I know. My greetings are a bit late. The Thanksgiving holidays are in fact just past us. Most of you are back at work after a long weekend of belly-stuffing with delicious turkey leftovers. I wish I could be there to join you. But instead, I find myself in Calcutta.
Yes, Calcutta. The very last place on Earth you associate with gluttony and happiness. But this 'City of Joy' has proven quite a surprise, in both its highs and its lows.
Our first three days in India were marked by the folowing "memorable moments:"
1. While walking down the sidewalk, I was temporarily impeded by a naked boy of about 3 who, without notice, squatted and took a dump right there in the middle of my path. The icing on the cake was when he then wiped his ass with his hand, inspected it, and smeared the residuals in the dirt before walking on. All this as if it were as normal as could be. And it is - for Calcutta.
2. As honored guests of Ruby and Manu, upper-crust residents of Calcutta and friends of Carol Fox (thank you, Carol!), we found ourselves one evening standing at the VIP gate of the Calcutta sporting arena, preparing to watch the (in-)famous Russian "Circus on Ice." Yes, Icecapades. A rink full of cold, frozen ice filled with glitter-clad skating cowboys. In Calcutta.
3. The most abject and horrific views of the human condition were on display around Kalighat, or the Temple of Kali. Appropriately, Kali is a goddess of destruction. And in the wake of her temple, human beings are living like animals. They pile up in shacks and sleep in pools of fetid water. The air is suffused with an indescribable stench, exascerbated by the spilt blood and decaying remains of the live goats that are sacrificed at the altar every morning. Oh, I almost forgot--we had to enter this cesspool without any shoes, walking barefoot through puddles of blood, dirty water and human waste. After which we went home and furiously scrubbed the outer layer of skin off our feet.
Well, this is getting long and I should wrap up. But there is so much more to tell. Our journey to the worst slums in all Calcutta, the cheapest lunch of our lives, the best Chai in the world, and a special little girl we met at a home for street kids.
All in, as United Airlines would say, "Three Perfect Days."
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