Mas India

When you can't think what to blog about just paste your mom's emails from India. She asked me to forward it and I failed to do a good job of that so now I am forwarding ot the world:


This is one day later. We are in Paro, Bhutan. Bhutan is like heaven after Kolkata. We are high in the mountains near Nepal. The air is clear, no crowds, green landscape. We saw Mt Everest from the plane yesterday. The mountains are big and lovely.

The men wear outfits like bathrobes with knee socks and regular dress shoes. Our guide said his wife wove the fabric of his robe -- it is almost like a small scottish tartan. No way does it look home made. We are all very happy to be in Bhutan.

Kolkata has so much going on -- on every inch of the sidewalk -- like sleeping, bathing, urinating, cooking, selling, trying to give help with finding where you want to go after which you let them take you to the merchant who will pay them a commission. There is constanhtly a beggar with a hand on your arm and 2-3 sidewalk merchants pointing out their merchandise. The first morning we walked 1/2 block after breakfast and were overloaded and stressed out. We neeeded to return to the sanctuary and peace of the hotel.

The Oberoi Grand Hotel is world class. I bet that Gigi stayed there back in the 1960s. It was a joy. We hated to move down to a dreary 4 star hotel.

We met Russell Peters, a comedian, at lunch one day. He was performing in Kolkata that night and Bangelore the next. He said that he performs all over the world. Lives near Cahuenga Pass in LA. Grew up in Toronto and is related to Nahun the baker here in Kolkata. We went to Nahun's bakery to get permission to go to the Synagogue. That was quite a trip through amazingly narrow streets.

In Kolkata traffic is often at a standstill. Something has to give which it eventually does. Drivers often turn off their car engines for a red light. Traffic passes so close that every vehicle is dented galore. The busses are about 50 years old. The taxis are old Ambassadors -- about a 1950 design. They are now built in India, but many appear to date back to 1950.

There is a great description of living in India. Called "Holy Cow" by Sarah Mac Donald, an Aussie.

We were going to hike up a mountain this morning, but it is raining and too slippery and muddy.

It is slightly cool here in the mountains, very welcome. Kolkata was mostly in the 90's. Sweat was just dripping off of us constantly.

At breakfast this morning, there was an adjoining group mostly from Sac.

Love you lots,

Mom/Grandma