pictures – Page 2 – Telling tales

The charming city…Kolkata

I keep going back to Kolkata as (No prizes for guessing! No I am not from Kolkata. But like most Bongs I have family in Kolkata :-D) my sister lives there. But that’s not the only reason. Each time I go back, I find something very charming about the city. But, just as my romance with the city begins, something tells me not to tread that path. I guess I share a love and hate relationship with the city!

Kolkata is a very vibrant city. You come across people who are always on the move and in contrast there are people who you see are just lazing, playing cards or carom. The streets are always bustling with vehicles, trams, and street hawkers. There are sweet shops and food joints in almost every lane you pass by.

Food is another major pull-factor for me to go back to the city each time. Right from the puchkas (golgappe/paani puri) to aloo chop to Chinese food – everything is just out of this world! I would recommend ‘China Town’ for authentic and cost-effective Chinese cuisines.

As much as I like the city, there are certain drawbacks too. I feel the city is too crowded, life in general moves at a slow pace, traffic is pretty bad all the time and most of the times the weather is humid.

My love for Kolkata has developed over the years. From not wanting to go to the city at all, to visiting the city every 6 months (on an average), I have come a long way!

Some things that really stand out are…..

Passionate people – People in Kolkata are passionate about a lot of things. They can talk endlessly about literature, culture, food, and football! During the world cup season (and otherwise too), every person (from kids to adults) talks and discusses about football with much passion. During my most recent visit, I got into a conversation with a cab driver who was dropping me off at my sister’s place. All throughout the way he kept talking about the world cup. I was happy listening to him till the time he said ‘bolun to didi Argentina harlo keno?’ (please tell me sister why did Argentina lose?). And I had no answer (as I don’t really follow football). I thought he is going to judge me but I played along ;-).
The Ganga boat ride – Two years back I had visited Kolkata with a group of friends. I was entrusted with the task of taking them around the city (because they assumed, being a Bong, I will be an expert city guide ;-)) and that’s when I got to actually explore and know the city. We visited the Victoria memorial and walked around the streets. We took the tram ride (for the first time ever) and I was quite excited about it. I made them have all kinds of Bengali dishes which they quite liked. The main attraction however was the boat ride on the river Ganga. We took the ride from Princep ghat. During the ride, we could see both the Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu with the sunset as the backdrop and it was a breath-taking view! You may bargain for the ride if you want. But, by the time you finish your ride I am sure you will end up tipping the ‘majhi’.

Boat ride on Ganga river

An evening in Kolkata

Experiencing the sunset during the boat ride
Street food to go with the ‘bhar er cha’ – Every time I visit the city, I make sure I don’t miss out on the street food and the tea served in clay cups. This is a must have for all tea lovers. The tea tastes even better when served in these cups. And with the monsoons setting in, this is the ideal time to grab some cutlets, pyaji (onion pakoras) and tea.

Bhar er cha

Street food
Visiting ‘Kumortuli’ before Durga puja – I had read many articles about this place called the ‘Kumortuli’ in Kolkata but it’s altogether a different experience when you actually visit this place. During your visit, in those narrow lanes, inside dilapidated houses, you will come across several artisans/traditional potters working hard to give shape to Durga Protimas (idols) of all sizes. In case you have any queries for the artisans, please wait for their tea breaks. This is where all the idols you see at the Puja Pandals come from. Depending on the time you visit this place (closer to puja or much before puja) you will witness the different stages of the idol making. This is a paradise for people who are into photography. Even amateur photographers like me would get beautiful shots from one such visit!

An idol in making

Artisan at work at kumortuli

I am sure you must be wondering being a Bong and while talking about the Bong city, I did not mention about sweets at all. This is because I am one of those rare bongs who has a missing sweet tooth hence I don’t enjoy talking about it too.

More pictures…

Kolkata streets and houses with a colonial touch

The local rickshaw ride

I love the Kolkata local yellow taxis (I guess because of its vibrant yellow color)

Lost in my thoughts. It’s a beautiful experience

The 8 best pictures from my Bhutan trip!

Bhutan, as you must have already gathered from my previous posts, has truly been inspirational to me. Every morning during my trip, I was excited to wake up to enjoy the beautiful view from my window.

During the 7 days trip I took more than 100 pictures (couldn’t resist) 😋. All of them have a different tale to tell.

So here are the top 8 (couldn’t stick to just 6 this time as there are many good ones to choose from) pictures from my ‘Bhutan 2018’ album.

Hope you enjoy going through them and their tales 😀

Picture 1: This one was taken when we were leaving the Paro museum. There were these three little girls oblivious of the surrounding (onlookers), enjoying each others company and the games they played. The world seemed wonderful for a few minutes as I imagined myself to be one of them (a happy little girl). Those moments gave me an overwhelming sense of happiness… and I had to capture it.

Picture 2: This was taken on the last day of our Bhutan trip. Hence it is a significant one. We woke up to a scenic view after a very rainy night. We could see the beautiful clouds trying to hide the otherwise noticeable hills. A feeling of nostalgia hit us while we sipped our coffee.

Picture 3: This was taken at the base just before we started our trek to the Tiger’s nest! This view almost made me quit the trek even before we started. The trek seemed an uphill task to me. But glad I could make it to the top and come back and wave a good-bye from the same point.

