I travel on a predefined budget
and this time it was no different. I made the train bookings and decided to not
plan too much and leave some room for adventure. This was going to be like an
alien visit as I do not speak anything except English or Hindi but this didn’t
seem like a problem at the time.
Another
thing which was fascinating about the journey was that we were going in the
worst possible weather conditions. But fortunately, the monsoons were late and
we were left with the Indian summers in a train journey that would last for at
least 40 hours.
Me and my friend, who is an athlete (read superhuman), were excited to hit the roads again as it had been two years since we had travelled together.
So we boarded the 8:30 train
from Dehradun railway
station and set off to a long journey which would take us all the way through
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and then finally to West Bengal.
The best part about travelling is not the destination but the journey.
Travelling
with so many people is really an enriching experience for the mind and soul.
Train journeys are so special because you get a chance to actually interact
with lot of people and it is an excelleny way to satisfy the inner curiosity.
We saw some
pretty great things on the train and came to realize that we should avoid
eating the food that they sell at the station and try to live on fruits and
stuff which doesn’t spoil like soaked grams and boiled eggs etc.
Kolkata is a
major tourist attraction for people from all across the world mainly because it
was the capital of India and the first metropolitan city as well. The Bengali
culture is considered one of the richest and most attractive cultures
throughout the world with its extensive popularity in the fields of film, music
and literature.
Being an art
and history lover so I was really excited to see some museums and visit
libraries as well.
So we
reached Kolkata at the right time (thankfully). Getting off at the platform of
one of the biggest cities in a country like India is an experience that no one
should miss. An astounding number of people in a single place is a sight to be
seen. I think that is why Kolkata is considered a destination for travelling
veterans, maybe to take the culture shock in a lighter spirit.
We were
startled by the speed by which everything works there. You can see markets
starting not too far from the platforms and people actually start shopping the
moment they step their foot in this city. It was quite amusing to see chaos at
such an early stage and the day had just begun.
When you step out the railway station, the first thing that you see is the glorious Howrah Bridge and before it stands the glorious Rabindranath Setu. It is a huge steel structure which looks magnificent from every angle that you can see. Built in 1943, this bridge is still an engineering marvel.
We found the buses going to the
inner part of the city and it was not difficult to find a bus to the nearest
hot spot of the city which is called New Market. We knew that we will find
accommodation and good places to eat there. After all, food was one of the
major things which drew us to Kolkata all the way from the north.
We saw a few hotels and finalized hotel Raunak which was near Nizams, a traditional restaurant which offers great Mughalai and authentic bengali food. The hotel is situated at the main marketplace near the S.S hogg market and we were able to get a room for two at 550/- per night. The rooms were reasonably clean and there was nothing fancy. We needed rooms to sleep so we just kept our bags in the room and left to explore.
You should definitely try the fish cutlets from any of the restaurants and you will happily say that you have never had such fish in your life.


Apart from what I have already told you, I am listing some other things that you must eat in Kolkata.
Puchkas aka Pani Puri aka Gol Gappe:
- S.S Hogg Market
- New Market
- The Park street
- Esplanade
- Victoria Memorial
- Indian Museum
- Teretti Market
- Mullick Ghat
- Howraw Brigde
- Kewpies (missed)
You can find a lot of friendly Langur Monkeys (read gigantic monkeys with huge tails who can bitchslap you with one eye closed) who sit patiently for visitors to sit with them and sometimes feed them with their own hands!
The Dakshineshwar temple starts with a lively market where you can buy statues and pictures of gods and get souvenirs for your family, there are many stalls to eat if you feel hungry after the ferry ride and all the walking.
We travelled mostly on foot but we enjoyed the local transport as well. Don’t forget to catch a metro ride in the country’s oldest metro rails. Ride a yellow taxi or jump up on a tram. Trams are really interesting and the way they run on the roads beside the main traffic, it is really strange and wonderful to watch. The local buses are colorful, their interiors are broken and weary but worth experiencing.

No job, No money, No comfort, Nothing can match the joy of travelling and a trip to a city with a spirit, like Kolkata can make you rethink about your life and goals and most probably will make you realize what you are and who you want to be.
Contributed by Nikhil Godiyal...
From Kolkata, holy land of Lord Jagannath, Puri is only 500 km, 8-10 hours journey. Do not forget to visit...
Good work brother.. :)
ReplyDeleteNot the most convenient place to visit though.. but with a little flexibility it provides fascinating rewards .. never ending energy... and numerous experiences to digest ..
ps:i m no superhuman
:PeTe :)
hey just came across your site...its very interesting...was reading this article it reminds me my journey to kolkata...beautiful city.
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