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VIRUS VAGARIES
We of course do not know how long this disruption to normal life will last.
All bookings this year should be regarded as ON HOLD.
By all means contact us if you are interested in a tour or activity later in the year but we cannot take any firm bookings at the moment.
We are happy however to email or chat about possibilities, vague ideas, plans you have been mulling over or whatever.
We have plenty of time.
Everything below assumes we are back to normal and will apply when we are back to normal.
Stay safe and we hope to see you at the end of the tunnel.
All bookings this year should be regarded as ON HOLD.
By all means contact us if you are interested in a tour or activity later in the year but we cannot take any firm bookings at the moment.
We are happy however to email or chat about possibilities, vague ideas, plans you have been mulling over or whatever.
We have plenty of time.
Everything below assumes we are back to normal and will apply when we are back to normal.
Stay safe and we hope to see you at the end of the tunnel.
Contact us at any time to make a booking.
Mobile and WhatsApp or email traveleastindia@gmail.com
Mobile and WhatsApp or email traveleastindia@gmail.com
AVAILABILITY OF TOURS
Cooking classes run all throughout the year and walks and activities
usually from mid August to late March
Cooking classes run all throughout the year and walks and activities
usually from mid August to late March
NEW........BENGALI FARM COOKING
Our Kolkata Cooking teacher is starting a new Cooking Experience of her own.
She will take you to a farm outside the city to pick fresh organic produce and make a Bengali Meal in this rural setting.
You go in AC cars and all food, transport, and class lessons are provided. You get to pick your own ingredients and of course eat the delicious food cooked by you and Rajashi on the farm.
For more details see the menu of activities on this page
She will take you to a farm outside the city to pick fresh organic produce and make a Bengali Meal in this rural setting.
You go in AC cars and all food, transport, and class lessons are provided. You get to pick your own ingredients and of course eat the delicious food cooked by you and Rajashi on the farm.
For more details see the menu of activities on this page
Check out our
Traditional Kolkata Walks, (around 4 hours)
Short Walks, (around 3 hours) and
Activities from our web page menu on the left.....
To our traditional 4 hour city walks we have added some paired down shorter walks and included our other activities in one page. These includes activities that need less walking.
Please contact us by email to inquire about tours and we will get back to you pronto.
Kolkata Walks Video
Chuck and Judith Anderson have agreed to share their West Bengal Video. It includes both a day and a night walk they went on with Kali Travel Home. If you want a taste of a walk in Kolkata in 2016 plus a whole lot more check out their video site. Thanks to you both for sharing your holiday.
Chuck and Judith Anderson have agreed to share their West Bengal Video. It includes both a day and a night walk they went on with Kali Travel Home. If you want a taste of a walk in Kolkata in 2016 plus a whole lot more check out their video site. Thanks to you both for sharing your holiday.
News Update: Homosexuality Legal Again.
As of September 2018, the Supreme Court of India has decided: Homosexuality is not an offence in India, five Supreme Court judges declared today in a spectacular verdict for the gay rights movement in the country. The Supreme Court reversed its own 2013 decision and said Section 377, a controversial British-era ban on consensual gay sex, is irrational and arbitrary. "We have to bid adieu to prejudices and to empower all citizens," Chief Justice of India Dipak Mishra said, reading out the judgement. Four judges gave a concurrent judgement.
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code prohibited sexual activity “against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal.” Violators, including those involved in consensual relationships, faced fines and up to 10 years in prison.
Gay men and Lesbians traveling to India should be aware that the old law had rarely been invoked however even now the social stigma is still extremely powerful and fear of being outed will still allow corrupt police and other criminals opportunities for harassment and blackmail.
COOKING CLASSES
Just a reminder that cooking classes need to be booked a few days in advance. We run cooking classes in the home of a local woman. She has great communication skills and a wonderful teachers but she does need to plan her life as we do not get bookings every day.
We therefore need to be given notice.
Classes last around 3.5 or 2.5 hours and usually 3 is the maximum per class.
Thanks to Andy, Kath, Jess & Manda for the cooking class photos.
AC Accommodation for Female Travellers in South Kolkata
Stay with a lovely Bengali couple in their home in very comfortable Ballygunge.
