"Words cannot do justice " a Kolkata (Calcutta) Travel Page by RickinDutch

They say all travel is life altering. Probably true, but no place more so than a visit to Calcutta. Have spent some long stretches here in the 70's and then returned for two week trips in the 80's and 90's. No place has affected me as much as Calcutta.
Allow yourself some decompress time, especially if coming from the west. The sights, sounds, smells will hit hard. A little down time will allow you to get back in the fray and make some startling discoveries - about yourself and about humanity.

What I always remember best is the optimism and the friendliness of Calcutta residents. And each trip back to see the improvements to infrastructure and living conditions and economy has been amazing.

The city is now home to 11 million residents - a staggeringly large number - and yet it not only survives but is starting to thrive. A Left Front coalition of Communist and Marxist parties have held the majority rule in West Bengal since 1977 and yet the only anit-American sentiment I ever felt was dealing with government officials. The local people assumed I was Russian. The government was unhappy with US foreign policy and renamed the street the US Embassy was on to Ho Chi Minh Street.