a trip to India and Nepal...

My kid brother got married in 1979..
he decided to make his honeymoon to India/Nepal..
my sister in law..did not agree..I did neither..
fact was..my brother decided..so..we flew one day..
the 4 of us...from Brussels to New Delhi..
end destination..was Calcutta..New Delhi was an inbetween stop..
what my brother did not realize was the fact...
that if you have never seen misery,dirt,dust,poverty??
one should not vist Calcutta first go..but do bit of India first..
no use..we flew to Delhi...my sister in law(air hostess Indian Airlines)
was at Palam airport to receive us...great lady she was..great lady..
we stayed 1 night at Ambassador hotel..not bad...next day..
domestic flight to Calcutta with Indian airlines..O.K.all well..
now..landing at Dum Dum(Calcutta)can be a nightmare..
my sister in law did everything possible to take us trough the airport..
put us in a taxi towards her house in central Calcutta...
now..Calcutta..is a hub of noise,dirt,poverty..for anyone who has never
been in this place..during my earlier trips..I had been there once for a few days..read in my travell journal somewhere..I was utterly shocked..
we settled at my sister in law's place...very small flat around Taltala..
that's close to Sealdah Railway station..the area where she was living..
becomes a big street bazar in the evening...we made a stroll..
I LOVED it..you can taste and smell India on the pavement..fruits..
vegetables...spices..sweets..anything..my kid brother and his wife..
got the first beggars on their hand..some kids in rags..with snot in their noses..holding out their hand..calling..paisaa..sahib..paisaa..
daily stuff in India,I tell you..one advice..DON'T give money...
it's like a needle in a haystack..instead give these kids some food..
a ballpen..something which THEY profit from...directly..
and not the beggars maffia..maybe their parents..but..let me tell you some very cruel facts about some assholes..who cut off a limb..yes..
a finger..a hand..of a kid..to make that kid look more pitiful on the streets to beg??well..this still existed in India...and if I ever get hold my hands..
of one of these bastards..I would kick his teeth out..no doubt..
http://www.oneworldonepeople.org/articles/begging_india.htm
so..enough about that..next day..we went to a place callled the Maidan
big field in fact..where me,my wife,my brother and his wife..took a half
a day conducted sightseeing tour..my Indian brother in law came also
with us..to tell us something about his city..he was proud to live there..
strangeley..later on..I LOVED Calcutta..I'll tell you later on..
about our 3 day stay in Calcutta..after that we flew to upper Assam..
to my in laws..another story again...hold on,peeps..here we go..