25th January . Admin

Things are certainly changing in India.  It appears that there is no longer a requirement for airline passengers from elsewhere to be sprayed with pesticide/deodorant/placebo in aerosol form at some point en route. We often wondered what it was that the Indian authorities were so worried about. The immigration form has been vastly filletted and can actually be completed as you shuffle forward in the queue.

We sailed through immigration and congratulated ourselves on how well it had all gone. Back to reality as we then waited for our luggage which was in the last dozen items to arrive on the conveyor. The Prepaid Taxi counter was not doused in brandy this year and we were soon Ambassador bound for downtown Kolkata. 

First impressions were that things seemed to look tidier and that people who supply and apply blue and white paint must be thriving around here. There has been no improvement in air quality nor has the traffic improved any. Our driver seemed to know his way around the back streets as we came into town by a route that we did not recognise. He was insistent that our hotel was situated on a one way street and he could not turn that way. He must be the only person in Bengal who thinks that. We walked the last fifty yards. We have been awake for around twenty five hours by now and have little appetite for a row.

As ever the Fairlawn was ready for us and we were soon having a snooze. Refreshed, it was time to tackle the burning issues of the day. In recent months Indian life seems to have been dominated by demonetisation, a process that saw 85% of the currency in circulation effectively cancelled. Cash suddenly became hard to get and much of what can be got is in 2000 rupee notes that are difficult to break down. We managed to get cash from both an ATM and from a Forex counter with a reasonable breakdown of 100 notes. 

We went back to our regular phone Walla for a SIM card. The good news here is that there is no longer a complicated registration policy for foreigners wanting an Indian SIM. For Rs 400 we got a card with a Gb of data, a few calls and valid for 90 days. The packaging seems to confirm that this is a legit deal for tourists. A up for calls and texts and it's good to go. We even got change for a 2000 note.

R was very taken with the Kolkata Christmas lights last year which were still working in February. As it got dark we strolled down that way but she was in for a disappointment as the only lights to see were plain white ones wrapped around the lamp posts. The Kolkata branch of the Oxford Bookshop seems to be following in the footsteps of the Delhi one. Books are being evicted to make way for an overpriced coffee shop.

Park Street's OlyPub did not disappoint however. Still grotty and out of stock of cheaper beers, it appears not to have changed for decades. In one way it has moved with the times. A proffered 2000 note quickly brought the cashier and a shiny new card terminal. We decide to eat early and paid a repeat visit to Peter Cat, a vaguely Afghan themed spot that seems popular with locals and tourists alike. Chicken Biryani, fish kebab and chickpeas were all good and we probably ate too much.

And so to bed.