No snow, no skating and there are creepy-looking Santas wandering around town but the city is quite lit up and there is a remarkable lack of conspicuous consumption here so there is definitely some festive spirit to be had. It's also really nice how many people spontaneously wish us happy x-mas when we're walking about.
Last night we went to a party organised by some of the volunteers at Mother Teresa's and it was fun. There was good soup and some cheese (!) and chips and things to nibble on. And there was beer! Kingfisher isn't Kilimanjaro but it's damn tasty nonetheless. We grabbed a cab home and when the driver saw the holiday tip that we layed on him, he kissed Denise's hand. A nice evening.
This morning, Denise went off to serve the poor breakfast and Helene and I wandered over later. We went to see the orphans (who were all in one room screaming about, apparently on sugar highs) and while Helene was being mauled by a posse of them, I played with a couple by tossing them up and down in the air... I couldn't help but notice how light they were -- fat little Canadian kids, these were not... After that we walked the gauntlet of people who had converged on Mother Teresa's place looking for hand-outs. We chatted briefly with the little girl that lives on the corner with her family (and when I say 'on the corner' I mean on the street corner, not in a house) and then I had a bit of a start -- a lady asked me for some money and when I smiled and demurred, she grabbed my ass and ran off giggling! Wtf?! Weird...
Breafast at the Calcuttan institution, Flury's, was good but it took forever to get in. Now this afternoon we'll probably see a couple of sights and then go to a concert before having dinner on Park Street.
A different Christmas but definitely not a bad Christmas.
All the best to everyone who takes the time to read this blog. And hey, please feel free to post comments; Duma and Jen are getting lonely!
Bob
3 comments:
Wouldn't want Duma and Jen to get lonely! Holiday hugs to you and Hélène.
Duma is in fact getting crazy in Sault Ste. Misery, thinking the slums of Calcutta are looking like a pleasant alternative to this frozen wasteland full of people I'm embarrassed to admit I share genetic material with.
jen is getting fat from sitting at home doing nothing but eating cheese and drinking wine. i mean f-a-t not p-h-a-t. i'm always p-h-a-t...
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