Subject: Calcutta Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 05:27:00 PST From: "A.James Wang" <ajwang@hotmail.com> To: Robert.Menefee.CC.79@aya.yale.edu Hello Bob: Great Eastern is government run and that explains it. There is every indication that this used to be a stately place at some time. Big hallways, nice decorations. But the place is now run down, dusty. Its listed as a luxury hotel, an unbelievably liberal use of that term. There was hot water but there were leaks in the plumbing. Bed, bedsheets, towels could well be relics from the British Raj days. When I had originally placed reservations they said the room would be 660 Rs nightly but then in person they tried to bump it up to 2200 without success. I liked the place because of its location and actually there were no beggars outside. ( Correction, there were workers-turned-beggars Inside: e.g.; the fellow who waited outside my door and then wanted a minute inside to show me there was water, pointed out where the bathroom was, etc. Then of course wanted a tip) Great eastern has a bakery and a confectionery for which it was quite famous when I was a kid. BTW, do you like Indian food and if so what kind? I just love their food - punjabi, bengali, kerala, you name it. Lusted for the street food but did not have the nerve except during the last day I was there. Regards. James