It is very close to all amenities including the Metro and you have not only your own room but access to living spaces in the home. Your host Rajashi is a great host, cooking teacher and helpful guide to all things Bengali and the best of Kolkata.
A More Liveable Kolkata...
Please view our contribution to making Kolkata a more easy and comfortable city to live in. We invite you to to read our pages and make your views known. https://liveable-kolkata.weebly.com/
Please view our contribution to making Kolkata a more easy and comfortable city to live in. We invite you to to read our pages and make your views known. https://liveable-kolkata.weebly.com/
Meeting Young India
If you would like to spend a few hours meeting and talking to young Indians in English we can arrange it at a local English tutorial college in the north of the city.
You can visit just one time or arrange with the coordinator to come back at other times during your stay. Usually it will take the form of a casual discussion with a small group around a table but you are welcome to add your own ideas if you wish. The group changes a few times before the end of the class. This is a great way to meet young adults and discover their world within a couple of hours.
All you do is talk and listen. No need to teach. You are there to provide practice and allow your English learners to get used to different English accents. You do not need to have a teaching background or even have English as your mother tongue.
You get the chance to ask questions and be questioned. In this way you can discover the interests and thinking of a cross section of young Indian adults over the course of an hour or two.
Of all our activities we do we think this is the best for immersing oneself in the local culture in such a short time. These sessions happen in the evening.
We take you there and see you back to your hotel if you are new to the city or put you on the Metro back to your local station. You also get to see a part of the city seldom visited by travelers.
This is best if there is at least two guests involved. If you have some experience talking to young people then it is open to just one guest but sometimes one person can find the attention just a little overwhelming.
David and Martyn..the early days
Our Kolkata Walking Tours for the 2019 and 2020 go through to end of March 2020
You can book at any time.
Please book as early as possible and provide us with as much detail as you can. This saves time doing the multiple email thing.
Oh, this is a very old photo...now we have much less hair but are a little wiser.
You can book at any time.
Please book as early as possible and provide us with as much detail as you can. This saves time doing the multiple email thing.
Oh, this is a very old photo...now we have much less hair but are a little wiser.
When we meet for a walk or a cooking class this is who you look for......
Cooking Classes...Meeting at Triangular Park on Rashbehari Avenue
Where we can we will meet you where you are staying or pick a famous landmark nearby.
Sometimes it will be necessary to meet close to our teacher's home at Triangular Park.
When and Why?
If you are staying in the east or far south of the city it is closer to meet at Triangular Park.
From April to the mid August there is no one here to escort you.
People wanting a Bengali Meal and Chat will need to get to the class on their own.
This is easily done by taxi... just go to Triangular Park on Rashbehari Avenue and to the Raymonds Menswear corner. You may also go by Metro and a walk or auto rickshaw...just catch a Metro to Kalighat Metro station and walk to Triangular Park, (about 20 minutes) or catch an auto rickshaw (Tuk Tuk) to Triangular Park.
Meet at the closest corner from the Metro in front of the Raymonds Mens Wear shops.
People coming from Gariahat Crossing can walk from the crossing to Tri Park. We'll pass on more details, when you book so let us know exactly where you are staying.
Boys in the band
Most Popular Tours
NIGHT WALK
The walk lasts 3 hours and winds its way through a crowded largely Moslem community, with its late night workers tailoring, cooking on the street, recycling and shopping. It moves on to a Hindu community, with jewellery makers working late and sweet shops doing a brisk trade. We pass through a local park where older residents come to chat, down a winding road to a busy wholesale night market. Coming back the busy main street is closing down but vegetable and fish sellers are still there. We return to central Kolkata through the now closing Chadney Chowk market and home or to a bar for a drink if that interests you.
Most Popular Tours
TEMPLE TOUR
Not To Be Missed
Our new Temple Tour by public transport has proved most popular since we introduced it at the end of 2011. For some the temples are the main focus and they are amongst the most splendid in Kolkata. For others it is a chance to see a different part of the city, the city fringe, get onto the river and join in with Kolkattans on local transport.
Our new Temple Tour by public transport has proved most popular since we introduced it at the end of 2011. For some the temples are the main focus and they are amongst the most splendid in Kolkata. For others it is a chance to see a different part of the city, the city fringe, get onto the river and join in with Kolkattans on local transport.
