VARIETY

BAWALI RAJBARI, Fading Grandeur

WHY GO?
This 300-year-old heritage structure has
just got a fresh lease of life after an
extensive restoration job. A few rooms
are already on offer for overnight stay
(check out their website). Daytrippers
can gain access to the premises for
`1,250 with lunch thrown in and see the
thakurdalan along with the restoration
work. Apart from the rajbari, there is a
guest house, a fish farm and a plant
nursery in Bawali for those looking for a
quiet weekend.
HOW FAR IS IT?
It is a short and sweet 35 km from
Kolkata. Thats just over an hour.
ROAD MAP
The Rajbari is near Budge Budge. You
can take a right turn from Thakurpukur
Bazar and drive down Bakrahat Road to
reach Bawali.
HOW GOOD IS THE DRIVE?
Its smooth, even and short and takes
you to one of the most spectacular
zamindar homes around Kolkata.
Cherish the drive. You might face some
congestion at Thakurpukur and Bakrahat.
WHATS THERE TO SEE?
Plenty, for a day trip. The rajbari itself is
breathtaking, spread as it is over 3 acres.
Next to it is the Navratna Gopinath

Temple, which apparently inspired the

architecture of the Dakshineshwar
Temple. You can also visit the Hooghly at
Raipur, which is 7 km from Bawali.
TRAVEL TIPS
If you really want to soak in the
atmosphere of the place, we recommend
a weekend stay. Read and laze around,
take village walks, try your hand at
angling. Basically, take it easy before
Monday hits you.

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The house of
Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay

DEULTI, Vibgyor Sunsets

WHY GO?
Because youve only seen an authentic
Bengali village at a Durga Puja pandal.
Also, you can check out the home and
hearth of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay,
one of the masters of Bengali literature.
HOW FAR IS IT?
About 65 km from Kolkata, which means
a drive of about two hours.
ROAD MAP
Straight and simple, really. Cross
Vidyasagar Setu and take National
Highway 6. Go past Panchla, Uluberia,
Kulgachhia and Chandpur. At Bagnan, ask
for directions to Deulti crossing. The
village lies at a short distance from the
Deulti railway station. Ask for directions
to Sarat Chandras house.
IS IT A GOOD DRIVE?
The national highway is smooth, with

some slowdowns for construction

work. The last stretch from Bagnan is
a brick road; so its great for some
dirt biking.
WHATS THERE TO SEE?
Theres a museum at Sarat Chandras
house, which is worth a visit. Another
major attraction is the Radha
Madangopal temple, which has beautiful
terracotta work. You can take a walk
along the narrow paths through
paddy fields down to the Rupnarayan
river. See the village life, tune in to the
birdsong. Relax.
TRAVEL TIPS
There are no places to eat in Deulti, so
carry your food and water if you want to
spend the whole day here. Or you could
have your lunch and nashta at the
dhabas dotting the national highway.
LSR

Last Sunday Ride group enjoy

a break with the local kids on
their way to Deulti

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2014

CALL OF

THE ROAD
Wrap the sunshine on your shoulders, check the fuel and
drive out on six great road trips from Kolkata

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CALCUTTA TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

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PARMADAN OR BIBHUTIBHUSHAN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, Jungle Trail

WHY GO?
Kolkata the concrete jungle, is
choking you? And how better to
spend an early winter day than by
lazing under a forest canopy?
Parmadan, or Bibhutibhushan Wildlife
Sanctuary, offers you the opportunity
to nestle under the shade of shishu,
bamboo, arjun, shimul, and shirish
trees. Its a compact 68 sq km
forest on the banks of the
Ichhamati river.
HOW FAR IS IT?
About 80 km from Kolkata. It should

take you around two and a half hours

to reach Parmadan.
ROAD MAP
Take National Highway 35 via
Barasat. From Bongaon drive for
28 km to Naldungri. The sanctuary is
a short rickshaw ride from there.
IS IT A GOOD DRIVE?
Fairly good roads, but NH-35 can be
very congested as it passes through
the northern suburbs of Kolkata.
Parts of the road are quite bad for
some distance from Vedic village.
WHATS THERE TO SEE?

