Tag: sundarbans

A tour to City of Joy@ Kolkata

A place which homes intellectuals, musicians, and Durga Puja, Kolkata is the second largest city of India and used to be its first capital. With architecture highly influenced by the British, it also happens to be one of the oldest and most populated cities of the country. A city so lively where people celebrate cricket and football as enthusiastically as they are devoted towards the Durga and Saraswati Pooja festivities. Their Rosogullas are as sweet as their language “Bengali”. And this is just the start of the introduction to this city rightly called to be the ‘City of Joy’. Visit Kolkata for the delicacies that will refresh your taste buds forever impregnated with their unique taste. And the peace of Ganges you will feel over the chaos of Howrah bridge will be one of your forever memories.

Please do visit the gallery section of the website for the photo gallery of the trip.

Days required– 4-5 days(Add 1 day extra If you are interested in Sundarbans Tour)

Nearby places to go – Sundarbans National Park

Best time to visit – from October to February

How to reach – Kolkata is one of the 4 metro cities of India and has an extensive network of railways and roadways and an International/Domestic Airport connected to all major cities in India.

How we traveled– We took a flight from New Delhi toNetajiSubashchandra Bose Airport, Kolkata.

Where to stay – We booked an Oyo room in the Park Street area. Park Street is one of the tourist attractions and most of the other visit-worthy places are within its 5-10 km radius. Also, the availability of many food options and super easy transportation are other add-ons.

How to go around – Kolkata has local buses, autos, yellow taxis, Ola/Uber, trams as well as a Metro line. Anything can be chosen as per the convenience and commute requirement.

Places to visit

1.    Victoria Memorial
2.    Howrah Bridge
3.    Park Street
4. Sundarbans National Park
5.    South Park Cemetery
6.    Dakshineshwar Temple
7.    Belur Math
8.    Fort William
9.    Prinsep Ghat
10. Old Chinatown
11. Kumartuli
12. Mother Teresa House
13. National Library
14. Alipore Zoo
15. Science City
16. Indian Museum
17. Eden Gardens
18. Marble Palace Mansion
19. Amitabh Bachchan Temple

Places like Eden Gardens, Old Chinatown, Science city, Birla Planetarium, zoo, National Library, Fort Williams can be missed.

Where to eat –Kolkata is a food Paradise for the foodies as well as for the food bloggers. You need to have many extra days and a big appetite to cover all the famous food joints in the city. We tried many and missed many.

1. Kosha Mangsho at Golbari(Shyam bazaar) – A small food joint offering delicious non-vegetarian cuisine of Kolkata. The place is so small that barely 10 people can sit and eat there.
2. Indian Coffee House – Go here for the breakfast coffee and absorb the century-old memories this place offers you. The food here may not be “wow” but the prices certainly are.
3. Balwant Singh Eating House is another Legendary food outlet that remains open for almost 24 hours.
4. Kolkata Biryani at Arsalan – has many franchise outlets all over the city. We tried at the outlet on Park Street.
5. Chicken Kabiraji at Mitra Cafe
6. Mishti Doi at Balram Mullick
7. Kathi Rolls – Try at Nizam’s(the one who invented them) and Kusum’s(I liked it here more)
8. Puchkas – King of the Street Food and much better version of North Indian Golgappas- Try them at Vivekanand park, Vardaan Market, or at Dalipda’s.
9. Rossagullas – There are so many shops selling so delicious rossagullas that I may forget a few names to mention here. Just like Puchkas, Bengali Rossagullas are very different from the Rasgullas available in other parts of the country. Try them at K.C. Das, Balaram Mullick, Nobin Chandra Das, G C Dey, or at B.C. Nag.

Itinerary –

Day 1

We stayed in an Oyo Hotel in Park street. Arsalan and South Park Cemetery were within walking distance from our Hotel. We were happy to see one of the tram lines crossing from the front of our hotel but unfortunately, the operations were closed for some time as told by the hoteliers. Many travelers imagine Kolkata as a very congested city but we found it to be similar to any other metro city in that respect from the airport till Park Street.

