Hello ,
Greetings from Kolkata, India. I just arrived on the late night flight from Kuala Lumpur, last week I was in Sheffield, AW - HQ and telling you about how it was All Happening - a very eventful week, you can read about it here.
A couple of weeks a go I wrote from Lisbon, Portugal. I was interested to see the latest wave of immigrants there to be Bengali, I'm interested to find out more about the Portuguese connections to this part of the world.
One of my hobbies is seeing how those early adventurers and traders influenced and shaped the world today. Over 500 years ago flotillas of ships heading out to the far side of the world to do business.
My flight was delayed and I reached Kolkata at 2am a bit bedraggled, the airport still busy at that time. There is a big queue for the taxi's so, desperate for a bed I took an inflated price dodgy taxi, from a guy stood outside arrivals - well he looked respectable, but after loading me in the car an old stubble faced guy in scruffy clothes jumped in the drivers seat, and then another rough looking character jumped in the front passenger seat - he turns the radio up loud - it's Bollywood music - the car I realise is a bit old and seat is lumpy. Out of the airport, I roughly know the way - it's not far, but the street ahead is seriously flooded - the monsoon has started - and we take a detour from the route I know... 2am the back-streets of Kolkata two dodgy guys. Relax, I told myself, it's like this in India - it will be OK, but I can tell you I was relieved to to see the Swissotel building hive into view.
I'm writing this whilst having breakfast, Mr Chatterjee is on the way to pick me up, we will drive to Serampore, - the town not far from the Ganges where we buy our cotton and jute products.
There I will check into the grandly titled: Royal Hotel. Royal it is not. If Basil Fawlty has an Indian counterpart, he is alive and well and running the Royal in Serampore . It's the only hotel in town, I have stayed a few times and.. well you need a scene of humour. The website is amazing.. this really is 100% fake news, not one thing is true. A few kilometres from Kolkata it says.. haha can be two or three hours drive. The Royal Hotel.
Anyway, today is an auspicious day and auspicious is definitely a favourite Indian word..
Not only am I arriving in India, but today is a major lunar eclipse, it also happens to be the day that planet Mars is closest to earth.
Signs in the sky's - are they signs of important world events?
You will have a great view from the UK, but if there is any clear sky tonight (a big if with the monsoon) should be spectacular here we are in an auspicious place to see it.
And who know's maybe momentous events in the offing :)
Mr Chatterjee, is here - he's Whatapping me, got to go!
Check our Auspicious Lunar Deals below.
It's definitely a good time to start a new business, or even boot up a new product line. Go for it!
Next week I should be in Kathmandu, join me there.
Take care.
David