Wednesday was a long travel day.  I left Moradabad in the morning on a four hour journey back to New Delhi.  Thankfully the trip was uneventful.  It is mango season in northern India so the mango trees were hanging full of fresh fruit and we passed many roadside stands along the way.  At one point my driver stopped the vehicle and purchased a parcel of mangoes to take to his home.  I arrived in New Delhi several hours before my evening flight to Kolkata.  Since I had plenty of time before the flight I chose to visit the National Railway Museum.  The railway system had a major impact on India’s modern history and the museum was a fascinating visit.  Several locomotives and train carriages were on display.  I was surprised by the various types and gauges of locomotives that had been used in India.  I could have spent several hours at the museum but the heat was intense so after about an hour of walking in the midday sunlight inspecting the locomotives and carriages it was time to return to the air conditioned vehicle and remedy my dehydration.

My flight to Kolkata departed New Delhi at 8:40 PM and I arrived in my hotel at about midnight.  Thursday morning I awoke with a very upset stomach accompanied with nausea.  This was very disturbing because I was scheduled to visit the home of Tarun Ghosh and then visit the FOT site.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to accomplish either but thankfully Tarun came by the hotel and we were able to spend several hours discussing a wide range of Biblical and Christian living topics.  Tarun’s wife, Seema, is continuing to improve from her stroke.  She has to have regular physical therapy and her ability to walk and move her arm and hand is improving.  Your continued prayers for Seema are much appreciated by the family.  Tarun’s daughter, Priscilla, has finished her first year of university and will be starting her second year within a month.

It is monsoon season in Kolkata so it rained for most of my visit which is a blessing for the people of Kolkata.  The monsoon rain lowers the temperature and provides ample water for the city.  Thus far more than 2300 people have died in India due to the recent heat wave.