Oh Kolkata!

Oh Kolkata! "That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet." The name has been changed, but the City of Joy stills smells as much, and is vibrant with life. We got here in time for Diwali, the festival of lights. The official start this year is November 11th, so that means the tenth was Diwali Eve, so fireworks started that evening, continued all night, and then accelerated in intensity on the evening of the 11th. Talk about Remembrance Day? We thought we were in a war zone. Regulations being what they are, we sometimes found ourselves in the midst of a shower of falling sparklers. After our first evening visit with long time friends, Swami and Violet, this was a tourist stop. On Wednesday, we paid a sombre and humbling visit to the site of Mother Theresa's work. Her tomb is there, and her small room has been maintained as a shrine. Then, we made a disturbingly easy pivot to the world of KFC, ice cream and shopping. After we were shopped out (It happens more quickly for some!), we rode the subway to a station within a few km of the hotel, and then the six of us packed into one small Ambassador Cab for a memorable ride the rest of the way. This morning, we packed up and headed to the airport for our flight to Chennai. We've arrived to a rain-soaked city, and the discovery that November is the rainiest month of the year in this part of India.