New Market

Emmas chickpea lunch - mmm.

I love how everything is overly decorated, wherever you go.

People watching from our lunch table.

My dosa that I had - 37 rupees! (About 90 cents in NZ). So yum, and it had this amazing potato filling.

And finally, my first experience in a fabric store!!! Ahhhh! Look how amazing these are! Can you tell I am excited? I bought the one you can see in the very top right corner (most of it is cropped out). It was only 60 rupees, so about $1.45.

When you come into some of these shops, they give you chai in little clay cups that you just throw away. It is cheaper for them to use clay instead of paper or polystyrene.

The fabric shop!

Looking down one of the many alleyways in New Market.

And dinner last night was at an Itallian restaurant, and we had pizza, which cost around 400INR which is about $10 NZD.

So yesterday was a busy day, work finished at 2pm, and Judy and I went on the Metro (i.e. standing way too close for comfort up against men who stare at you) to meet Emma for lunch, before heading to New Market to do a bit of shopping. 

New Market is like a bazaar where you can buy many Western items, like food, clothes, items etc. We went so we could buy things like peanut butter, toilet paper and so on. I also really wanted to buy a scarf to wear around, as my first fabric purchase, so Emma took us to the shop above that you see, and the guy was so lovely! I am definitely going to go back there.

We headed back home after we became too tired, but the Metro we wanted didn't turn up. It is not uncommon that someone will throw themselves in front of the trains... So instead we got a taxi, who turned his meter off, much to Emma's frustration, and said we had to pay 90 rupees instead of what should have been about 50 if he had kept it on.

We eventually made it home, and then myself, Gabs, Judy, Nate, Justin and Pip went out for dinner. (It is Gabs' last week in India, hence all of the going out all of the time). It was really nice, but I was super tired.

On the metro home, Gabs and I were discussing men that harass girls, and told me what she tells them if they do to her (I won't repeat it on here, but it is pretty colourful). So funny! On the train we rode in the women's carriage, which was so much nicer.

I am not feeling 100% today, getting a bit of a headache. I think it is just because it has been a busy week, but guess what?? I have made it through my first week in Kolkata!!

And yes, many of my posts do include photos of food - and you will probably have to put up with seeing that for a while, until it all becomes normal for me... the food and the way they present things here is so amazing, I just have to document it!

I'm not missing home too much yet, but I do miss the familiar faces now and then.

Much love.

x