After our trip to Shrimongol we returned to Dhaka and booked a flight to Kolkata. Our plan was to tour the Sunderbans, the world's largest magrove forest on the border of India and Bangladesh and then spend a few days enjoying the city. We had hoped to visit the Sunderbans from Bangladesh (where it remains a little more wild) but that just wasn't possible. So we landed in Kolkata and headed out the next morning on our trip.
We were on a three day tour with a British mother son pair, one other American, and a group of Indian Americans who were originally from Kolkata. The tour company owned a small ecolodge in a rural village just outside the Sunderbans. It required 1 jeep ride, 2 boat ferries, and 1 rickshaw ride to reach. It was a nice place along the river, very quite.
That afternoon we walked around the village to take in the sights; mostly the village wide cock fight. Yep, the sport where men take their roosters, tie large blades on their feet and pit them against each other. It was a little shocking at first, but interesting none-the-less. After this we took a short boat ride at sunset and then returned to the lodge for a yummy dinner. After dinner, there was Indian folk music and dancing. Even Derrick joined in!
The next morning we boarded a larger boat for the day to tour the actual Sunderban protected area. This region is composed of lots of small islands with river ways snaking in between. It is a backwater where the rivers meet the ocean and the water level changes throughout the day with the tides. Along our ride we saw giant crocodiles, a crazy looking river dolphin, lots of cool birds, a monitor lizard, and spotted deer. Although it's home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger we did not spot any. It was a very relaxing day just hanging out on the boat chatting with the other travelers (something we did very little of in Bangladesh).
The next day we headed back to Kolkata to begin checking out the city sites. There were some interesting old buildings from the British era and several historic temples. The morning of our second day we visited the Kalighat Temple a famous temple dedicated to the goddess Kali which was a little on the overwhelming side to say the least. Some temples in India are very serene and meditative, this one was just plain chaotic. First, you have to go through a maze of venders just to get near the temple, then you have to find the actual entrance through the hoards of people trying to mislead you and take you to their shop and the many beggars. Once inside it is jammed pack with people all trying to make their way to the inner temple area. Then there are the many men who try to give you an impromptu tour of the building which will then result in them asking you for money. Oh and lastly, you have to watch out for the blood and goat heads left over from the mornings ritual sacrifice. It was quite an experience.
Our favorite part of Kolkata was later that evening. The Indian couple from America that we met on the Sunderbans invited us over to stay with them and have dinner. They have a nice home on the outskirts of Kolkata and several of their friends also came over to join. We had great fun chatting with everyone and learning more about Indian culture and life in Kolkata. And the food was amazing! By far one of our best meals of the trip. It was so nice to be with a family and stay in an actual home instead of a hotel. I hope we can return one day and see everyone again. All in all we had a great time in Kolkata. I have lots of pictures to share but unfortunately this computer can't handle uploading them so you will have to wait.
We were on a three day tour with a British mother son pair, one other American, and a group of Indian Americans who were originally from Kolkata. The tour company owned a small ecolodge in a rural village just outside the Sunderbans. It required 1 jeep ride, 2 boat ferries, and 1 rickshaw ride to reach. It was a nice place along the river, very quite.
That afternoon we walked around the village to take in the sights; mostly the village wide cock fight. Yep, the sport where men take their roosters, tie large blades on their feet and pit them against each other. It was a little shocking at first, but interesting none-the-less. After this we took a short boat ride at sunset and then returned to the lodge for a yummy dinner. After dinner, there was Indian folk music and dancing. Even Derrick joined in!
The next morning we boarded a larger boat for the day to tour the actual Sunderban protected area. This region is composed of lots of small islands with river ways snaking in between. It is a backwater where the rivers meet the ocean and the water level changes throughout the day with the tides. Along our ride we saw giant crocodiles, a crazy looking river dolphin, lots of cool birds, a monitor lizard, and spotted deer. Although it's home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger we did not spot any. It was a very relaxing day just hanging out on the boat chatting with the other travelers (something we did very little of in Bangladesh).
The next day we headed back to Kolkata to begin checking out the city sites. There were some interesting old buildings from the British era and several historic temples. The morning of our second day we visited the Kalighat Temple a famous temple dedicated to the goddess Kali which was a little on the overwhelming side to say the least. Some temples in India are very serene and meditative, this one was just plain chaotic. First, you have to go through a maze of venders just to get near the temple, then you have to find the actual entrance through the hoards of people trying to mislead you and take you to their shop and the many beggars. Once inside it is jammed pack with people all trying to make their way to the inner temple area. Then there are the many men who try to give you an impromptu tour of the building which will then result in them asking you for money. Oh and lastly, you have to watch out for the blood and goat heads left over from the mornings ritual sacrifice. It was quite an experience.
Our favorite part of Kolkata was later that evening. The Indian couple from America that we met on the Sunderbans invited us over to stay with them and have dinner. They have a nice home on the outskirts of Kolkata and several of their friends also came over to join. We had great fun chatting with everyone and learning more about Indian culture and life in Kolkata. And the food was amazing! By far one of our best meals of the trip. It was so nice to be with a family and stay in an actual home instead of a hotel. I hope we can return one day and see everyone again. All in all we had a great time in Kolkata. I have lots of pictures to share but unfortunately this computer can't handle uploading them so you will have to wait.
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