Destinations

Sept. 2011

Expecting the Muddle, and Finding a Gem

article & photos By colin roohan

hile traveling through India you cant help but think to yourself, Why did I want to come here, again?
could it be my travel stache was living up to its level of excellence? More realistically, I thought, the void of touts may have been due to the location of the platform on which I was dropped, but as I soon approached the central vein of the train station I was still able to cruise along at a leisurely stroll. In an attempt to get some directions, I approached an armed policeman who politely told me where the taxi queue was located. After waiting in line (a line in India?!) I hopped into a taxi. After driving for only 5 minutes, my impression was that Kolkata seemed to be organized. It didnt have the threatening feel of some of the other bigger Indian cities I had traveled in. I had always read that, despite extreme poverty, Kolkata had an eclectic sophistication, which was becoming quite obvious. If you are in limbo about visiting Kolkata due to its geographical location I strongly urge you to make the trip. When planning your Indian adventure, add Kolkata and you will be delightfully pleased.

Providing a host of unique travel obstacles, Incredible India has brought even the most experienced nomad angst (if not an inch off of their hairline). My time in India flashed before my eyes, faster than hips in a Bollywood flick. Having conquered four out of five cities on my India journey (Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Bodhgaya), I felt slightly relieved that I would soon be on home soil. There was, however, one stop left Kolkata. After my visit to the perplexing muddle that is Delhi, the thought of braving another enormous Indian city worried me. My train, the Doon Express, pulled into Howrah station and I heard the regular donnybrook accompanying any Indian train station: packages being tossed, car hoppers comically jumping about and chai wallahs frantically sloshing around their steaming pitchers of tea. When I hopped off the Doon I immediately noticed that something was conspicuously absent. No one was bothering me no one! I wondered if the floating dollar sign above my head had miraculously disappeared. Or

KolKATA MusT sees:

kalighat kalika temple For an experience to remember go to the Kalika Temple and witness Hindu pilgrims sacrificing live goats. (No flipflops, things get messy.) Victoria Memorial While visiting Kolkata, the original capital of the British Raj, immerse in the architectural fusion as the Memorial incorporates British and Mughal design. new Market/hogg Market Entertaining bargaining and sensory overload overlap in this maze of a complex. The Barista Coffee, housed in the New Market, is an affordable caf that has western style coffee drinks so delicious you might order a second latte. For more of Colin's photos, check out his flickr site.