It seemed like a long journey from Sydney.  Departed Sydney at 11 am for a 7.5-hour SIA flight to Singapore. Had a 2-hour and 20-minute layover before the 3.5-hour flight to Kolkata (formerly known by the anglicized name Calcutta).  As usual, SIA service was great and the food was plentiful. I could not have dinner on the flight to Calcutta as I felt rather bloated already.

I was dreading the worst at immigration and customs at Kolkata Airport. Fortunately, the flight landed at 9:40 pm and there was only one other flight from Dhaka that landed around the same time.  There was very little queueing.  As I had an e-Visa, I had to show the paper email version of the visa approval.  So much for the ‘e’.  My passport from promptly stamped after being photographed and fingerprinted.  I took the green lane at customs and just breezed through without checks.

When I landed in Kolkata, I got a message from the hotel that they had sent a driver to pick me up from the airport and gave me his details.  I had previously enquired about this and I thought they had forgotten.  So this was a pleasant surprise.  I got out through Gate 4 exit and the driver was waiting for me holding a sign with my name.

The trip to the hotel was about 40 minutes.  This was was my first real Kolkata experience.  There were all sorts of vehicles going everywhere.  There is no real road rule observation.  Everyone wants to get to their destination whichever way.  Honking is the norm.  In mean, incessant honking.  I am convinced some of them have one of the hands taped to their car horns.  Really unnerving ride but I got used to it.  

The night sights were lively and contrasting.  This is a city that hardly sleeps.  There were old derelict buildings and slum areas that are contrasted with modern well-lit office towers and new hotels built in keeping with old Indian architectural features.

I am really looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.  My guide sent me a message while on my drive to the hotel, “Welcome to your own city”.  That was nice of him.  I mentioned to him before that my father was in Kolkata about 80 years ago as a young university student and also the ‘mischief’ he got up to. I was looking forward to a good rest. The hotel, Kenilworth was great and staff were welcoming. The added bonus was that the hotel is reasonably well located and major attractions are close-by.