Chillika Lake and Bengalis

There I was – me and about 40 Indians on a long tail boat on Chillika Lake, (which is really a lagoon our guide kept telling me, and what’s more Asia’s biggest saltwater lake), dolphin-watching, and every time these beautiful creatures danced on top of the water, the whole boat went something like “oidy, oidy, oidy” which apparently means 'there, there, there’ in Bengali (they were ALL Bengalis and very proud of Kolkata). And I so wanted to go “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” in response, but thought I’d better not in case India was winning in Melbourne. (I'm such a cricket expert now - ask me about a player, I'll now be able to tell you all! They just don't believe here, that an Australian would not know every past and present player there ever was. And courtesy of all participants on yesterday's bus journey, I now know that Brett Lee (?) is a great singer!) .

What a trip this was. There was Sharmoli our chief dolphin spotter, completely exhausted by the second session of dolphin viewing on our way home. There were the Chaudrys whom I shared the bus seating with – an elderly childless couple who have ‘adopted’ a young girl from Bihar who they showered with affection and with jewellery, and there was my young companion on the boat whose name sounded to me like Bam, and who’s going to be a doctor like her mother, but for now, tells me she gets shivers down her spine whenever she nears the maidan in Kolkata just at the thought of her magnificent city; I could go on telling you about these wonderful people who made me laugh all day. One and all, they told me I only needed to go to Kolkata, Shantiniketan and Darjeeling – oh and one added Sikkim!- my route exactly - and my travel would be complete.

Sharmoli, with Mrs Chaudry in the background

Along with the Canadians, they have made me so excited about this final part of my travel. I feel like when I was young and would always want to save the best till last! Speaking of the Canadians – when we docked in port again, there they were with their trusty bikes waiting to board the ‘ferry’, a long tail boat even more narrow than ours and laden already with goods from the market, on their way to cross the lake and head further south. Managed to get a photo of their departure – hope it conveys the sense of ‘crrreak’ I got from watching on the shore.

Canadians, bikes & Indians in the long tail boat just visible between the greenery and the cargo sinking it down into the lagoon!

And then to cap a marvellous day, the chef at our magnificent hotel, sent out this delightful dish of vegetable biriyani for my dinner!