Shans and I had had about enough of the B-grade hotel action (of course), so we upgraded to the Oberoi in Kolkata, also because it was on some sort of wicked sale at hotels.com and was only costing $130/nt for all of it's 5-star glory. Arriving there was a balm to my soul, truly. Beautiful pool, lovely room, great room service, and fabulously attentive staff. The Oberoi hotel is one of those places where you can get anything you need, promptly and with style - internet access, courier service for the sarees I bought, an amazing spa. What more could two girls want?
On our first full day, Debdutta picked us up and took us to the Victoria Memorial. The building and park are beautiful and they had a nice exhibit (with AC!) that gave the history of the city.
Afterwards, we headed to the India Museum, only to find it closed the day before the New Year. Darn it. We'll just have to shop.
We grabbed a quick Bengali lunch and hit the saree shops looking for something for Shannon. Poor Debdutta was so patient. But, we were successful! Shannon got a beautiful Bengali woven silk saree, turquoise and iridescent violet with an openwork flower design woven in pale gold. Very pretty. I, on the other hand, chose a tussar silk saree, with a traditional design in vibrant turquoise and red. Not because I need another saree, oh no. Because it was on sale :). Kolkata is also famous for its woven cottons, so Debdutta took us to the weavers' shop that her mom buys all of her cotton sarees from. These are much more affordable than the silk sarees, running the equivalent of $12 to $25 USD. I bought a few for mom to use as yardage, and 2 for me to maybe someday wear. They are so beautiful. I have to admit that all of the patterns and colors bring out a very greedy side of me. Just the experience of being in the shop and unwrapping all of these unassuming little bundles only to find amazing, bold prints inside, was pretty spectacular. Shannon and Debdutta got bored long before I did, but lucky for me they're good friends and very patient. Hot, steamy and tuckered out from our day of shopping, we retreated to "the Obs" and let Debdutta finally go home. We are indebted in so many ways for the tour guide services and the company.
The following day was the Bengali New Year. Debdutta's parents were kind enough to invite Shannon and I over for lunch and to meet the family. Debdutta picked us up at midday and wisked us off to her house, which lies on a street carrying the family name. Debdutta's father is very involved in state politics, having once been a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Bengal. Now, he organizes for his party and helps select the candidates that will run for major positions in the government. Thus, it was a rare occasion for him to be home to meet us.
It was lovely to meet Debdutta's family. Her mom made us an amazing lunch: aloo poshto - potatoes in poppyseed curry, huge prawns, fish, Bengali dal - which is sweeter than North-Indian dal, mishti doi - yoghurt sweetened with brown sugar, and rasgullah for dessert. Needless to say, it was amazing. Since we were the guests and the youngsters, we ate first, and then chit-chatted in Debdutta's room until her parents finished their lunch. Bengali New Year is an auspicious day to buy gold for Bengali's, so after lunch, we went with Debdutta to look for some gold jhumki, bell-shaped, traditional gold earrings. We found some beautiful ones that Debdutta went back and got with her mom later in the day. Too much fun. After saying goodbye and many, many thanks to Debdutta, Shans and I headed back to the Oberoi to pack up and hit the spa. Our flight to Bangkok was at 2am, so we dithered around at the Oberoi for massages and dinner, before heading to the airport around 11. Bye bye Hindustan, hello Thailand!
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