I just went scuba diving! For the first time in 20 years (okay 19, but who’s counting?) and I am so glad! I have heard wonderful things about the diving in Maldives. In addition to the fact that there is an abundance of sea life – fish, coral, invertebrates, sharks,…
So I’m finding that a week on a restful island paradise is just what I was looking for! This place fits the bill. The view out my bungalow is constantly changing and continuously spectacular, rain or shine. The island is small, and you can walk across it in about 15…
Okay, so I made it to the Maldives – after quite a bit of island hopping. I flew from India (after a layover in Chennai and a flight that stopped in Bengaluru and some other town I’ve never heard of before arriving in Male. From there, I transfered to local airline. I…
Yesterday I got a final dose of Nizam’s before leaving Kolkata. First, I met up with Neel. He and his driver picked me up near my apartment, which was awesome because it worked out timing-wise and it was really hot and saved me from catching a bus and then the subway. Unfortunately, we had…
I have a ticket to the Maldives on the 21st (of May!). I will be there until the 29th. So I’ll be leaving India in only a few days! My sister and I are trying to spend some time together before we don’t see each other again for who-knows-how-long. Jayanthi…
Well yesterday did not go AT ALL as I planned – what day ever does? However, it was quite a roller coaster. I got up in the morning for my last day of volunteering at Kalighat. I took the bus to the Mother House (only the 2 correct buses this…
I have worked the last two days now at Kalighat, or Nirmal Hriday. This is the first home that Mother Teresa opened in Kolkata. Having volunteered there in 1998 for a couple of months, I was glad when the sister told me to go back there this weekend. I was…
I’ve decided to leave India and spend a week in the Maldives before heading to Morocco. The Maldives is a tiny cluster of islands located somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean, to the south and west of India. It’s remote, beautiful, idyllic, and ridiculously expensive – especially compared…
So today I came to the Mother House by 7 am – just barely by seven. Since I’m staying in Hiland Park, I’m quite far away from the side of town where I needed to be, so I had to be up and at the bus station before 6. I…
This afternoon, I went to visit the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. This is where Mother Teresa is buried and where her order is headquartered. It is also filled with memories for me personally. The first time I came to the Mother House was in 1993. My extended…
Over the last week, I’ve been going around to different areas of Kolkata for multiple reasons. I’ve been hanging out with my sister and her friends in various locations – restaurants, clubs, malls, parks, – I’ve moved residences from one area of town to another, and I’ve gone back to…
Last night was the long-awaited night of the Dolna Day School’s production of the Wizard of Oz. My sister had managed to procure a ticket for me and I planned to meet a few of her friends at the show. When I first arrived and went into the auditorium, I saw my…
My sister set helped me connect with one of her friends here in Kolkata on couchsurfing.org. This is a website where people make their extra bedrooms or couches available to travellers. In exchange, the hope is that someday, the chance will arise to “pay the favor forward” and people will…
Jayanthi and I went to meet Melissa at Sari Bari today. She had promised to give us a tour this afternoon of one of their locations, where she works, in Shova Bazzar. Sari Bari is a program that works in the red light district of Kolkata. It isn’t geared at…
I just went see to the Marble Palace here in Kolkata. It is a home that belongs to a wealthy family here in town and has been in their family since the 1830s. Apparently they still live there in a part of the house. The tour guide (who didn’t really…
Last night, I got to go to the first ever Moth Storytelling night to be held in Kolkata. It was hosted by Rishi Desai and his girlfriend Melissa and was absolutely great! I hadn’t heard about The Moth before my sister told me about it a couple of weeks…
The weather forecast for today in Kolkata says it’ll be 109 degrees Farenheit (43 Celsius). That is so NOT cool, especially when you consider that there is humidity to boot. I have to tell you, I do not love super-hot weather. I feel that whenever you are cold, you can…
