Arrival in Kolkata

We arrived in Kolkata this morning after an eventful train ride from Varanasi. Although we were warned that the journey could take significantly longer than timetabled, we rolled into Kolkata only about an hour late. The train wasn’t too uncomfortable and we all got some sleep, once we had braved the trip to the toilet (an adventure in itself) and fought off the mice that were running about in the carriage!rnrnA yellow taxirnrnArriving at the Fairlawn Hotel by taxi we were delighted by the reception we received and the lovely lobby area which was filled with green plants and colourful flowers.rnrnThe FairlawnrnrnWe had lunch shortly after arrival and then had time to sort out our new rooms and catch up on the sleep we lost last night in preparation for our time in Kolkata and at Udayan which is sure to be action packed!rnrnAfter our siesta we were served a delightful English tea with jam tarts out in the garden and the owner, Mrs Violet Smith, introduced us to a fun game which the dining room staff enjoyed helping us master. The motto of this hotel is Indira Ghandi’s words, “Tourists arrive as guests and leave as friends” and already we can see how these words are lived.rnrnBefore dinner, we had the pleasure meeting again the founder of Udayan, James Stevens and his wife Lalitta who called in to welcome us. They have invited us over to Udayan to meet the children tomorrow. We eagerly await our first glimpse of the home.rnrnJames StevensrnrnThank you to all those who have commented on the website so far. We do read your comments, and so on request, here is the man who takes the pictures (although he is still trying to hide behind his camera!)rnrnJames Dodds

4 replies
  1. jan ridley
    jan ridley says:

    Your hotel sounds really friendly- I’m sure that you will all leave as friends at the end of your stay.

  2. Fraser BERNADETTE Ruairi
    Fraser BERNADETTE Ruairi says:

    hi james enjoying looking at you on the website,must be a brilliant experiance but a humbling one. keep up the good work very proud of you lots of love (mum send HUGS)Ruairi:hey james you are looking very snazzy. see you soon.

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