First glimpse of the Brahmaputra River
We so enjoyed our late start this morning! It was about 10.00 that we finished breakfast then watched the second half of the Calcutta Cup - we only coped with the first half last night before dozing off. My morning shower exposed the hazard of polished marble in the wet room as I performed Bambi on ice, somehow still standing at the end.
Admin and reading took the next hour or so, but by 1.00 we headed out towards the river, aiming for the Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre.
Guwahati is not a tidy place; instead, it's the sort of city to remind me that, in addition to India being fascinating and beautiful, absolute filth, squalor and different standards of welfare apply. In the street we walked down very close to our (extremely clean and lovely) hotel we trod carefully to avoid sewage run-off, dying rats, tethered mangy cockerels and labourers carting ludicrous loads. Maybe I'm simply more experienced at avoiding ugliness when at home, but it does seem that it's very easy to find here.
The Google Maps route would have been fine but we kept deviating through various parks and interesting streets. Sunday afternoon is a fine time for people to be out in these places, mostly families or, more frequently, young women in small groups or singly dressed up and taking very posed photos. We had several requests to pose with folk, but one photographer (ie, had a camera rather than just phone!) asked to take just us - rather shocked to be recruited as models!
The first park has a pond, fairly grubby looking but with recently introduced floating plant islands designed to improve water quality. Pedalos seem common, but given all the routine hazards of Indian life, buoyancy aids seemed odd.
The next park, Nehru, was very pleasant with sculpture adding to the clean and maintained environment. Also a restaurant with a good menu, though what they could actually serve was much more limited; grand place for a pause, though, and lovely staff. Here we were interviewed on camera about the restaurant by some researchers. In the park centre is the oldest Christian church in north east India so we popped in to see that too.
Finally we made it to the Heritage Centre and the river really didn't disappoint. Nor did the centre which was a great example of how historical buildings in iconic locations can be preserved and kept relevant. Beautiful spot enhanced by the viewpoints, restored governor's house (with fascinating displays, historic and modern), amphitheatre and Starbucks.... Well, I guess the income is helpful.
Light was beginning to fade as we ambled towards the exit and bats were starting to flutter about. These aren't diminutive flying mice-like pipistrelles; Guwahati bats make sense of the description "flying fox" and surely they could take on anything smaller than a pony. The reality is that they eat fruit and nuts mostly, but they were impressive to us.
Supper was in a tiny café nearby, simple, cheap, tasty.
Guwahati is so different from Mizoram; culturally, geographically, ethnically, religiously, aurally they are worlds apart. Modern electric buses are used, but so are pedal rickshaws and hand barrows. Mizoram has fewer expensive cars, but far fewer beggars and street-dwellers. The flatness of Guwahati is rewarded by the stunning Brahmaputra River. The cliché of India being a land of contrasts is continually reinforced and developed.
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