July 13, 2007 - Kolkata, India

"Curiosity is not a sin.... But we should exercise caution with our curiosity... yes, indeed."
~ Dumbledore


Kolkata is my favorite city thus far. It is a colonial city, much like New York City in the 1980's before Giuliani, "Cleaned up the City".

A few years ago, my sister and brother-in-law gave me the book, 1,000 Things To See Before You Die. At first I thought, "oh jeez!" However, this book has yet to lead me astray. The only suggested visit in Kolkata is the Marble Palace. It is stated in the tour book that one cannot enter without a permit from the government. However, I went with my Muslim-Indian friend, Azzar, who started to pass a little cash around.

Once inside the grounds, we continued to pay off the locals and were able to get inside the actual palace. The entire experience was surreal. The palace was built in 1835 and looks like a southern plantation, only three times larger. The interior is decorated in incredible paintings, statues, and artifacts from around the world (some are hundreds of years old). In one room the roof is about to collapse. The atrium on the second level is nearly dissembled from the rest of the house. Instead of the artifacts being preserved in a temperature controlled museum, they are being cared for by, what appeared to be, the local mafia.

In addition, there is a mini-zoo on the grounds. Birds from around the world are displayed in tiny cages, along with a red and purple Giant Squirrel, and a single sad little monkey (he did not appear to be native to India).

In India there are many rules, but all can be broken by "slipping" a little Rupee.