Location, Location, Location!

On of the most curious things about India is that most people/taxi drivers do not know street names.  Unless it is a major street no one seems to know where it is located. After British rule ended most street names went back from the British name back to it's Indian name, so most streets can and will be referred to by both names depending who you ask. You often will even see different street names on buildings right next to each other. To get around this problem you must know the landmarks around your destination and you hope that the taxi driver or person has an idea where that may be. Since I am not living on Sudder Street (a common location), I have had to learn the landmarks around the hotel to basically give directions to the taxi driver. You have to hope that they know one of them as you go down the list. Start with the area's name: Palmar Bazaar. Next tell them the name of the boys school across the street: Bhutnath School. If that does not work try the closest bridge: Motijil Bridge. If you are still not not ringing any bells try the next taxi that you flag down. By the way it is very common for taxi drivers to ask others for directions as you ride in their taxi, go figure!