Apart from animals like deer,

monkeys, peacocks and rabbits,
Parmadan offers great birding
opportunities, especially in winter.
Look out for species like
shankacheel, nilkantha, phooltushi
and other migratory birds.
TRAVEL TIPS
From Bongaon, the Bangladesh
border at Petrapole is a short drive. If
you reach in time, you can catch the
flag march and gate closing
ceremony at 5 pm. Carry a good pair
of binoculars.

GADIARA, River Sutra

WHY GO?
You must have heard almost everyone
talk of winter picnics in Gadiara, but
never managed to go on one. And
where else in South Bengal can you
see the confluence of three rivers
Hooghly, Damodar and Rupnarayan?
HOW FAR IS IT?
About 85 km (three hours) from
Kolkata. You can stop and stretch your
legs a few times on the way.
ROAD MAP
Take Vidyasagar Setu and drive on to
National Highway 6 via Kona
Expressway. From Bagnan, take a left
turn and go past the railway level
crossing and head towards Shyampur.
Gadiara is 8 km from Shyampur and
33 km from Bagnan.
HOW GOOD IS THE DRIVE?
NH 6 is generally a dream, though you
might be slowed down in places
because of flyover construction. Once
you leave the national highway, the

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KAIKHALI, Mangrove Magic

WHY GO?
Its the gateway to the Sunderbans. No,
dont shout tiger! The striped beasts
are in the jungles core area, many
miles from Kaikhali. But the road to this
small town, at the confluence of Matla
and Nimaniya rivers, offers some
fantastic driving opportunities,
especially on a bike.
HOW FAR IS IT?
About 115 km on a bike, but 85 km by
car. So thats about 4 hours on a
two-wheeler, and nearly 3 hours on
four wheels with a few drink breaks
thrown in. Well explain the reason for
the difference.
ROAD MAP
If youre biking, youre in luck. Head
towards Baruipur railway gate and take
a right turn towards Gocharan. From
Gocharan take a left to Dhosa and head
straight towards Bodhukul. Ask the
locals at this point, as its easy to miss
the turn. The mud roads are fabulous
for some serious offroading as you
reach a wooden bridge that crosses a

TALKING ABOUT THE EX

First dates are about getting to
know each other and finding out
if youve got chemistry going on.
Dont ruin it by obsessing over
your ex. It will sound like youre

not over your past relationship

and make you look dull and confused instead. So, if youre asked
about your past partner, keep it
brief and dont delve into details
that the other person doesnt need
to know.

TARDINESS
Its fine to be fashionably late if
youre a girl. But if youre a guy,
thats a clear no-no. Be punctual
and dress to the occasion. If
youre in doubt, smart casuals
always do the trick and help
simplifying things. Also, it is
important that you smell good.
Theres no bigger turn-off than
body odour on the first date. Also,
memories are linked to smell, so

tributary of the Ganges. Once you cross

over to a brick road, head towards
Quilla and from there to Kaikhali. If you
are in a car, drive straight towards
Joynagar from Gocharan. The road
leads to Kaikhali.
HOW GOOD IS THE DRIVE?
Patchy roads, with the BaruipurGocharan stretch being particularly
bad. From Bodhukul to Haerobhanga
Haat, parts of the roads are brick and
mud, so be careful if it has rained.
WHATS THERE TO SEE?
Take a motor boat locals call it
bhutbhuti cruise on the Matla. If you
have some time, you could ask the boat
to take you into some of the creeks.
Look out for deer and crocodiles. Pray
that you see the tiger. The Nimpith
Ramakrishna Ashram in Kaikhali is
a must visit.
TRAVEL TIPS
There are not too many places to eat
on the way. So carry some packed
food, chocolates and water.
LSR

