India 2 – Kolkata Nights…

The big bad city of the Bengal, home to 13 million people (give or take) and on of those places that I always held in anticipation. After all, the notorious nature of the city, with the infamous ‘Black Hole’ tag has always meant a certain amount of intrepidation from the lowly traveller.

How wrong I was. Far from being a city filed with woe and dread, it was a city of fun! Fantastic sights to see, the best street food in all of Asia and a city with a metro – always important when you need to navigate around a metropolis. Sure, you had to keep your eyes and ears peeled for the net con, but overall, it was nothing that I could not handle. Plus, I really have to go on about this, the food was spectacular!

So what to do while there? OK, I only spent two nights in Kolkata, so this is only the briefest of write-ups. But I would definitely recommend the following:

1) Eat your way through the city.

I cannot overemphasise the quality of food available in Kolkata. From the humblest puri stand to elaborate stalls with seating areas serving rice and curry, the food of Kolkata is fresh, cheap, varied and readily available. And the amount of fixed price stalls means that there is no need to check your prices with the owners. Bliss!

2) Make some time in the Maidan

One of the world’s largest urban green spaces, the Eden Park is a beautiful part of the city. Along with the Hooghly River, this space provides a much needed lung to the city. Cooling, filled with greenery and grazing cattle, the Victoria Monument and Cricket Ground also provide tourist gems to take in. Simply one of the best parks in the world, not something that you would automticaly associate with Kolkata.

3) Hop on the tram.

Slow, old, rumbling, but the fact that they all originate at Esplanade means that hopping on one of those beasts of the road will always take you back to ’square one’. Plus at Rs4, who can really complain? India’s only tram system, the oldest in Asia, and by a miracle of the engineering crews, still running, despite the government’s attempts to repeatedly close down the system. Ride it while you can!

4) Catch a flick!

‘Nuff said.

5) Take in the Nightlife.

Kolkata really comes alive at night. The air cools down from the heat of the day, and the city comes out to party. Everywhere I have been to in India (except Meghalaya) livens up after sunset, but in Kolkata the city itself changes character. Its life is lead on the streets, with millions of residents and tourists alike coming out to enjoy the air, do a bit of shopping and of course, indulge in the culinary delights that vie for your attention. Forget about slinging back whisky in some lousy hotel bar, if you wan to really enjoy Kolkata, then head out into the night…