Somewhere, in a bazaar in Calcutta . . .
Alright. So I'm not really in a bazaar, but I am in Calcutta! I'm actually in a strange, colonial style type mansion of sorts in Calcutta which is straight out of a story book. Outside the room where i'm typing this right now is the drawing room which is full of dark wood, kashmir deer antlers (actually recorded in the guinness book of world records as the largest ever mounted), antiques, painted tiles and an old piano.
We're currently staying with this conservation society which is run by this cool old guy out of this house. He's your typical story of old-money game hunter who had a change of heart and is now out there saving rather than shooting the animals. Rumour has it that he killed the last recorded man-eating tiger in India. The story goes something like this: he got the last permit ever issued by the Indian government to shoot down a man-eater. He tracked it for a year only to discover that all along, the tiger had been tracking him! Eventually, in a sordid ordeal which he's very mysterious about, he managed to kill the tiger and return to safety.
But that's what i'm loving about this city. Calcutta is like nothing I imagined. It's like this unreal blend of the ancient and modern worlds and everything and everyone has a story to tell. For an avid story-collector like myself, it's pure bliss.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that the old man has also supplied us with an air conditioned room, our own servants (brought us darjeeling tea this morning in bed), mkore fresh fruit and vegetables than i ever dreamed of, more good food and amazing icecream and Indian sweets than i ever dreamed of (Calcutta has the highest number of sweet shops per capita in the world. I still have yet to find out if it has the highest number of cases of diabetes per capita), a chauffeur of sorts, our own guided tours of the Sunderbans and yeah. Just absolute heaven after the hell I just lived through.
In the words of Judy, "Guys, I could die right now a very happy woman. If I die in that air conditioned bed tonight, can you tell my mom I died happy?"
What I'm loving more than any of that though is that the old man is not just a conservationist and nature lover. He's also a biologist of sorts and with that, comes a biologist's library.
I asked if i could borrow a field guide to identify all the wonderful birds we would be seeing and he led me into this dark wood room with a sign on the door saying "please take off shoes". I took off my sandals and wandered into a biologist geek's dream library.
i just about peed myself. An entire shelf was devoted to bird guides while other shelves and piles of ancient-looking books haphazardly laid around boasting such titles as "extinct animals of the world" or "the complete atlas of the world's oceans" or "deep sea creatures".
It was incredible. I fell back on the intricately carved damask sofa and gaped. Beside me on side table was laid out a collection of rare shells and curios from around the world.
WE are going ot the Sunderbans in a few days. It's a glorious national park filled with man-eating tigers, salt-water crocodiles, langurs, monkeys, rare birds, mangroves and all sorts of natural wonders. I'm so excited i can barely sit still. We will also be visiting the rural headquarters of this society where we will be camping between a black berry tree and a jackfruit tree and we have been told to eat as much of hte fruit as we like.
Meanwhile, I've met the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life. he's called "Weed" and he's about 150 pounds of pure championship quality Great Dane. He's stolen my heart and my cat.
I won't talk much about my last few days in Anhdra pradesh except to say that it got better. I befriended the 'Madame' (if you can't fight em, joine em), ate a lot more fried dough and got sick again, almost got bit by a moneky, and was forced to wear the most heinous outfit you've ever seen (hot pink and bright turqoise baby yeah! and got hit on on the beach subsequently. Seriously, what are the standards here if even I've got hit on so many times?! ANd in a heinous cotton candy outfit no less!).
It all was compensated though by the fact that we got to go out to the urral areas again and got to visit the most beautiful lake i've ever seen. the entire thing was full of water lilies and frogs and dragon flies and we paddled out on a wodden boat with bamboo sticks and it was just magical. White cranes and egrets skimmed around and int he distance, the mountains were covered in mist. It made it all worth it.
Anyhow, the vet is here now for the society and I am gooing to have some tea with him I think.
More later. Thanks for all your comments everyone! ANh, your postcard will be int he mail soon!
Jo and Karen, good to hear from you folks. Am doing better now. Karne, i had a dream about your wedding but I'll you another day.
Everyone else (and I mean EVERYONE else who reads this blog), I had a dream with all of you in it! Ngoc, Thinh, Hugh, Anh, Jo, Salima, Wayne, etc.etc.etc. you were all there! It was awesome!
I guess I just miss you all, despite all the wierd stuff i'm going through here.
Ta ta and take care!
We're currently staying with this conservation society which is run by this cool old guy out of this house. He's your typical story of old-money game hunter who had a change of heart and is now out there saving rather than shooting the animals. Rumour has it that he killed the last recorded man-eating tiger in India. The story goes something like this: he got the last permit ever issued by the Indian government to shoot down a man-eater. He tracked it for a year only to discover that all along, the tiger had been tracking him! Eventually, in a sordid ordeal which he's very mysterious about, he managed to kill the tiger and return to safety.