The LSR group at Kaikhali

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BAKKHALI, Beach Paradise

WHY GO?
Firstly, because its the closest beach to
Kolkata. The other reasons are, a great
drive, one river crossing, fresh crabs and
fish and to check out if the Chotushkone
bungalow really exists. Need we tell you
more?
HOW FAR IS IT?
Over 135 km from Kolkata. Thats a drive of
at least four hours with stops.
ROAD MAP
Its one long, straight drive. Take Diamond
Harbour road and go past Behala and
Thakurpukur. Reach Namkhana via Amtala,
Diamond Harbour and Kakdwip. Cross the
quirkily named Hatania-Doania creek with
your car/ bike on a ferry to reach Bakkhali.
The ferry
service is available from
7 am-11 pm.
HOW GOOD IS THE DRIVE?

Mostly even and uniform roads, since DH

Road is also National Highway 117. But
once you cross Hatania-Doania at
Namkhana, the carriageway is narrow, with
villages on both sides. So keep a foot on
the brake. You can expect some traffic
snarls at Behala, Amtala and Diamond
Harbour, especially in the morning and

6 things to avoid when meeting someone for the first time

ave you been on a few
dates? Not working out?
Perhaps youre being too
picky? Whether youre willing to
admit it or not, we humans are
very judgmental when it comes to
love on everything from looks,
to the way people eat and even
their teeth. And when it comes to
first dates, while we can forgive
and forget an awkward silence or
sweaty palm, there are some
things we just cant get over.

road gets patchier but is still easy to

drive on.
WHATS THERE TO SEE?
Dont expect a busy, exciting day.
Gadiara is a small town, where you
listen to the murmuring river in the lap
of nature. Take a leisurely boat ride as
you watch the fishermen cast their nets
in the river. You could ask your boatman to take you to Geonkhali, an
emerging tourist destination, or cross
over to Nurpur, which is on the opposite
bank in 24-Parganas (South). Theres
also an old fort built during the time
of Lord Clive.
TRAVEL TIPS
On the onward journey, do stop at Azad
Hind Dhaba in Uluberia for a hearty
breakfast of dal, roti and chicken.
Enquire for lunch at the government
guest house. They will serve you lovely
maacher jhol and bhaat. You could buy
some fresh fish straight from the river
before you return.

remember to smell amazing.

better listeners instead.

DRINKING TOO MUCH

SITTING ON YOUR PHONE

This is especially bad if youre

the only one drinking. If youre
both on the wine, pace yourself
between drinks. While it is easy
to drink when youre feeling nervous, over-doing it will only lead to
self-destruction and a hazy memory of a bad date.

Its fine to keep your phone at the

dinner table if youre at a family
dinner, but texting away on a first
date is a definite no-no. It goes to
show that you cant give all your
attention to your date and would
rather be interested in other
things.

ARROGANCE

BAD TABLE MANNERS

Do you like to hear someone go on

and on about how amazing their
job is or how many cars they
own? No one wants a lover thats
cocky and pompous. So dont
expose the other person to a similar scenario. For guys, try being

Anything along the lines of talking with your mouth full of food,
holding your cutlery like a pencil
and causing a scene over splitting
the bill is an instant put off and
will not get you asecond date.
Daily Mirror

Paying more attention to your

smartphone is a sign that things
arent going well

evening peak hours.

WHATS THERE TO SEE?
The vast stretch of the Hooghly, which
flows just next to the road at Diamond
Harbour, is a breathtaking sight. From
Bakkhali, you can take a boat ride to
Jambu Dwip, a small, uninhabited and
forested island out in the sea. Also visit
Henrys Island, a 10 minute ride from
Bakkhali. Dont miss the Crocodile Park
and mangrove forest not too far from the
beach.
TRAVEL TIPS
Start early, since it is a longish drive. No
need to pack your food, as there are plenty
of fish-and-rice hotels on the way, especially at Diamond Harbour and Bakkhali. If
you miss the ferry at Namkhana, you might
have to wait for up to 30 mins.
Compiled by Kathakali.Banerjee
@timesgroup.com