TRAVELBOOK (Kolkata Day 2): What more can I buy?

First was the train ride, now comes the autorickshaw ride, which I could describe endlessly. All I'll say is that this driver surely knows how to maneuver through the packed streets of Kolkata. Veering through mini buses, taxis, bicycles, and even street dogs, we managed to reach our destination. By barely missing a local bus!

Wrapping my digital camera chord around my wrist, I started clicking away at whatever I laid my eyes on. Finally feasting my eyes on a 'kadai' (a large frying bowl) showcasing some fried goodies, I inhaled deeply. The mixed aromas of spicy kebabs and sweet 'mishtis' clashed deeply with the polluted city smell. I traversed through the crowd to enter a giant shopping complex with artistic letters carved in Bengali saying: "Dakhinapan." Known to be the prime shopping location for affordable yet beautiful Indian kurtis, tops, salwars, and so much more, Dakhinapan was one of my favorite shopping destinations!

Multitudes of customers from the well dressed elite couples to middle class families strolled through the shops. Walking into the first store, I heard cries of "Oh Baudi, ita dekhun! Darun lagbe" from shopkeepers in an attempt to flatter, and simultaneously persuade customers into buying the latest collections. The shopkeeper's prior knowledge about what you want, how you want it, in what color, is what never ceases to amaze me. Surrounded by every employee, it is quite impossible to back out. So I grabbed colorful tops, jeans, flats, and not to mention accessories. I drifted away as if in a dreamland, chasing after all that was reasonable and wonderful...

The tangy smells of puchkas hit me as soon as I exited out of Dakhinapan, tempting me to just give it a try. Stepping around vendors scolding young boys, I made my way through a nearby puchka stand and bravely asked for one. I say bravely because this was my first time trying street food. Soon enough, I stuffed the round, crispy shell covering a spicy and sweet stuffing, in my mouth, the juice slightly dripping down my chin. As I asked for one more, I quickly grabbed onto my multiple shopping bags, ready to take one more trip of shopping in one of the more sophisticated malls called South City Mall. But I still say, nothing beats the shopping like that of Dakhinapan...