We started late in the evening and took a yellow taxi for Princep Ghat. Already excited from the amazing pictures of this place on Instagram we reached there to witness a greek-gothic style monument with a backdrop of Vidyasagar Setu. It is a favorite recreational place among the people of Kolkata. They bask in its serenity strolling along the bank of river Hugli and enjoy boating. From here, we took a cab to Howrah Bridge where we wanted to feel the historic bridge bouncing below our feet while walking across it. This connecting bridge between Howrah and Kolkata is estimated to carry around 100000 vehicles and several lakhs of pedestrians daily. And, we were overwhelmed and amazed at the same time looking at this life-sized canvas of Kolkata lifestyle.However, many among the crowd were also amazed to see us taking photographs of the place and their daily routine. Ferries on the river and wind blowing over the bridge floating through our hair gave us some moments to cherish for a long time. We came back to Park Street for dinner at Arsalan. I had waited to try the Kolkata Biryani for so long after eating the Lucknowi and Hyderabadi biryani. Aloo in Kolkata Biryani was the most confusing ingredient for me. However, now after having tried these three, I can say that the Hyderabadi version tops the list.

Day 2

After breakfast, we left for the“Indian Museum” founded in 1814 which is claimed to be the oldest and largest museum in India. It showcases a rare array of antiques, fossils, Mummies, Mughal era paintings, and many other things.It takes 2-3 hours to cover all the galleries and even more if you are a history lover.

From here, we boarded the Metro to reach Victoria Memorial which was the most convenient way to reach here given the vicinity of the Metro stations. Victoria Memorial is a majestic white marble building made in the memory of Queen Victoria, then Empress of India. It is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent places in the country which leaves the visitors awestruck with its gigantic structure. Inside, it has a beautiful gallery and a museum while outside there is a large garden sprawling a few acres with a pool and a fountain. Do try Jhalmuri, Dahi papdi, or fruit chat at stalls around the Victoria Memorial. This place can’t be missed if you are in Kolkata.

Adjacent to the memorial is the St. Paul’s Cathedral Church for which we made a quick stop. For lunch, we took a cab to the Balwant Singh Eating House which is a legendary food outlet that serves delicious multi-cuisines for almost 24 hours. Post lunch, we reached AliporeZoo by 2 pm and found it to be quite overcrowded and mismanaged. Visitors may carry food items inside the zoo area and littering was common. It felt more like a public park plus garbage all around. Although, we could see the Giraffe, Zebra, white tiger, etc. which are not commonly present in ordinary Indian zoos. This is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Its counterpart Mysore zoo is much better management by the Govt.

Next on our list was the “National Library” where we reached on foot. Only students bearing pass are allowed to enter the premises and visitors are issued a day pass before 4 pm to have a look around.This library is one of the oldest and largest in the country. One can stroll around the premises and main hall but without disturbing the students. We ended the tour with the famous puchkas of Kolkata near Woodland building and Kathi rolls at Nizams.It is said that the owner was the first one who made Kathi rolls which later became famous all over the country. We later tried rolls at Kusum’s(Park Street) which we found to be much better than those of Nizam’s.

Day 3

We started the day with breakfast at the Indian Coffee House. A place with almost a century-old rich heritage used to be frequented by many great visionaries including Satyajit ray, AmartyaSen, Mrinal Sen. Then we went to“Marble Palace” which is a privately owned mansion and residence of RajendraMullick’sdescendents. Built in neoclassical style, the mansion has a museum, a private zoo, and a beautiful garden. Photography is not allowed inside the premises.

We also visited “Thakurbari”, the residence of Rabindranath Tagore which is just a short walk away from the marble palace. Thakurbari has been converted into a museum with items belonging to the triumphant writer and poet on display and remains open for the public. We savored delicious Rossogullas at B.C. NAG’s and Nobin Chandra’s and lunch at a very old eatery Golbari, Shyam bazaar. The dish of Mutton Kosha they serve is so delicious.

