Gulab JAM ON THIS

Friends, family and associates,

I have just 2 days left in India. I would try to expound my overall expereince here, but it is too much for words. Or, I should say, more accurately that time is too pressing for words. I have just arrived back at my apartment in Delhi from Kolkata and there are a million things to do (turn in an essay I literally JUST finished that was due two weeks ago, finish some last minute shopping, exchange this fake "Adidas" duffle bag that ripped at the seams when I was gently cramming full of shh to send home, prepping for a friend's birthday, cleaning the apartment, freezing to death here, etc).

So I just got back from 3 fabulous days in Kokata-the city that celebrates my girl Kali). I went with the last survivors of our apartment, Nina and Camden. We took an overnight seater-express train on the way there and it was really fun sleeping sitting up/sitting for 18 hours. Not really, but I've had less comfortable rides. And I actually did have a really good conversation about sex and cultural differences between America and India with this really non-creepy Indian dude around my age! Awesome!

We deboarded the train to some rain and grey skies--only fitting considering the moist nature of our stay in India. We hopped in a trade union cab (like Kerala, Kolkata rocks the Commi vote) and got into some nasty traffic pulsing through crammed streets lined with trash, beggars, dilapidated old colonial structures and the most beautiful faces I've seen in India (except maybe for those in Yamunotri). Kolkata: full of beggars and refuse and Koti rolls and wide boulevards. Like a combination of Delhi and Bombay. The New York of India. I especially dug the metro system here. Its literally like a trolley car that goes underground. None of that air-conditioned, air-pressurized doors nonsense you find on the Delhi Metro or BART. Felt very 1940s. All grey. The people's haircuts and their outfits all emanated an air of nostalgia. Right now winter season is upon us and EVERYONE here is busting out the craziest, ugliest sweaters ever (if you're into ugly sweaters, you should check out my homegirl's blog: http://fuckyeahuglysweaters.tumblr.com/). It's a thrifters wet dream for sure. The best of the glittery, awkward fitting sweater vests that come in an array of colors and that every other Indian dude has been sporting for the past month. AMAZING.

But back to Kolkata. On day one we ate some Koti rolls (like parantha with an egg cooked on it + potatoes or chicken or mutton + lime +peppers + delcious spices and wrapped like a lil burrito. SO DELICIOUS), check out the shopping scene got our bearings and ate at this awesome place called Peter Cat where I had the best naan OF MY LIFE (Kubuli naan--throw some dried fruit on it, yeow!). The second day we embarked on a journey to Dakshineswar, where this epic Kali temple is, north of the city proper. After a metro ride sweetened by a monk in a glorious peach-hued get up and crazy public bus ride, we arrived at the massive temple. In short, I gave my girl some puja and saw the highest concentration of the best saris ever. Then we got back to the city and saw our first and only Hindi movie in theatres, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey starring my boy Abhishek Bachchan (okay, I don't even want to talk about how criminally neglect I have been to Bollywood while I've been here, so let's not get into it). It was about the Chittagong uprising during the struggle for Indian Independence in the 1930s, GET ON THAT HISTORY. Loved it. Especially hilarious that the staff turned on the house lights IMMEDIATELY once the credits started rolling.