The Latest News from Kali Travel Home Pvt Ltd....Kolkata, India
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COOKING CLASSES and WALKS August 2018 to end of March 2019
Our cooking classes, walks and other activities are up and running for the 2018/2019 season.
Contact us at any time to make a booking.
Our cooking classes, walks and other activities are up and running for the 2018/2019 season.
Contact us at any time to make a booking.
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 Tri 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.
Tips for travellers arriving at the airport or catching cabs late.....
Arriving at the airport late at night? A little nervous about getting a taxi back to your hotel? As you get in, note the registration number of your taxi or car. Then inside before you leave make a mobile call from the backseat passing on the registration number and approximate arrival time. It does not matter if the mobile is not working, it is important only that the driver thinks it is and his details have been passed on to someone.
If you are staying at a hotel that is not really famous, get the hotel to pass on a couple of local landmarks close to the hotel and keep their contact numbers so the driver can connect to them if he is lost.
More tips below and on our main page ...www.traveleastindia.com
Arriving at the airport late at night? A little nervous about getting a taxi back to your hotel? As you get in, note the registration number of your taxi or car. Then inside before you leave make a mobile call from the backseat passing on the registration number and approximate arrival time. It does not matter if the mobile is not working, it is important only that the driver thinks it is and his details have been passed on to someone.
If you are staying at a hotel that is not really famous, get the hotel to pass on a couple of local landmarks close to the hotel and keep their contact numbers so the driver can connect to them if he is lost.
More tips below and on our main page ...www.traveleastindia.com
Check out our
Traditional Kolkata Walks,
Short Walks and
Activities from our web page menu.....
To our traditional 4 hour city walks we have added some paired down shorter walks and included our other activities in one page.
Please contact us by email to enquire about tours and we will get back to you pronto.
Prepaid Taxis to Kolkata from the International Terminal
The prepaid taxi booth can be found once you have left the customs area. It is strangely located past the main exit gate, with no proper signage, so you continue walking past the terminal exit (Gate 4a and 4B) until you see a prepaid taxi sign on a tiny booth. It is almost at the end of the booths in this area. Do not confuse it with a car hire service or anything else. There may be a portable sign showing the way or a wall sign but it is about 50 metres past the main gate. The signage and placement is not good. You will have to know where you are going ..name and address of hotel and locality and have some rupees. You will then get a slip of paper which you take outside, (double back to main exit). Cross the road to a line of taxis and someone will find the taxi for you. You do not have to pay any more money for any other service. There is a money exchange booth well before you get to the prepaid taxi booth and it should be open at all hours. Ask for at least some of your rupees in small denominations, either Rs 100/- or Rs 500/- notes. You could also change a small amount in your departing city, say $150.00 or so depending on your accommodation costs. Most of your money can be changed in the city at a better rate.
It helps if your place of accommodation is not well known to get your hosts to send a local landmark so the driver can find it.
The prepaid taxi booth can be found once you have left the customs area. It is strangely located past the main exit gate, with no proper signage, so you continue walking past the terminal exit (Gate 4a and 4B) until you see a prepaid taxi sign on a tiny booth. It is almost at the end of the booths in this area. Do not confuse it with a car hire service or anything else. There may be a portable sign showing the way or a wall sign but it is about 50 metres past the main gate. The signage and placement is not good. You will have to know where you are going ..name and address of hotel and locality and have some rupees. You will then get a slip of paper which you take outside, (double back to main exit). Cross the road to a line of taxis and someone will find the taxi for you. You do not have to pay any more money for any other service. There is a money exchange booth well before you get to the prepaid taxi booth and it should be open at all hours. Ask for at least some of your rupees in small denominations, either Rs 100/- or Rs 500/- notes. You could also change a small amount in your departing city, say $150.00 or so depending on your accommodation costs. Most of your money can be changed in the city at a better rate.
It helps if your place of accommodation is not well known to get your hosts to send a local landmark so the driver can find it.
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 homes of local women. They have great communication skills and are wonderful teachers but they do need to plan their lives.
We do not run classes every day so they 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.
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.
Train bookings from overseas.
Wanting to book train travel to Darjeeling or Varanasi or anywhere in India from overseas?
A Darjeeling moment.
