That is correct ladies and gentlemen! Monsoon season slapped Calcutta in the face today! It started yesterday with a horrible dirzzly rainy day all day and came with a bang today. We woke up this morning and it was just like any ole rainy day back in Kansas, not to hard but not light enough to call a drizzle, but as the day went on it only picked up. All throughout the day at Shishu Bhavan the volunteers just kept peaking out the window, thinking we were going to miss some huge part of what they call monsoon season or something i guess, in awe of the amount of rain that just kept falling from the sky. I am here to tell you, and I am sorry for all of you who think this is an exaggeration but it is not, that monsoon rain is exactly what you would picture monsoon rain looking like except ten times more. The rain that we have been watching (or should i say treading) through all day I swear only happens every once in a blue moon back in the states.
When it came time to leave Shishu Bhavan today, I was trying to decided on my way down the stairs whether or not I should tr and find an auto rickshaw to bring me back to Sudder street. But that is the farthest that thought got in my head, because the minute I walked outside I was soaked head to toe in water and decided getting a rickshaw was pointless because I was already soaked. So I began the 20 mins journey back to Sudder streeet. It wasnt that bad, for the first 20 feet of walking, a puddle here, a puddle there (and when I say puddle... I mean like 3-5 inch deep puddles) then all of a sudden the water was half way up my shins. By the time I got to the road I had to turn on to go to sudder street I was walking knee deep in water. The water continued to be at least knee deep and even at some points reaching mid thigh all the way back to our hotel.
I cannot even begin to describe in words what the streets of Calcutta look like during Monsoon season. You have taxi and rickshaws that are staled in the middle of roads because water is coming up higher than the engine. You have rivers of water flowing down every street with a nice layer of trash and sewage floating on the top. The streets are so dirty and the water is filled with so much trash and human and animal feces that you cannot see your feet through the water. I must say, that the whole time I was wading through this water, just trying to get home, it took most of my energy to keep my mind of how disgusting the water I was walking in really was, but even more so, what was in the water that was making it so gross. Every time I felt something wrap around my ankle in the water I just told myself in was only a plastic bag (and then I closed my eyes and started praying that ALL it was was a paper bag). There was thoughts of "oh my gosh, I can only imagine what diseases I am catching as I walk through this water" and "I cannot wait to get to my shower".
As horrible as I just made that who adventure sound, you will probably never believe me when I tell you that it was actually really fun to wad through the water. I mean lets be real, not very often do you have a chance to tread through knee deep water in your clothes, more or less through the streets of Calcutta or any street for that matter. (and I must say, to all my camp adventure friends out there: wading through that waist deep, leech infested creek at camp is going to need a little extra spunk in order to be called an adventure after experiencing wading through these monsoon flooded streets!)
Well, I think that is all that I have for you all now. I did have a picture that I wanted to post on here but 1. i forgot my camera. 2. it is probably better that I dont risk carrying it around... you never know how deep the water may get here and i dont want to ruin my camera!
(i decided to find the most realistic pictures I could on google for now, just so you all could have some picture in your mind of what I am talking about... real pictures to come soon!!)
( I am not even joking... kids were doing this in the streeets ALL over the place... Monsoon season = public swimming pool as made it to Calcutta.
(this is what the rain looks like. slash. EVERYONE carries an umbrella. everyone. One of the biggest dangers during monsoon season is getting your eye poked out by someones umbrella...)
(the most dedicated people in Calcutta... bicycle and man pulled rickshaw drivers. No matter how deep or how hard it is raining... the will still pull you on their rickshaw... but dont be deceived... they will charge you literally 100 times more than you should.. i asked a rickshaw driver how much it would cost to get to sudder street.. he said 500 rupees... normally it is 5...)
Also.. Rule #354 for Monsoon season (this rule is normally only learned by experience...) do NOT walk on busy streets during monsoon season. Use the sidewalk. Or else you WILL get hit with a tidal wave of water....
I hope you enjoyed this post! I waded through knee deep water to get here just to create this post for you all!
Here;s to trying to stay dry! HAHA! NOT!
When it came time to leave Shishu Bhavan today, I was trying to decided on my way down the stairs whether or not I should tr and find an auto rickshaw to bring me back to Sudder street. But that is the farthest that thought got in my head, because the minute I walked outside I was soaked head to toe in water and decided getting a rickshaw was pointless because I was already soaked. So I began the 20 mins journey back to Sudder streeet. It wasnt that bad, for the first 20 feet of walking, a puddle here, a puddle there (and when I say puddle... I mean like 3-5 inch deep puddles) then all of a sudden the water was half way up my shins. By the time I got to the road I had to turn on to go to sudder street I was walking knee deep in water. The water continued to be at least knee deep and even at some points reaching mid thigh all the way back to our hotel.
I cannot even begin to describe in words what the streets of Calcutta look like during Monsoon season. You have taxi and rickshaws that are staled in the middle of roads because water is coming up higher than the engine. You have rivers of water flowing down every street with a nice layer of trash and sewage floating on the top. The streets are so dirty and the water is filled with so much trash and human and animal feces that you cannot see your feet through the water. I must say, that the whole time I was wading through this water, just trying to get home, it took most of my energy to keep my mind of how disgusting the water I was walking in really was, but even more so, what was in the water that was making it so gross. Every time I felt something wrap around my ankle in the water I just told myself in was only a plastic bag (and then I closed my eyes and started praying that ALL it was was a paper bag). There was thoughts of "oh my gosh, I can only imagine what diseases I am catching as I walk through this water" and "I cannot wait to get to my shower".
As horrible as I just made that who adventure sound, you will probably never believe me when I tell you that it was actually really fun to wad through the water. I mean lets be real, not very often do you have a chance to tread through knee deep water in your clothes, more or less through the streets of Calcutta or any street for that matter. (and I must say, to all my camp adventure friends out there: wading through that waist deep, leech infested creek at camp is going to need a little extra spunk in order to be called an adventure after experiencing wading through these monsoon flooded streets!)
Well, I think that is all that I have for you all now. I did have a picture that I wanted to post on here but 1. i forgot my camera. 2. it is probably better that I dont risk carrying it around... you never know how deep the water may get here and i dont want to ruin my camera!
(i decided to find the most realistic pictures I could on google for now, just so you all could have some picture in your mind of what I am talking about... real pictures to come soon!!)
( I am not even joking... kids were doing this in the streeets ALL over the place... Monsoon season = public swimming pool as made it to Calcutta.
(this is what the rain looks like. slash. EVERYONE carries an umbrella. everyone. One of the biggest dangers during monsoon season is getting your eye poked out by someones umbrella...)
Also.. Rule #354 for Monsoon season (this rule is normally only learned by experience...) do NOT walk on busy streets during monsoon season. Use the sidewalk. Or else you WILL get hit with a tidal wave of water....
I hope you enjoyed this post! I waded through knee deep water to get here just to create this post for you all!
Here;s to trying to stay dry! HAHA! NOT!
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