You say Calcutta, I say Kolkata . . .

and here we are in one of the most vibrant and alive cities on the planet!

Kolkata (the new and official name) is a melange of everything you can think of - lights, food, colors, art, culture, gorgeous old buildings in various stages of dilapidation, decay or rebirth, parks, rivers, cows, goats, dogs, cats, monuments, markets, festivals (Durga Puja begins today to celebrate the goddess Durga, and is going on all night, every night this week!), tuk tuks, rickshaws, and people! Oh the people! 22 million of them!

If all you thought about when you thought of Calcutta was Mother Theresa and orphans with flies around their eyes, think again. Yes there is incredible poverty - most of the city is impoverished - but it is not an angry culture. It is welcoming and friendly and musical and vibrant.

We came in last night to the beginnings of the week long festival - strings of lights everywhere, music and singing, bands and performers on every block - young and old all out and about for the all night party. This morning we went to the flower market at sunrise - - the current of humanity, flowers and bees seemed to flow and take us along with it. We ended up at the edge of the river where, to the beat of many drums, men young and old bathe in the mornings. You can see some of the pics on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/33339594@N06/sets/72157627660248443/ Jerry will post some soon. The men scrub themselves with soap and mud balls - the boys climb on top of each other in the water to make human pyramids and mug for the camera, the old men bathe to the side, some of them clasp their hands in their morning prayer. all wear sarongs or underwear. The women watch, laugh, do Hindu prayers and the whole shebang feels like a strange pool party.

This afternoon we explored a sprawling local market that spanned numerous streets and alleyways. We started out in the fish and poultry section - and by poultry I mean live chickens - - you pick it, they kill it . . . fortunately we did not see this happen. The vendors, hundreds and hundreds of them, sell everything from beauty supplies to string and rope to spices and vegetables of every imaginable kind. Photography was tricky in there given the darkness from the overhead tarps. Breathing was even trickier due to the 90's plus temperature and humidity and the many smells.

Tonight we dined on local Bengalese food - Jerry loved all of it but I am staying on the vegetarian plan for now. Still some lovely flavors. We also learned that we may not have visa clearance to enter Bhutan tomorrow as planned. Our guide and group leader is working on the problem (we are still not sure what that problem is) and as of now we are planning to head to the airport, cross our fingers and try to get on the plane....

Stay tuned - we may be writing from Kolkata again tomorrow night.