Day 225 : Kolkata walk

Woke up early (we’re 1.5 hours behind Thailand here) and discovered that the shower doesn’t work. Had a leisurely coffee / croissant at Flurry’s teashop down the road before heading back to the hotel to meet David, our guide for the day from Kali Tours. David, an Australian who has been resident in Kolkata for 15 years or so, suggested an itinerary which would take us through some of the off-the-beaten track parts of the city (so avoiding the monuments and museums that make up the main tourist sites).
We walked for almost 5 hours and covered a lot. The highlights were:

• Jewish bakery at New Market (we went back later and had some tasty rolls and cake).
• Catching the tram up to College Street and having coffee in India Coffee House.
• Visiting the Muslim quarter and the wholesale fruit market.
• Many dilapidated Raj-era mansions, palaces and boulevards.
• Walking through the maze-like streets of Barabazaar.
• Crossing the Howrah bridge and looking down to the flower market.
• Catching the ferry up to the sculpture district, where the residents build clay/straw statues of deities for religious festivals, and walking through the quiet backstreets away from the chaos of the city centre.
• Taking the Metro back to Chowringhee Road and having a delicious Masala Dhobi for lunch.

All the time David was very informative and it was really good to have an experienced non-Indian perspective on the city and Indian culture. Highly recommended for anybody visiting Kolkata!