Though still officially part of Ganges, the Hooglie is a much lusher river since we crossed the barrage. The banks are much greener and there is a thriving river community on both banks. The fog has cleared and so at least we can now see where we are going. My lhurgie seems to be on the wane though many of my fellow cruisers are not well bunnies!!

A few stops on the way downstream and visits to several temples, mosques and palaces. All a tad decrepid and messy but that seems to be the norm here!

We are sailing through areas that were pretty pivotal in the East India Company’s initial land grab culminating in the Battle of Plessey at which Clive of India managed to defeat the local armies including the French. The British plundering of India had well and truly started!!

Hare Krishna – give me a break!!

The Hare Krishna movement has come long way from a bunch of orange clad hippies wandering up and down Oxford Street and the King’s Rd in their orange kaftan chanting their mantra and ringing their bells. They are now a HUGE global brand – dare I suggest Cult that has a massive number of temples across the planet. We stopped off at their global HQ where we were shown around their “campus” by a clearly brainwashed American disciple trotting out the party line whilst chanting and banging on about their glorious and now deceased guru, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who since he emerged in the 60s is clearly a big deal as far as these suckers are concerned!!

Right next door they are building a much huger new Temple that is due for completion next year and must be cosing billions to construct and will supposedly rival The Vatican in scale and magnificence. I did enquire why they didn’t spend the money on much needed schools and hospitals but was firmly put back in my box!!! It’s a memorial to Sri what’s his face that will celebrate his holiness for the next 10000 years.

Quite why the dog in one of the many ghastly tableau on display depicting his holinesses life, is displaying his “manhood” was a question that went unasked and therefore shrouded in mystery!!

I will probably be struck down by some karmic force for the above rant but please…………!!

Anyway back to the ship before heading down to Kalna and a sunny day – yeehaa! A visit to an amazing cluster of terracotta temples. Much more what I had come to see and explore!!

A local mongoose and the regulation in house vegetable peeler…

Back to the ship as we head towards Kolkata and the next leg of our adventure…