Kolkata is a more together and gorgeous city than all the other Indian cities I have seen on this trip, I think this is a combination of the infrastructure being more functional, side walks are consistent, buses have numbers clearly displayed the roads are labelled, and the people being less jaded by the tourist thing. There are also lovely sights to see in Victoria monument and park, the cricket stadium the locals are proud of among some really stunning architecture. Much of which I think is reminiscent of London’s older central buildings, just hinting to the colonial throwback.
I came to Kolkata two days before my flight to Bangkok in order to get a taste of the city, hangout and explore. I managed to stop myself from booking my accommodations in advance, as my flight arrived at a decent hour of the morning it was more reasonable that i try the “walk in” strategy.
Mmm, after been followed by a woman begging with a baby, having a man run ahead of me into each hotel I approached to make some commission on me, and having to deal with the arrogance and rudeness of Sunflower guesthouse staff just because they are lonely planet recommended (twats). I found somewhere within my budget that did not have claustrophobic lift and was in a decent location. Now although my rate was 50% less than the usual rate of thiat hotel the planner in me really cannot cope with not knowing where I’m going to stay, this is added to by the fact I’m a lone backpacker and quite venerable not having somewhere to stay.
I spent my day heading to an out of town shopping centre that sold Indian produce with a price on it! That’s something in the land of haggling so I took a well labelled bus and headed out there. I met two students on the way who I got chatting to on their way to extra tuition, they took me to the shopping centre and we sat for a while and had a chat over a cup of tea.
Posting my pressies
My 70 litre Berghaus Jalan luxe backpack was at capacity, there was no room for these gifts to join me on my Thailand leg, so I had one more day left to post them all home, simples.?!
The final day in India when I need to post these gifts, is the day of the post office holiday, so ALL the post offices around Kolkata are all closed, of course they are. Except the GPO….to the GPO is the plan as its the only hope I have of getting this stuff home.
I get there in a taxi, I get followed into the grandest post office building I have ever seen by a scruffy looking hunched over guy saying something about wrapping. I’m in there for 15 minutes or so getting my bearings sorting my package and queueing for a weight and cost estimate. This dude is still following me when I leave to get the package wrapped and stitched, which is compulsory for any packages. I ask him firmly to stop following me so he backs off, I found a calm friendly looking old man outside and got a quote for the wrapping and sat with him to watch and wait.
While I am waiting there is this other man who was hovering previously inside the post office, now hanging around and talking to the guy doing my parcel and throwing in handy hints of what to write on my package, how to fill out the customs form. This all seems lovely but in have at this point figured out none of this helpfulness come without a cost in 70% of the cases. 25 minutes later we have a stitched package, I added some tea to the side of the package so a few more rupees charge was expected. This man who I thought I could trust just pulled a stupid figure out of the air over 4 times what we had originally agreed. Here we go again, someone out for what they can get. BORED, of this life unable to trust anyone I was meeting, I protested the price wearily, got annoyed and left him his requested amount with a few carefully selected words.
I went back inside to pay, but realised the language barrier was going to be a problem so I called a helpline number that was on the wall. The person at the other end spoke good English, I asked about the customs form and what I needed to do to make sure the parcel went by airmail. He told me the tea would incur additional import tax charges and that I would need a form from online that they do NOT keep in the post office (?) to send the parcel….I was getting heated now, I needed a break.
I left promptly to get some cash as they do not take cards as I had assumed, and to read a blog or ten about posting parcels in India, surely I was making this hard….nope I found a blog that recorded the same experience over a four day period and 3 post office visits. I was not with the luxury of time on my side, reading the post made me determined I get this done today. She listed the postal requirements:
A cloth wrapped and stitched parcel
Sealed with wax
A completed customs form
A list of everything in the parcel
A photo copy of your passport (this was a new one on me)
Your hotel address
Delivery address
Cash money in full
A marker pen
Patience of a saint
I extended the list somewhat but hey its worth mentioning all of the above for the next poor soul.
Armed with this information I go to get a photocopy of my driver licence and find an ATM, the photocopying was more of an incident than it needed to be, I could see a photocopier, and no one claimed it as theirs when I asked so I walked on passed the dude shaking his head took my copies and left a fair amount. This day was not going to push me over the edge, this was getting sent.
Right back to the post office with a deep breath I go to the counter with all my documents, I ommited the tea from the customs form to grease the wheels and hand over the parcel.
“It needs sealling, who wrapped this?”
I almost spontaneously combusted I was so mad, I told him the white haired man outside had charged me 200 rupees for the wrapping he shook his head, he needs to finish it. I stormed out of the GPO back to the table outside where I had sat getting the parcel done and I laid into this guy like no ones business, I told him he was a thief and he needed to finish the job he had over charged me for, I pointed into the post office and folded my arms he needed to get in there and do what he would have done for 20 rupees for a local and finish the wrapping with a wax seal.
Back in the post office I followed him, then there were more instructions I must give these documents I had prepared to him; I was tired, frustrated and confused and a tear carrying all of these feelings was the start of the floodgates and I started to bawl in the middle of the post office. I was clinging onto my documents, this man I knew I could not trust was trying to take them from me and no one was telling me why, mainly because they did not know how.
I finally gave them to him as me crying was not going to get this thing posted, he took them and sewed them into the parcel…. OK that I could cope with, then he handed the complete parcel to the post office worker, who tried to calm me down and get me out of the post office as quickly as he could. The result was a receipt with an ID and delivery address, I left the GPO with my face dried with tears and a weird sense of achievement.
It was 3.30pm and I was yet to visit the Victoria monument and park. I decided to walk.
The bright side
Heading back to my hotel I smiled as I walked past an old man eating something I had never seen before, I must have been eyeing it up because he offered me some as I passed, telling me what it was, he tore off a piece and shoved it my direction
“You are my guest”, with the widest grin and his arm flung out pointing at the park behind him…
It was deep fried goodness so I asked him where he got them from, I ran back to get some for both of us, and gave him his as a passed by him.
He quite simply made my day if I’m honest and was a good last memory of India.