Train Bookings from overseas can be a problem. There are booking websites that can assist but they often are complicated, see below. The process involves registering with Indian rail and then either booking with them, using what can be a complicated web site or booking with another company like Cleartrip but having already registered.You get great information on how to book Indian tickets online from this website.. http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#book - from outside
You can also contact the train booking agent we use and get him to make an e-booking.
He will send you an e-ticket once you have sent payment to him. He is trustworthy and runs an honest business.
We receive no commission from him, we are just telling you in case other methods do not work for you.
His name is Wasim from Bengal Travel Service , located in Sudder St Kolkata.
He can be contacted at bengal_travel_service4@yahoo.co.in or phone his mobile on 9831086208 after 1.00pm.
You need to outline the journey and tickets you require, the dates, the class you wish to travel (2 or 3 tier AC or 1st Class), name, age and sex of each traveller in your group.
If he does not reply within a few days send another message, and then another, and then..... and bone up on train terms and rules from the website below.
If you are booking more than a month in advance then he may ask you to pay directly into their bank account, otherwise he will indicate alternative payment methods. For more details on train travel in India check out http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#.Ut9ZGdK6Zkg
If you are in Kolkata and want a reliable travel agent we recommend Wasim, he is a good bloke.
Please note that October is a busy season for local travel, bookings open 4 months before departure and foreigners can avail themselves of a special quota but they need to front up to designated rail booking offices personally or at least give an agent your passport.
You can also contact the train booking agent we use and get him to make an e-booking.
He will send you an e-ticket once you have sent payment to him. He is trustworthy and runs an honest business.
We receive no commission from him, we are just telling you in case other methods do not work for you.
His name is Wasim from Bengal Travel Service , located in Sudder St Kolkata.
He can be contacted at bengal_travel_service4@yahoo.co.in or phone his mobile on 9831086208 after 1.00pm.
You need to outline the journey and tickets you require, the dates, the class you wish to travel (2 or 3 tier AC or 1st Class), name, age and sex of each traveller in your group.
If he does not reply within a few days send another message, and then another, and then..... and bone up on train terms and rules from the website below.
If you are booking more than a month in advance then he may ask you to pay directly into their bank account, otherwise he will indicate alternative payment methods. For more details on train travel in India check out http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#.Ut9ZGdK6Zkg
If you are in Kolkata and want a reliable travel agent we recommend Wasim, he is a good bloke.
Please note that October is a busy season for local travel, bookings open 4 months before departure and foreigners can avail themselves of a special quota but they need to front up to designated rail booking offices personally or at least give an agent your passport.
David and Martyn..the early days
Our Kolkata Walking Tours have begun for the
2018 and 2019 season.
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.
2018 and 2019 season.
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......
Boys in the band
More on Travel Tips
Our main web page has a list of tips for travellers but we want to emphasize some as a few problems keep arising.
Linking one activity with another with only a small time gap can be a problem. People often tell us they are arriving on a train or plane from somewhere and want to do a walk or have a cooking class that morning only to find the train is 10 hours late or the plane flight was cancelled.
Give yourself time between activities and try not to pack too much into the first day in a new city.
Coming from Varanasi in winter or the Andamans at any time can be especially problematic.
Check out holiday times on the net before you travel. You may arrive in a city and find the place all but closed down because you have arrived on a national or state holiday or festival day. This may affect you ability to book onward tours, bank or obtain permits as well as get into museums and see the city as it normally works.
You get a much better exchange rate for cash or T/C's in the city as opposed to the airport. Carry some cash as not all airport exchange booths will have ATM or card facilities.
In India the cost of most packaged goods have an MRP price, the maximum price that can be charged for that item. Sometimes it is on the main label, sometimes on the top or lid or bottom of the package. This will stop you from being overcharged and useful if for example you want to buy fresh items like spices but have no idea what they cost. Packaged MRP spices will give you the general ballpark price.
In Kolkata, auto's or auto rickshaws (Tuk Tuks) run like a bus not a taxi, so you cannot expect it to take you where you want to go. It will take you where it wants to go, like a bus. They have set routes. You can hail it like a taxi and you share up to 4 passengers per ride. You may be able to convince someone to take you for a ride but it will be illegal.
Whiteway and Laidlaw 1945
NIGHT WALK
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.
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.
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.
