My mission was to explore Kolkata using as many different forms of transport as I could.
Kolkata is famous for its yellow taxis and colonial era trams. Hard working men transport people through the streets in bicycle or manual powered rickshaws. Not everywhere in India has these things so I felt like to get a real feel for Kolkata I must experience them.
I started with the Metro as their was a station near my hotel in the New Market area. It was less modern and more busy than the metro system in Chennai but still very nice, fast and cheap.
I wanted to explore a little of each area after taking each form of transport. I didn't really have a plan where I was going though, I just worked the itinerary out on the fly.
I exited the metro at a green area on Google Maps so I assumed it would be a nice park to walk around. A correct assumption but that nice park, Elliott Park, hadn't opened yet so I walked down to the next green area which I found was a massive field massively covered in litter.
It was actually pretty shocking. Not something I expected to see in the centre of a major international city. It could probably be cleaned up by a team in just one day so I've no idea why it isn't. Kolkata people pay taxes, right? So I wonder why the local government don't just employ some cheap labour to keep the area nice.
When Elliott Park opened at 1 pm it was like entering a different world. Perfectly manicured grass and trees, flowers everywhere, a lake. It was lovely and free to enter. The sign outside said it's maintained by the Ministry of Defense so it seems they spend more on maintaining the park than the local government do on the rest of the area.
I walked a full loop of Elliott Park then jumped on a random bus. A friendly local helped me communicate with the bus conductor and I just jumped off at the traffic lights before the next stop. That counts as a bus ride, right?
I found a fairly quiet road that had street vendors. One man sorted me out with a lovely fresh sugar cane juice and another cleaned my shoes. These enterprising vendors are something I love about India. They provide real value to people with the services they provide.
With a clean pair of shoes I wanted to get off the streets and into one of the old style yellow cabs. They have written on them "no refusal", which is a lie. They also have meters, which they don't use, as I learned the hard way. Fortunately two friendly guys and helped me resolve the situation though and I only get cheated a little bit rather than a lot.
The cab was supposed to take me to another park. He was too lazy to do the U-turn though, so I had to cross the road and walk up the street only to find that the park was closed. It seems that these small parks in Kolkata all have certain times that they are open. The rest of the time they're probably being maintained.
I still hadn't seen a single tram in Kolkata since I arrived in the city. With some google research I found the nearest area would be Park Circus and I was walking that way when I saw a cycle rickshaw headed in the same direction. I obviously took that golden opportunity.
The mall I arrived at was a welcome sight as I was bursting. I went in to use the lavvy and ended with a mutton biriyani. Very nice. I like the food courts in Indian malls. The food is way more expensive than the local joints but the hygiene standards are high and you can eat in air conditioned comfort.
I did find the tram after leaving the mall and was lucky to get a carriage all to myself. The tram is very old, classic style with open windows you can stick your head out of. If I had more time I would have done the full loop of the track. A ticket is only 6 rupees ($0.08) so you can't get much better value than that as a tourist for a fun and authentic experience in Kolkata.
My last form of transport was the manual rickshaw where I was able to give my strong legs a rest and let someone else's strong legs transport me through the city. It's a nice leisurely way to travel as you are elevated and have time to look around and take everything in. I'd love to spend all day being transported in one of those but it's probably not possible. I guess they are used for short distances unless the drivers (?) have ultra-marathon athlete-like endurance.
** TIMESTAMPS **
0:00 Intro
0:48 Kolkata Metro
6:33 Garbage Park
8:23 Balloon Game
10:49 Elliot Park
12:51 Local Bus
16:45 Sugar Cane Juice
18:24 Shoe Cleaning
20:58 Kolkata Yellow Taxi
27:38 Cycle Rickshaw
32:08 Mutton Biriyani
35:17 Kolkata Tram
43:45 Traditional Rickshaw
53:36 Chai Vendor
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5 авг 2024
