gallery in Bangalore. I'm sure that going to an actual ashram that Gandhi had actually started and lived in would have been a greater experience, but when you're tired and light headed there's not much you can do. Oh well.

Inside the "Gandhi Bhavan" were lots of old framed pictures of him when he was young and old. As well, there were plaques all along the walls with Gandhi quotations. In the center of the room was a display of all these old letters (I'm sure lots of them were photocopies) written by Gandhi himself and by some of his colleagues and friends.

It was a really cool place to see, I don't know all that much about Gandhi, other than watching the Ben Kingsley movie titled... "Gandhi". Its a pity that this bhavan wasn't visited more regularly by tourists, my guide book said that you may have to wake up the attendant in the next room to unlock the untouristed gallery. I signed a guestbook there and browsed through it, there were hardly any entries.

In order for me to learn a little more about Gandhi, I bought a book a little book for RS 5, which is like 14 cents! As mentioned above I read it on my train ride. The ironic thing I learned while reading it, is that Gandhi hates the fact that he's an icon and that people have shrines and glorify him as "Mahatma". In almost every city/town I've been in there's a "M.G. road" aka "Mahatma Gandhi road". And oh yeah, his face is on every Rupee note. The bills are actually pretty cool because there's Gandhi's face on one side and the other end is blank, but if you hold it up to the light, his face appears. Its like magic! I guess that all heroes don't like to be classified as such.

Beverly Hills 9021INDIA

Speaking of MG Road, this is the place to be in Bangalore. All the cool and rich people hang out here, including Indian tourists and teen-aged locals. There's lots of high end shops like United Colors of Benneton, Samsung, Dockers, etc. As well, there was great food that I hadn't eaten in a long time, such as Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. To me it was like a paradise away from the India I've seen. I keep saying that and I guess I should just realize how diverse India really is. Who's to say what a typical India should be like?

Needless to say, that after being in India for close to 2 months, I'm getting a little sick of the food and the sight seeing of temples and such. Each day I came back to MG road and ate the yummy foods that remind me of home and shoppped in actual malls/arcades and retail stores. It was nice to walk into the stores and have a security counter where they take your backpack and store it for you. To them its a security feature, to me its a load off my back. Most places even had a guard to open the door for you and greet you.

The one thing that I can't stand about shopping in India, no matter where I've been, are the attendants who come up to you and assist/follow you the whole time you're there. They always start off with "Yes?". Yes what? I'd like to just say "No." one of these days and see what their response is. I've only been in the store for like 5 seconds literally and they come up to me with "yes?" like I'm already supposed to be interested in something I've seen in the previous 4 seconds I've been there. When I just say I'm browsing, they then start to offer you things of all sorts, shirts, pants, shorts, bags, kurtas, printed t-shirts (or quotation shirts as they call them), shawls, shoes, etc, etc. I often just want to LOOK AROUND BY MYSELF, but that's not possible in a country where anything is possible. Oh well, I can't go changing their culture now can I?

Bollywood

All along the road and ajacent to it, there are theatres that show American films. They're not the most recent ones, but to me they were all still new. In 3 days I watched 3 movies. 'Love Actually', 'Down with Love' and 'Once upon a time in Mexico'. Each theatre only has one screen, and each theatre charges a different entrance fee. Its weird because you have to pay for the section that you'd like to sit in. The balcony is most expensive, the ground floor to the back is second, and the front is of course the cheapest. In total for all 3 films, I paid RS 200 or $5.60 CAD. Please also note that in the 3 days I spent in Bangalore I didn't meet any other travellers and therefor was by myself the whole time. Watching movies was a way to waste some time. Up until tonight, I hadn't had a real conversation for about 5 days. It was nice to talk to these 2 Swedish girls at dinner.

I've met a lot of travellers that have gone to see a Bollywood film, just for the experience. Not me, no offence but I can tell just from the bilboards, the previews and the music videos that I wouldn't be a fan of it. They seem very over dramatic, quite like Filippino films, which I can't stand, not to mention, understand.

A Pinch of Jazz

One of the evenings I was there, I went to a little Jazz club called "A Pinch of Jazz". Oh what a treat it was! It was inside this really swanky hotel with dim lights and margarita glass candles. The menus were glued to old vinyl records and you were given 3 different ones, which included a variety of cocktails and a Cajun food selection. Cajun I'm assuming because they were trying to go for the New Orleans vibe. All along the walls were old black and white pictures of Jazz musicians, and different instruments were hung up everywhere beside them.

The band was a quartet that came from Chennai. I'm not a HUGE jazz fan, but I definitley know a little, in my opinion they were good. A few times a girl came up and sang with them, she had a really good voice. It amazes me that when foreigners sing American songs, their accent disappears. Not only am I speaking of Indians, but singers from all over the world.

What a great night it was to just sit and admire the band while sipping on my very, very strong coctail called "Monday Blues". So strong that I added some water to it and then later asked for some sugar to add as well. They ended up giving me honey instead, which just sank to the bottom and did not mix. Afterwards I went with a cocktail name I knew... a pinacolada.