Touched Down in Kolkata..Day One...

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I write to you from the humid and dry depths of Kolkata, India. I am visiting my relatives home and staying here for a very short 10 day visit. My plane landed in from Dubai on Saturday morning and touched down in Kolkata on wet tarmac; some say that I have brought the wet weather from Scotland and they wouldn’t be far wrong. It doesn’t seem all that long since I left Kolkata only a few months ago to see how things haven’t really changed, although the main airport has certainly been changed inside with much open space intending to have a shopping mall placed inside. Since my last visit, a new shopping mall has also popped up in Kolkata itself but it sports major names such as shirt maker Peter England and other recognisable brand names that I don’t tend to buy whenever I’m home back in the UK. Still, some say similarities between countries can be a good thing… We travelled to my late father’s home in Kolkata in the family’s new car. It is a Honda City sedan, a model that we don’t get in the UK but also a body shape design that reinforces the preference in India that it is a sedan and not a hatchback. Like China and other Asian countries, a sedan body shell is seen as the more premium choice. It is certainly a very comfortable car to ride in and a bit more spacious to the previous Hyundai i20 that sat in my uncle’s garage for a few good months before the local dealership pulled out a finger to get the parts required to get the old car back on the road. When I was little and when my parents took me to India, I remember a time in Kolkata when cars were normally repaired locally… My uncle has seen through so many different brands in India that it is nigh impossible to stay loyal to one brand. From Fiat to Premier motors, to Hindustan, to Maruti (Suzuki), Hyundai and now Honda. This afternoon we plan to go on a little visit to a local market to buy Mangos and other foods for my arrival. I dare say that even without my arrival, a market visit was probably on the cards, anyway. Whilst Kolkatans embrace the hot sun and temperatures, I am also embracing the change. I left Scotland with a freezing cold air, torrential rain and dull, grey days. Though I know I won’t tan much in Kolkata, I know I will appreciate the warmth, even if the nights are a touch too warm. The air conditioner is brilliant at being able to get a cold virus, but even set at low, it makes too much racket to get to sleep. My secret weapon of choice for a full night’s sleep in Kolkata is the usage of foam ear plugs. It banishes the dogs from hell across the street from their usual early morning fighting and allows me to get some well deserved sleep time. More soon! (c)Nar2/crystalvisions2016.