Sept. 16 - Much to share...missing easily accessible internet uplink location!

Well...HELLO! I don't have internet connections at my new flat...so, for now, I'll only be online/uploading twice a week at most. Hope ten posts at one time doesn't get confusing or seem overwhelming to follow....can't think of another solution for now, except to guess that new news will occur less often as I'm not so new at being Kolkatan!(I tried buying a "stick" that plugs into the computer for internet anywhere but it doesn't work with the ipad - draws too much voltage...either because it's Indian, utilizing their current system, or simply demands too much from the ipad battery which cannot be charged while the internet device is plugged in...can't remember the last time I was without internet for 24 hours, much less 72...even the tornado didn't keep us disconnected since we had smart phones...such luxuries.)

I moved into a wonderful flat on Thursday afternoon, with the landlord, Mr. Sakar, wife, and sister-in-law staying over in the spare bedroom before traveling back to their home city 200 km from Kol...then, much to my surprise, they offered to take me to the mall to get my mobile phone set up & help navigate a larger shopping trip to stock up house hold items like storage for freezing left overs & bedsheets...it was very kind.

The flat is a pre-college purchase for a friend of a friend who has a daughter in class 11 who plans to attend college in Kolkata. He, Mr. Sakar, has stayed here for seven or eight days during travels to Kol....otherwise it's brand new! (Which has pros & cons - it's kind of a bachelor pad since he didn't cook or do more than sleep here...big leather, oversized furniture, very modern & Western...great, but do miss the charm of so many of the friend's flats I've visited, imbued with the two or three hundred years their homes have been lived in, loved.)

A virtual tour - from the roof down...

























Laundry is hung on the roof each day - especially large items like bedsheets. The flat is at the edge of a large track of new construction & development, so the view east is open fields. Looking towards town you can see the largest high-rises in Kolkata...quite controversial at over 20 stories high.

Each flat in my complex has double locks, along with a locked gate at night at the main entrance. This extensive system serves several purposes besides security, announcing basic wealth, while also being quite mundane - it's everywhere - just like the wrought iron which covers most windows...chicken or egg, I suppose...no one tries to break in, so a low crime rate, because it's impossible to break in!

(I am posting pics in a hurry...will come back to post more when I have more time....only 45 min online due to traffic....gotta get this worked out soon!)

















My flat, #202, is one of six family flats in the complex. The maid, Anita (Oeneetah), & her son, Raju, live here as well, she in a one room area on the main floor & he in a larger space in the basement. Negotiating the need for a maid was a non-starter. Each of my friends & the landlord said it was simply something I must do. Period. They patiently explained to me that Kolkata has more pollution & household issues which arise if you don't clean your house daily from top to bottom...I acquiesced, not wanting to be the cause of some cumulative damage! She is paid 700 INR per month, or $14.67 USD. For that I could've had her do all the laundry, wash the dishes (which Indians with servants just set on the counter all day waiting to be washed) & sweep/wash the 1500 sq ft of white marble floors. (Most floors are either stone or dirt here...wood decomposes within months with the heat & humidity.)

The flat is more space than I require, & more than I'd been lead to believe I may need to budget. That said, it holds amenities I would've had to pay to have handled in other ways at the lesser cost flat, including a generator, AC, a water filtration system, plus three other residents who speak fluent English should I get in a jam. It'll be especially convenient when others visit, with extra space to spread out...even if AC is in one room it moves through the house quite well, cooling the spare bedroom enough to be comfortable. (Yes, anyone is welcome to visit!) There are three bedrooms - one which is designated for the household shrine & intended to keep empty, with the exception, by permission, to do yoga/meditation there - with a large common area, two bathrooms (only one with a hot water heater), a balcony & kitchen. Internet is promised tomorrow...trying to not get too hopeful!