I slept badly last night, waking to check that my alarm had definitely been set. I woke up at 7:00am and noticed that my phone only had 6% battery. A fuse had gone overnight and it hadn't been charging. Stupid hotel. I showered, packed and got downstairs ASAP to charge my phone in the lobby. As I came downstairs a football team of people squeezed into the lobby carrying six million bags each and all bellowing to one another. I plugged in my phone and waited to check out. I was disliking the hotel even more. Yesterday in Café Coffee Day I'd started chatting with a local who had perfect English. When he found out where I was staying he tried to hide his surprise. When questioned, he explained that the hotel had a strip bar somewhere in it and that it was notorious for men taking prostitutes too. Brilliant. So, understandably, I was glad to be leaving it. 

My tour guide arrives early. He apologises profusely and expresses how guilty he feels about ‘ruining one of my days in his city’. I tell him not to worry and explain how good a day I had actually had. We set off on my jam packed one day tour of Kolkata. Originally, Kolkata was included in the North India intrepid tour that I had done, but it got removed due to mixed reviews. They obviously didn't have the day that I had. I'm really ashamed to admit that I didn't catch the name of my guide. He told me three times and it just got embarrassing. 

I'm going to list the places because I can't honestly describe everywhere and do it justice. We drove over Howrah Bridge. Visited; Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Belur Math, St. Paul's Cathedral, Kalighat Kali Temple, Victoria Memorial, Marble Palace, Princep Ghat, Rabindranath Tagore’s house, Netaji Bhawan, Swami Vivekananda’s house, Birla Temple. Drove by; Shaheed Minar, Writers building, Town Hall, Eden Gardens, General Post office. When the tour started I was handed a carrier bag of water, mango juice and crisps for refreshments and soothing music- the kind you would mediate to. After the first few sites had been visited and my guide turned the engine on Phil Collins starts blasting out of the speakers. Quickly and flustered he stops the music and apologises. I tell him that I like Phil Collins. He spends the rest of the car journey talking about how much he likes Phill Collins and discusses all his albums. Big fan apparently. At Dakshineswar Kali Temple we stopped for breakfast and had soft kachori in a bustling hot café. My guide leant towards me and asked if I would like to go because people were all watching me smiling. I said no, much of his relief because I think she was starving. Indian people really do love it when you embrace their culture. At the Victoria Memorial we both admitted we were uncomfortably warm and he checked the temperature. 34 degrees… With a real feel 51 degrees. No wonder I felt like I was melting! We headed for lunch at had kathi rolls and mango lassi. 

One destination I didn't include in the list is the Jain temple we visited last. I didn't learn the name of it but it was the most beautiful temple I had seen so far. Pink and yellow outer walls surround gardens with statues, benches, ponds and gardens. Once inside a temple with exquisite mosaic work on the outside. We sat and watched the sun set in the grounds and I watched puja at a Hindu temple across the road. It was the perfect end to my time in India.

I get the tour guide to drop me off at the airport and it's too early to even check in. But the departure board does say that the flight is delayed. It doesn't specify to when, but it was meant to be at 12:30am tonight and I'm already very early.  

Check in time comes around soon enough and I fill my time in a bar drinking Kingfisher and eating tandoori chicken. There's a young western couple on my flight. I've got a feeling they're going to be staying at my hostel because I didn't see many other options when I was searching. 

So, sat at the airport in Kolkata. Waiting for my delayed flight I think about how incredible my experience of India has been. Today was my last day in India and I am so sad to say goodbye to it. The people, the smells, the sights, the noises, all of it. If I'm honest, most of all: the food. Good, god, the food. The breads, the rices, curries, I think I could be vegetarian in India- which is a massive statement for someone who heartedly would argue that a meal that doesn't contain meat isn't a meal. I can't even really specify a favourite place. It's all filthy, loud, smelly… And entirely mesmerising and I am totally in love with it all. I will return.