Leaving On a Slow Train

Howrah Bridge

I'm getting out of Kolkata. I've had more than enough of this city so I'm taking a 22-hour train to New Delhi. My dad suggested taking the train rather than flying so that I could see more of India. I treated myself to Arsalan again today; I had to go back because apparently they have the best biriana in Kolkata and I didn't get it last time. It was definitely really good.

I arrived at the train station 2.5 hours early because I couldn't wait to leave. After I got to the station, I went back outside and walked across Howrah Bridge, which has been recommended to me by my friend JM. I was wondering why she sent me to a bridge because it looked cool but not really tourist-worthy, but I realized she was actually sending me there to see the view FROM the bridge, not OF the bridge. There's my Golden Gate Bridge bias in action.

View from Howrah Bridge

The train station feels like a dirtier version of Grand Central Station in Manhattan. It's huge. There are way too many people. Everything is incredibly confusing. And it's hot. Really, really hot.

We Opposed Outsourcing of Jobs

I switched hotels today so that I could be in a more touristy area. My new hotel is overpriced and disgusting. They sent five different people to come look at my tv because it was broken. They finally moved me to a new room at 11pm. With ants. And a torn up carpet. At least the TV worked. Well, for some of the night.

I spent most of the day in my room because I'm not feeling well. I did go out to eat at a place called Arsalan and had some really good lamb korma. Korma is my favorite style of curry; it's really creamy, flavorful, and not spicy at all. I also discovered the Cheese Naan, which is everything it promises to be and it's life changing.

I forced myself to go out tonight because the thought of spending the entire day inside was more painful than actually going out while sick. This is definitely a touristy area. I only planned to go our for a few minutes but I ventured out longer than I originally anticipated. There were tons of street vendors selling all sorts of knockoff goods, but the most interesting thing I saw was this billboard:

If only they knew how ironic this is

I was making a zig-zag pattern through the streets away from the hotel and in my delirious state I thought ot myself "this is fine, when I'm ready to go back, I'll just turn around and keep turning right until I get back to the hotel." Which is definitely not how the world works because four rights later, I was back at the exact same spot where I started and not one step closer to home. I eventually found another hostel where the security guard put a man on the phone who spoke English and directed me back to my hotel.