FromShyam bazaar, we left for Kumartuli, the potter’s quarter. This area is near the river ghats and is famous for making large hand-made Durga Idols. These idols are made all round the year for all the festivals in the country and are also exported abroad. It is a photographer’s paradise and one can take a stroll around these small lanes filled up with craftsmen busy making Durga Idols.

Day 4

We reserved this day for the Sundarbans. There are a few tour agencies in Kolkata that organiseSundarbans Tour with options of a day tour, 1-night, or 2-night packages. They provide pick-up and drop facilities from the hotel. We got ready by 5 am and after 2.5 hours of a bumpy ride, we arrived at the booking center of Sundarbans National Park. From this point onwards, a boat takes you further for the rest of the Journey through the creeks surrounded by mangrove forests. There are 3 watchtowers in this national park but in a day tour, you may cover two of them however for very short durations lasting only 15-20 minutes each. The whole day is spent in the boat awaiting a glimpse of the Bengal Tiger. We were not so lucky that day in sighting and had to satisfy our desire with water birds and some other animals only. Very basic breakfast and lunch are provided on the boat. The tour guide tried to make the trip interesting and engaging by telling the facts about animal life in the national park but usually very few paid attention to him as the purpose of the tour was not fulfilled. We got exhausted after a long day spent on the boat ride and road journey and reached Kolkata by 9 pm. At last, the juicy and tasty Kusum’s Kathi rolls only saved the day.

Day 5

The final day in this city, and we had little time to cover some more of the city before our flight scheduled at 1630 hrs. South Park Cemetery which has quite an interesting history was just a walk away from our hotel. It might sound unusual, but it is a listed heritage site with almost 250-year-old tombstones inside. However, it is not used as a cemetery anymore and is open for tourists. We spent a good one hour there.

Balram Mullick sweet shop sells some relishing MishtiDoi nearby and we got to understand only after tasting it here that how this variety of curd has become so famous.

We finally visited a less known place and it is plausible that even locals may not be familiar with this place – the “Amitabh Bachchan Temple” at Shridhar Roy road. It is maintained by Amitabh Bachchan Fans Association. Though it was closed for renovation and all the photos and collections had been removed, but we got to meet the superfan and the owner of the place, Mr. Sanjay. He briefed us about the place, its history, his devotion to Amitabh Ji and all the charity work done by the organization. He invited us to see this place in all its glory on Bachchanji’s Birthday.

We then left for the airport and boarded our flight for Delhi carrying all the sweet memories of this wonderful and humongous city.

Expenses(for two-person) –Rs 38000

Train to Delhi and back – Rs 5500

Return flights(Delhi to Kolkata)- Rs14000

Accommodation(Oyo Townhouse) Rs. 6000

SundarbansTour(Day tour) – Rs.5600

Taxi/Ola/Uber- Rs.2600

Meals- Rs3200

Entry fees/ticket –Rs500

Shopping – Rs750

Quick tips for fellow travelers–

1. Travel like locals and use public transport. No need to spend on Ola/Uberevrytime. There are plenty of easily accessible options in Kolkata.
2. Plan a one night trip for Sundarbans otherwise you will be just wasting your whole day.
3. Stay near Park street. It will save you time and money.
4. Many tourist attractions remain close on Monday. Check before making your itinerary.
5. A permit is needed for entry in Marble Palace which needs to be taken from Tourist Information Bureau at BBD bag.
6. Book Sundarbans Tour a week before and confirm pick up and drop from your hotel.

Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)

• Overall rating 9/10 – This city has so much to offer. You will love the food and the people here. Kolkata has over century-old buildings, shops, trams.
• Travel Expense 2/10 – Nothing is costly here. Kolkata is expensive only when you want to eat fancy and stay at a luxury hotel.
• Travel ease 10/10– We traveled in the metro, autos, yellow taxis, Uber/Ola as well as local buses. It is very easy to roam around the city.
• Food 10/10 – If I haven’t said enough then I am again saying that you will need to extend your stay here just to try all the tasty food the city offers.