Tuesday 22nd
Today is mainly a travel day. We have a long drive back from Pondicherry to Chennai, to catch an afternoon flight north to Kolkata. But we have time to enjoy an excellent lunch at the chic Trident hotel, near Chennai's airport.
We land in the evening at Kolkata's airport, previously known as Dum Dum, because it was close to a military base whose firing range made 'dum dum' sounds. During World War II the airfield was a vital base for flights over the Hump of the Himalayas, taking Allied personnel and supplies into China. My parents, Max and Audrey Oxford, who met working for the British Embassy in Chongqing, were frequent passengers to and from Dum Dum taking the terrifying flights over the Hump in and out of China.
Today, we immediately experience the chaos of modern Kolkata on a traffic-snarled, rush-hour journey from the airport to our hotel, the Taj Bengal. On this trip we're staying wherever possible in the fine hotels of the Taj group, and this one is particularly splendid with a huge atrium.
We have dinner in the hotel, in readiness for an early start tomorrow.
We land in the evening at Kolkata's airport, previously known as Dum Dum, because it was close to a military base whose firing range made 'dum dum' sounds. During World War II the airfield was a vital base for flights over the Hump of the Himalayas, taking Allied personnel and supplies into China. My parents, Max and Audrey Oxford, who met working for the British Embassy in Chongqing, were frequent passengers to and from Dum Dum taking the terrifying flights over the Hump in and out of China.
Today, we immediately experience the chaos of modern Kolkata on a traffic-snarled, rush-hour journey from the airport to our hotel, the Taj Bengal. On this trip we're staying wherever possible in the fine hotels of the Taj group, and this one is particularly splendid with a huge atrium.
We have dinner in the hotel, in readiness for an early start tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment