First impressions
13 May 2005
Hotel Astoria, Calcutta
Calcutta is nothing like I pictured. It's exactly what I'd expected. I don't know. I tried not to form any expectations, but they have a way of sneaking up on me.
The roads are insane. That much is certain. I love all the random honking. It's sort of like the Stinky Monkey sitting on top of my trunk and barking at the top of his stupid little lungs. At everything. At nothing. At the world. At himself. Whatever. Just barking. Like that. But honking.
Our cab driver really liked fourth gear. He used it for everything.
One girl asked me if we were on the highway. What a question! There's no way to answer that. It's a busy thoroughfare, packed with cars, three-wheeled beasts, bikes, motorbikes, pedestrians, goats, chickens, etc.
Somebody else asked me which side of the road they drive on here. The answer is simple: all sides. They'd drive on top of one another if they could.
The guys have assigned us to our rooms. They put me in with the two Girliest Girls in the bunch. Yes, yes, they're nice and all, but come on! They're just a little too, you know, femmanen. They're asleep now and I'm waiting for lunch.
It's Calcutta in May. Apparently there's a heat wave. It's hot enough to bake a human being. If anything, though, our room's too cold.
I so want to go check my e-mail and post all the stuff I've written, but I'll have to wait until after dinner. We're not allowed to leave the hotel on our own. Nobody else is about. Besides I haven't yet changed my money into rupees.
Hotel Astoria, Calcutta
Calcutta is nothing like I pictured. It's exactly what I'd expected. I don't know. I tried not to form any expectations, but they have a way of sneaking up on me.
The roads are insane. That much is certain. I love all the random honking. It's sort of like the Stinky Monkey sitting on top of my trunk and barking at the top of his stupid little lungs. At everything. At nothing. At the world. At himself. Whatever. Just barking. Like that. But honking.
Our cab driver really liked fourth gear. He used it for everything.
One girl asked me if we were on the highway. What a question! There's no way to answer that. It's a busy thoroughfare, packed with cars, three-wheeled beasts, bikes, motorbikes, pedestrians, goats, chickens, etc.
Somebody else asked me which side of the road they drive on here. The answer is simple: all sides. They'd drive on top of one another if they could.
The guys have assigned us to our rooms. They put me in with the two Girliest Girls in the bunch. Yes, yes, they're nice and all, but come on! They're just a little too, you know, femmanen. They're asleep now and I'm waiting for lunch.
It's Calcutta in May. Apparently there's a heat wave. It's hot enough to bake a human being. If anything, though, our room's too cold.
I so want to go check my e-mail and post all the stuff I've written, but I'll have to wait until after dinner. We're not allowed to leave the hotel on our own. Nobody else is about. Besides I haven't yet changed my money into rupees.
this is the word of sic @
20:06
3 Comments:
Ugh! You're not kidding about the roads! Driving in India is the scariest thing I've ever, ever done! The honking isn't random though. One car comes up behind another. It honks, to show it wants to overtake. Then the car in front indicates, to show which side it's safe(r) for the car behind to overtake on. Least, that's how it worked between Ahmedabad and Pune about 10 years ago!!
By
Anonymous, at 3:39 a.m.
you got stuck with the girly girls, you got stuck with the girly girls... you know it is only a matter of time before stepford shannon appears!
By
Anonymous, at 3:32 p.m.
SL: It does indeed mean that. It also means:
-You there, stop! I am going first.
-Hey, get moving already! You're holding me up.
-Attention pedestrians/drivers/cyclists/dogs! I am coming through; please stay out of the way.
-Hello! Haven't seen you in a while.
-Please get your goat/wagon/house/restaurant out of my way.
-And 17 other things I have yet to decipher.
ATLHA: Piss off!
By
sic, at 4:30 a.m.
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