Picture 4: This is the night view of the Punakha Dzong taken on the second day of our stay at Punakha. I kid you not, I must have taken more than 30 pictures of the Dzong. From all possible angles, far and near, during the day and night…I left no opportunity whatsoever to capture this beauty. We could have easily gone back to our resort after a very hectic day (read sight seeing, rafting, eating), but we decided to stay back and wait for it to get dark and glad we did so! This is certainly not a view that should be missed 🙂

Picture 5: This is a picture of the suspension bridge at Punakha. While waiting for it to get dark (for the Punakha Dzong view), we decided to try walking on the suspension bridge. I went half way through the bridge and then I looked down! I couldn’t risk going any further and let me tell you that the walk back was quite scary (I am scared of heights). And then I saw this monk confidently walking on this very shaky bridge and coming over to our side. I admired and I clicked!

Picture 6: This was taken inside the Punakha Dzong. Amid the beautiful spring blossom, I saw some visitors approaching the Dzong. Among them was this fierce lady who came walking up the stairs. She looked a little run out but definitely not somebody who was ready to give up. So I clicked to refer to it on days when I feel a little worn out.

Picture 7: This is the nunnery at Punakha. We witnessed hundreds of nuns sitting in the prayer hall and praying and chanting together. What a lovely aura it created! This picture was taken right after the prayer services when we witnessed a sudden burst of red in an otherwise scenic but pale background. This was magic for me!

Picture 8: This picture is from our first day in Bhutan (Thimphu). We walked around the streets, we also visited the weekend vegetable market and we noticed happy faces all around us. No honking on the streets, no haggling in the market…it was indeed very peaceful. And then while crossing a bridge, we came across this dog. Nobody was shooing it off, no disturbances, strangely detached…it was definitely at peace!

6 must-dos in Bhutan!

Hello readers! Hope my previous post was helpful to many of you. Thank you for taking time out and reading it.

Excited and motivated with the response, I am now sharing with you my second post!!

My obsession with the number ‘6’ continues. Another reason for this obsession is the fact that I like being an average human. That doesn’t however mean I am not ambitious :-). When I was in school, my mom used to tell me that if I studied a bit more, I had the potential to secure the first/second position in class. But purposely (and I am being very honest here), I used to make sure that I secured the 4^th or 5^th (position). This is because I did not want to take on the pressure of excelling each time. I was happy being an average student then. With time, I guess I’ve changed and become a part of the rat race ;-).

Now coming back to Bhutan…I really think that you should include the following in your itinerary. Please note that I visited Punakha-Thimphu-Paro only and the post is therefore based on my experiences in these places.

Do visit the Thimphu central post office – You must be wondering why would someone suggest a visit to a post office!!! Yes, I am a little crazy otherwise but let me explain why. This is because you can get your customized stamps made at the Thimphu central post office. Select a picture and share it with the staff there and the next thing you see is your personalized stamps!! Now how cool is that?? I find the idea of receiving a post card (a handwritten letter) that too with a personalized stamp quite ‘nostalgic’. We actually used those stamps to send postcards to our family.
Do visit the Punakha Dzong – it was love at first sight (literally) for me. The drive from Thimphu to Punakha is around 3 hours (with a break for lunch). I remember I was feeling miserable during and after the drive because of the hilly terrain (read motion sickness). So ideally, I should have rested that evening. But we decided to step out and I’m glad we took that decision. Our super sweet driver took us to the Dzong and what a view it was (I have posted a picture in my previous article). We couldn’t take our eyes off from that magnificent structure. Over the next two days during our stay in Punakha we tried clicking pictures of the Dzong from all possible angles (and I am not kidding ;-)).

One magnificent structure

The lovely flowers added to the beauty of the structure
Do try river rafting in Punakha – This was not a part of our itinerary initially but I’m glad we did it. While gazing at the beautiful Mo Chhu river we saw a couple of rafts coming our way. Hence, we enquired and cracked a deal for the next day. So, the next day after our visit to the nunnery and the Dzong we went for river rafting with a few local people. It was fun interacting with them while braving the rapids. It was not as adventurous as the Rishikesh rafting but it’s a must do for first-timers, senior citizens and people who are generally scared about the idea of rafting.
Do try ‘phaksha paa’ at the Damchen resort – People in Bhutan mostly eat red rice (locally grown there) and cheese-based dishes to go along with it. ‘Ema Datshi’ (prepared with just cheese and chilies) is a very common dish there. What I really loved was the ‘phaksha paa’ served at the Damchen resort. We were not staying there but would have loved to as it’s located near the river. ‘Phaksha’ means pork and ‘Paa’ is the recipe. If you don’t like pork, there is a chicken variant too for you. I like experimenting a lot when it comes to food (I also experiment quite a bit with by hair) so this dish I thought is worth mentioning here.

Phaksha Paa

Yumilicious
Do go for the Tiger’s Nest trek – This particular activity deserves a separate post which I will eventually write. This is definitely a must-do for all people traveling to Bhutan. I don’t think travellers should care about the time taken to complete the entire trek but it is definitely a good idea to complete the trek! Trust me on this, the feeling of exultation after you complete this trek is beyond description! I have never ever trekked in my entire life and if I could complete it, I think anyone can. More details in my next post.
Exuberant!
If shopping is in your agenda do shop at Paro – While Thimphu has many shops for touristy shopping, I would recommend you save your money for Paro as you will get lot more options there. There is a single lane with quaint shops all around. You may wish to bargain a bit. Some shops offer you a discount too. You can look out for baby yak stoles, beautiful masks, souvenirs (I personally like collecting fridge magnets). Happy shopping!!
The shopping street