Dealing with Kolkata

Queen Victoria Memorial in Kolkata

However, getting fresh air or having a scenic ride was not the first order of the day. Instead, I had a bird'seye view of what I will be having for the next three days.

Kolkata is famous for its crazy traffic, where humans, humandriven rickshaws, cars, motorbikes, bicycles, animals and any other moving creature on the planet share the same road. Traffic lights create more chaos and are often ignored. And the blowing of horns, even if there isn't an inch of space to move, is the norm rather than exception. 

There I had it, inside an ageing, nonairconditioned Ambassador car: the Kolkata that used to be the mighty capital of India was right in front of me, and it was a mess.

To the driver's credit, he avoided bottlenecks by detouring via small alleyways, where I saw men happily bathing in an opened fire hydrant. After surviving more than an hour of trafficjammed journey, I reached the Fairlawn unscathed.

The hotel, on Sudder Street, is an eclectic mix of memorabilia accumulated since the time of the British Raj. Its green hue made it welcoming, despite the walls crammed with framed portraits of the owners, their families and their guests.

The front desk manager asked about my trip. I told him honestly that Kolkata was depressing with so much poverty. He looked worried and told me I should probably get some rest. He assured me the first impression would change as soon as I got to know Kolkata better.

A few hours later I emerged from my room feeling fresh. I was just in time for afternoon tea.

One thing good about the Fairlawn is its tea tradition. Beautiful, thick embroidered white cloth cosies cover the whole teapot so it won't get cold. I thought I was somewhere in time.

Now ready to see the beautiful side of Kolkata, I wandered along Sudder Street and checked the Internet cafe, restaurants and shops that my travel guide recommended.

Sudder is Kolkata's backpackers mecca, though not on the scale of Bangkok's Khao San Road or Kathmandu's Thamel. Here, you see rundown, cheap places to stay with service at a minimum. The Fairlawn and the other twostar hotel next to it certainly stood out.

Men pulling rickshaws offered to take me on a tour. A few years ago the city tried in vain to get rid of the rickshaws. They're part of the rich culture, and the residents are too poor to afford autorickshaws, especially with rising fuel prices.

Suu, the driver who picked me up at the airport, talked me into seeing some "tourist spots" with him instead.

Taxifare negotiation is quite complicated. Suu said he normally charges 100 rupees (Bt70) per hour or 10 rupees per kilometre, whichever is higher, but his minimum for a tour was 500 rupees, even if it took less than three hours.

Fair enough, I thought, considering that he'd also serve as my guide.

Our first stop was St Paul's Cathedral - a quick visit for a snapshot, and then off to the Victoria Memorial. Britain's Queen Victoria was also Empress of India.

I insisted on crossing Howrah Bridge. More than four million people and vehicles do just that every day. Built in 1874, the mighty span over the Hooghly River has withstood all the storms of the Bay of Bengal.

We passed communities where people manually pull carriages containing tonnes of bamboo, metal, clothing and other scrap.

Dakshineshwar Temple, one of India's important pilgrimage sites, was built in 1847. It's right on the holy Ganges River, and dedicated to Lord Shiva and Radha Krishna. The pilgrims come to the temple and bathe in the river.

Nearby are Belur Math and Ramakishna Temple, a site I love because of the intricate architecture, which I thing can match that of the Taj Mahal.

Belur Math looks like a temple, a mosque or a church, depending on the angle at which it's seen. Erected in 1898, it's dedicated to popular sage Ramakrishna Paramhans, who preached unity among religions.

The tour was well worth it - it opened my eyes to the realities of Kolkata, its cracks and its beauty.

On my way to the airport, I had to fulfil one more mission: see Mother Teresa's tomb.

The door to the compound of the Missionaries for Charity has a simple "MC" on the door, which says much about the religious order founded by Mother Teresa.

You can see her tomb and a lifesized statue. Even a glimpse of the nun's life of service was enough consolation for me. I left Kolkata with a heavy heart. It wasn't the best trip I've ever had, but the impression it left me will be a lasting one.