After one of the worst travel experiences I've had in a while, I have arrived at my hotel in Kolkata (aka Calcutta). The airport in Bangladesh was a nightmare. So many people, none of whom know what's going on. I waited in the wrong line twice before getting to the right place. My bag was thoroughly searched at least three times. And yet, no one at any point felt the need to confirm that the name on my passport matched the name on my ticket.
It's a roughly one-hour flight to Kolkata. My first order of business was to get money. The ATM I went to was out of cash, I couldn't find the second ATM the moneychanger guy sent me to (a 5 minute walk away) so I came back to him to change money. I was goaded into changing money with a street guy instead, with the promise of a better rate. I was so flustered and overwhelmed at this point that I just took what he gave me without counting. He definitely cheated me, though I still got a better rate than I would have from the airport.
The cab situation at the airport is also confusing and a total mess. Again, flustered and overwhelmed, against my better judgement I got into a gypsy cab instead of a real cab. Luckily I didn't get kidnapped, but he definitely cheated me to a degree anyone else has yet to be so bold as to attempt. I think I paid somewhere between 3-6x what I should have paid for the ride to my hotel, but at this point I just wanted to be done with the trip. I was tired and sweaty and carrying this super heavy backpack and just wanted to sleep. Also, even with him overcharging, in the grand scheme of things, it's a matter of a few dollars.
I'm staying at the hotel Trimoorti. I found it on TripAdvisor. Seems nice, if not a little more expensive than what I should be paying for a hotel in India. I at least feel relatively safe leaving my stuff in my room. I'm going to lock it up anyway.
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