Finally, the end...
is nigh. After nearly two months of the trip, I'm finally leaving our first country (for real this time), India. I had one night/two days in Kolkata first - it was a strange first stop to have on my own, as after getting an Uber to my hostel, White Pebble Hostel, I realised it was in the absolute middle of nowhere. There was construction sites all around, and other than the builders working away, not a soul to be seen. Not what I had expected from Kolkata, which I had heard was going to be very, very crowded.
It also didn't help that nobody was in the hostel to check me in, so I genuinely walked around an 8 storey building by myself for 10-20 minutes before I started calling out to see if anyone was there.
The next day, with staff members now actually at the reception desk, I asked my hostel for any advice on what to do - and I now figured out why my hostel was so quiet, and why it was highly rated. A ~20c 45 minute bus was recommended to the main sights in the town. My hostel was 45 mins outside the city, and thus way more comfortable than in the hectic hustle and bustle of Kolkata city centre. It all makes sense now!
I first headed to the Victoria Memorial Hall, which I was a little perplexed by. It was very apologetic towards the old British rule, which I was a bit surprised by, given Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. I think there was two lines in the entire museum acknowledging the Bengal Famine of 1943. Nice building anyway.
Currently Listening to:
is nigh. After nearly two months of the trip, I'm finally leaving our first country (for real this time), India. I had one night/two days in Kolkata first - it was a strange first stop to have on my own, as after getting an Uber to my hostel, White Pebble Hostel, I realised it was in the absolute middle of nowhere. There was construction sites all around, and other than the builders working away, not a soul to be seen. Not what I had expected from Kolkata, which I had heard was going to be very, very crowded.
It also didn't help that nobody was in the hostel to check me in, so I genuinely walked around an 8 storey building by myself for 10-20 minutes before I started calling out to see if anyone was there.
It wasn't the prettiest place in the world around my hostel, as you can see. Again feeling a bit lost on what to do, I went to a nearby mall to get some food - pretty dingy, and I was now worried that Kolkata was a construction site/ghost town, and I'd to spend two days twiddling my thumbs.
Thankfully, there was an Eco park nearby, which seemed to contrast greatly to the concrete jungle surrounding my hostel. It was actually pretty nice!
Thankfully, there was an Eco park nearby, which seemed to contrast greatly to the concrete jungle surrounding my hostel. It was actually pretty nice!
It even had an Eiffel Tower, so seems like my fortunes were changing! Why go to Paris, when you can just come to Kolkata?
I was beginning to even view the area around my hostel in a different light, though I still couldn't quite figure out why it was highly rated...
The next day, with staff members now actually at the reception desk, I asked my hostel for any advice on what to do - and I now figured out why my hostel was so quiet, and why it was highly rated. A ~20c 45 minute bus was recommended to the main sights in the town. My hostel was 45 mins outside the city, and thus way more comfortable than in the hectic hustle and bustle of Kolkata city centre. It all makes sense now!
I first headed to the Victoria Memorial Hall, which I was a little perplexed by. It was very apologetic towards the old British rule, which I was a bit surprised by, given Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal. I think there was two lines in the entire museum acknowledging the Bengal Famine of 1943. Nice building anyway.
I ventured further into the town, to see what else it had to offer. Realising I hadn't got it yet, and was recommended plenty of times, I picked up a sugar-cane juice for 25c on my walk:
Eden Gardens is a park, and cricket stadium in Kolkata. I had hoped to join in on a public cricket game on this trip but alas, no luck (not even sure I remember the rules). So thought maybe catching a glimpse of a game would do. No luck though, so after some further wandering, I decided for the rest of the evening to go to Sudder Street, the tourist-y area recommended by my hostel. I went on a little street food tour, as I doubt I'll be getting food this good this cheap again:
And with that, I hopped on a bus back to my hostel, to grab my stuff, and head off to the airport. A long journey to my next stop, Macau, awaited. India has been amazing - some things about it aren't perfect, but the vast, vast majority of things we've experienced here have been very positive. I think this photo sums up India quite well:
Sign says: Buses will not stop here - despite bus clearly stopping
It's a bit mad at times, but there's so much to love about the place. Hopefully I/we can recommend the other countries we visit on this trip as much!
Anyway, next stop - Macau. Going from Chennai/Kolkata to extravagant casinos should be quite the change. I'll hopefully be able to get my travels through China up soon, as my laptop/Chromebook is no longer shut out by the Chinese government.
Big love,
Stu
Anyway, next stop - Macau. Going from Chennai/Kolkata to extravagant casinos should be quite the change. I'll hopefully be able to get my travels through China up soon, as my laptop/Chromebook is no longer shut out by the Chinese government.
Big love,
Stu
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