Another Kolkata

After a rough couple of days feeling like India was really catching up with us, we were a little worried about our arrival to Kolkata (Calcutta). Expecting to be overwhelmed by a huge city and excessive povery, Kolkata has touched us. It's a city unlike any other in India, that has validated its reputation as the friendliest of India's big cities. That's not to say that the begging and poverty doesn't exist. In fact we have run into more beggars and people living on the street here than in other cities we have visited. However, the city still retains a vibrance that carries it through all of that. Known locally as the cultural and intellectual center of the country, we have easily filled our days visiting musuems and soaking in its rich history as the original capital under the British Raj. Thus the city is full of old crumbling buildings in various states of disrepair. They are majestic buildings that help paint the cities history. So, in a city that Mother Theresa put on the map and that conjures up images of a destitute population...we have found a vibrant city set against the varying shades of gray. While its history is long and full of turmoil and hardship, Kolkata has been a captivating city with so much to offer.