Kalkutta

Yes, it was a dump...but more than a dump...it was the craziest thing I've ever seen. Picture a city built for about 2-3 million people as a port town and a central trading hub in the 19th century. At one time it was the jewel of the British empire, and considered it's second city after London. Then take that city, which, in it's day was very nice, and do nothing to maintain it in any way for 100 years (the British switched the capitol of India from here to Delhi in 1911, and the Indians kept it that way after their independence), don't fix the roads, maintain the pluming, fix the electricity, build modern facilities such as a hospitals, or do anything that a normal city would do over those 100 years. Sound good? Ok, that sounds terrible, but it gets worse....during those 100 years the population went from 2.5 million to about 16. It is a spectacle to say the least. You have to walk on the streets because the sidewalks are littered with naked people starving to death. I wish that was an exaggeration, but there were several dead bodies on the road just rotting. Also, just so you know, these naked starving people are of all ages from babies to the very elderly. There is a horrendous odder to the whole city which is somewhat masked by every shop burning incests outside it's doors. However, once in a while there are no incests, and the smell is unbearable. On top of that, the air is foggy with pollution, I was couching up black goop and was having stomach pains, from what I can only guess was the air, but who really knows. The streets are somewhere here, but I couldn't say exactly where, because cars just drive on roads made of garbage and human waste. I'm pretty sure there isn't a dump or even a garbage can in the city, only the streets, and it's awful. The food is also this way. I remember people telling me not to eat the street food before I came here. At the time, I figured it was good advice, but didn't think too much about it. Now that I've seen the food, all I can say is "DUHHHH!!!" it's like telling someone not to eat garbage, or sewage , of course I would never put that in my body! There was practically no redeeming factors about the city at all. In fact, what little tourist sights were there, were all built by the British, and were all in disarray since they left and to add to that they won't let you photograph them, so there is no evidence of anything nice in the city. I have actually been spending a ton of money, because I refuse to eat anywhere except the nicest of all nicest restaurants. Even those are kind of dirty, but I don't want to join my friends on the sidewalks, so I eat something. The buggers grab at me as I walk by, and plead with me. It is hard not to give money, but how could you choose who to give it to, the whole city are beggars. I ended up giving water and a few coins to one boy who was crying and just reaching for my water bottle. He was about 6 or 7, completely naked, and had apparently never bathed before. Honestly, I was in Hell! It was the most horrifying few days of my life, and I am so glad to be gone. I think those 2 1/2 days will haunt me for a long time.