But that's what i'm loving about this city. Calcutta is like nothing I imagined. It's like this unreal blend of the ancient and modern worlds and everything and everyone has a story to tell. For an avid story-collector like myself, it's pure bliss.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that the old man has also supplied us with an air conditioned room, our own servants (brought us darjeeling tea this morning in bed), mkore fresh fruit and vegetables than i ever dreamed of, more good food and amazing icecream and Indian sweets than i ever dreamed of (Calcutta has the highest number of sweet shops per capita in the world. I still have yet to find out if it has the highest number of cases of diabetes per capita), a chauffeur of sorts, our own guided tours of the Sunderbans and yeah. Just absolute heaven after the hell I just lived through.
In the words of Judy, "Guys, I could die right now a very happy woman. If I die in that air conditioned bed tonight, can you tell my mom I died happy?"
What I'm loving more than any of that though is that the old man is not just a conservationist and nature lover. He's also a biologist of sorts and with that, comes a biologist's library.
I asked if i could borrow a field guide to identify all the wonderful birds we would be seeing and he led me into this dark wood room with a sign on the door saying "please take off shoes". I took off my sandals and wandered into a biologist geek's dream library.
i just about peed myself. An entire shelf was devoted to bird guides while other shelves and piles of ancient-looking books haphazardly laid around boasting such titles as "extinct animals of the world" or "the complete atlas of the world's oceans" or "deep sea creatures".
It was incredible. I fell back on the intricately carved damask sofa and gaped. Beside me on side table was laid out a collection of rare shells and curios from around the world.
WE are going ot the Sunderbans in a few days. It's a glorious national park filled with man-eating tigers, salt-water crocodiles, langurs, monkeys, rare birds, mangroves and all sorts of natural wonders. I'm so excited i can barely sit still. We will also be visiting the rural headquarters of this society where we will be camping between a black berry tree and a jackfruit tree and we have been told to eat as much of hte fruit as we like.
Meanwhile, I've met the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life. he's called "Weed" and he's about 150 pounds of pure championship quality Great Dane. He's stolen my heart and my cat.
I won't talk much about my last few days in Anhdra pradesh except to say that it got better. I befriended the 'Madame' (if you can't fight em, joine em), ate a lot more fried dough and got sick again, almost got bit by a moneky, and was forced to wear the most heinous outfit you've ever seen (hot pink and bright turqoise baby yeah! and got hit on on the beach subsequently. Seriously, what are the standards here if even I've got hit on so many times?! ANd in a heinous cotton candy outfit no less!).
It all was compensated though by the fact that we got to go out to the urral areas again and got to visit the most beautiful lake i've ever seen. the entire thing was full of water lilies and frogs and dragon flies and we paddled out on a wodden boat with bamboo sticks and it was just magical. White cranes and egrets skimmed around and int he distance, the mountains were covered in mist. It made it all worth it.
Anyhow, the vet is here now for the society and I am gooing to have some tea with him I think.
More later. Thanks for all your comments everyone! ANh, your postcard will be int he mail soon!
Jo and Karen, good to hear from you folks. Am doing better now. Karne, i had a dream about your wedding but I'll you another day.
Everyone else (and I mean EVERYONE else who reads this blog), I had a dream with all of you in it! Ngoc, Thinh, Hugh, Anh, Jo, Salima, Wayne, etc.etc.etc. you were all there! It was awesome!
I guess I just miss you all, despite all the wierd stuff i'm going through here.
Ta ta and take care!
posted by Viv at 5:32 a.m.
4 Comments:
Viv,
It sounds like you have gone to paradise. I'm so jealous! All I have is an office with a view of another office in which the occupant is never there to talk to. Now people only come to see me when they're having technical problems...boo!
I'm glad you're having so much fun over there...now if only I can find the time and money to go to such exotic places and just go trigger happen with my camera! I can't wait to see the photos you've taken as well!
So when are you coming back (if you decide too!)?
Anyways, gotta do some real work now. Have fun and keep on bloggin!
Dude man, you sound like you're in a frickin novel or something. Are you going to go explore the mansion by candlelight, and head closer and closer to that room from which strange screams and cries are coming from, only to be accosted by the old housekeeper who escorts you back to your room with mysterious warnings?
Also, I know you're going insane when you describe "a glorious national park" as being "filled with man-eating tigers, salt-water crocodiles..." Dude, man. NOT cool.
Anyhow, glad to hear you're alive and doing well. Have told rest of family about my secret night classes. They reacted alright.
Till next time then, ta! Eat lots of sweets and fruit! BYE!
Hey Viv,
So glad that things are looking up for you now. Maybe that's what all the hellishness was for, so you'd appreciate where you are now that much more. Imagine if you had gone to Calcutta first -it'd seem like home, only better. But now, now it's like a dream come true. Eh?
Anyways, keep these moments in your memory to pull from in case you face other dark times (wow I sound ominous). Keep blogging too, it's good to hear from you!
The real test for this leaders Biology Geekdom is the extent of Arthropod books in his library. Either way, I am impressed, and now jealous. I wasn't jealous when you were in the 'other' place, but now I am jealous. I hope he has bug books.
Wayne
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