I Love the Taj

So we only had about 5 hours to spend in Calcutta which despite the whole unfortunate “Black Hole of Calcutta” nickname is a fairly interesting city.  Lisa and I read through the guidebooks and unfortunately we didn’t have the daylight hours to see the town’s colonial era town center or any other of the major sites.  So we decided to walk from our hotel down the Park Avenue of Calcutta to get dinner at the highly regarded restaurant at the Taj Bengal hotel.  We headed out with a tourist map and a general sense of direction.  We walked down the busy street lined with vendors good naturedly hocking all kinds of merchandise and foods. Predictably we passed the landmarks on our maps although each one was a little farther away than we imagined.  We eventually reached the street where we need to turn and headed across town.  This street was a little less crowded and the kids were already chiming in with the holy trinity of complaints: I’m tired, I’m hot and I’m hungry. 

 

We walked down the road which had an open sewer running next to it and was lined with decaying old colonial buildings which had a cool French Quarter of New Orleans vibe.  At this point the map stopped being of much help other telling us that the Taj was south of this street and near the Zoo.  We turned off at the street that seemed to be correct and the neighborhood went downhill pretty quickly.  The street was dark and abandoned but we continued on.  We walked for a while and while Lisa and I retained our confidence but the kids were starting to lose their patience.  We turned down a populated street to get confirmation about our path and were lucky enough to run into a woman who not only gave us directions but volunteered that her husband, Mr. Jacob, worked at the Taj.  She told us that we were proceeding in the right direction and that we should take a right up a little further.  Despite the children’s pleas, we decided to keep walking.  The side of the street now housed a shanty-town and the only light came from the passing cars.  We walked past the “Women’s Correctional Facility” before the kids staged their final rebellion and we swore that if the hotel wasn’t at the upcoming intersection then we would grab a cab.  When we got to the corner, we saw the entrance to the Zoo and realized that victory was near.  We saw the hotel, walked through security and up the driveway into the cool, marble lined lobby. 

 

About a minute after arriving, we were met by Joby Jacobs, the charming husband of the woman who gave us directions.  He was nice enough to show us around the hotel while Nora told him her life’s story, including the fact that she had turned eight that day.  He settled us into the pool lounge where we enjoyed a cold drink and the cool, quiet air.  We then had a delicious dinner at the North Indian/Bengali restaurant where they surprised us with a birthday cake for Nora.  So Lisa and I looked at each other and said “I love the Taj”.