Yes, they did change the spelling from Calcutta to Kolkata in January 2001 with many conflicting explanations. Fortunately, all ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I had to do today was wake up for breakfast. The Hotel Lytton looked much better in the daylight (contrary to arrival at 2:00 a.m. in the dark) and is ideally located in the Chowringhee area. …View image… But first, breakfast. Lytton begins serving a huge buffet breakfast at 7:30 a.m.  and there are other westerners (primarily French today)  here beside us. The delicious International buffet (different choices every day) was loaded with Indian food (we love Indian food), eggs made to order, the ubiquitous British favorite…baked beans…and even unexpected “breakfast foods” like vegetable tetrazzini. Refreshed, it was time to set out on an ATM and bottled water hunt.

Directions from hotel staff, it was gird the loins and head outside where little yellow Ambassador taxis were waiting, along with barefoot, painfully thin (but strong) rickshaw pullers hoping for a fare. A few beggers and Sudder Street has many homeless people. Sleeping in the bushes, doorways while others wash theirselves in a source of runnning water. One of the many Mother Theresa places for the Dying and Indigent isn’t far away and another building across the street distributes free food to the poor several times a week. Even so, you’ll see these sights all over Kolkata/Calcutta. Sudder Street is a long time favorite of budget travelers and safe. The famous *****Oberoi Grand Kolkata was only a short three-block walk from Hotel Lytton.

giving a shave on a Kolkata sidewalk in India
Outside Hotel Lytton, it was make a left, make another left at the first block and go straight one block…View image… with the New Market right in front of you. There is an ATM right across from the New Market and it was time for the next mistake. TIP:  Make sure you enter enough 000′s to get the right amount of money.  There are 49 ndian Rupees (we’d round to 50) I to $1 U.S. and we eliminated one “0″ the first time (lots of 000′s). Entered 1,500R=$30. Thirty Dollars certainly wouldn’t be enough money for three weeks.  Totally confused and jetlagged, we did a big “no-no” and let a local into the ATM booth with us for help. Our faith was restored in this nice man who explained the situation, and helped us enter 15,000 Rupees =$300.00 U.S.  That was more like it and ended up being more than enough money for three weeks in India.

Kolkata New Market, India
With money, a fast stop into the New Market (formerly called Sir Stuart Hogg Market) filled with touts eager to “escort” you to shops that pay them a commission. …View image…and a place for bargain shopping. Too tired to even think straight let alone shop, we tanked up with liter bottles of water (Pani) and headed back to the hotel. We’d revisit the New Market another day.

British Raj facade of Sir Stuart Hogg Market (New Market), Kolkata, India
TIP: Don’t pay more than 12R for a 1 liter bottle and you do need water unless you choose to drop Iodine tablets into their tap water.  Even the locals drink bottled water if they can afford it….View image…

Kolkata/Calcutta is one of the few cities in the world where drivers still pull their rickshaws by hand. My heart went out to these proud men trotting down the streets (usually bare foot) for pennies, dragging a heavy, tattered rickshaw behind them and not begging. Don’t think this is for tourists because it’s not. The locals use this form of transportation all the time with an average cost of 3-4 Rupees depending on the distance. …View image…

rickshaw man waiting for a fare in Kolkata, India 

very tired rickshaw puller in Kolkata, India
The  man in charge of our local tour operations, Sukant, met us at the Hotel with train tickets and vouchers for the onward journey into Orissa along with information about tomorrow’s all day Kolkata tour and to answer any questions we may have. Armed with all that, the Hotel Lytton fortunately serves meals throughout the day and we tucked into either a late lunch or early dinner of rice biryani, tandoor chicken and naan bread (yummy) before taking a sleeping pill and going back to sleep. Psst…you’ll need ear plugs at most hotels!

TIP: Most restaurants don’t turn on their tandoor oven until evening. A tandoor is a clay oven used for cooking certain types of Indian, Pakistani and Afghan foods. We happen to adore tandoori chicken (with bones in), chicken tikka (boneless) and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan (favorite is garlic naan). So, as not to be disappointed, ASK if the oven is on before you order and begin drooling in anticipation.