Kolkata....A City of Contrasts

Having spent my 3 precious years in Kolkata, its inevitable to fall in love with this city. The city which gave wings to most of the young generation dwelling in the nearby 2 tier cities. One of the metro cities of India, which boasts of a fertile history and magnanimous culture.

Kolkata witnessed the invasion of East India Company in 1690 and henceforth the crowning of Queen Victoria.  The footsteps of the British Raj is quite omnipresent here. From the trams, to the streets baptized after the colonial heroes, to fetish for fish and chips and the architectural marvels.

My home base is Jamshedpur, as the youngsters coined it "Jampot", I have to take a flight to Kolkata and then and 3.5 hours of train ride to it from any part of the country. Always it has been pitstop. But this time the urge to give in to beckoning nostalgia I had to soak in as much of its air before I head home.

Attempt to capture some of the snippets of this 24 hour pitstop in my camera.

South Park cemetery. In one of the bustling lanes of Park Street, lies this nondescript cemetery which has absorbed a part of British Raj in itself.

One of the landmarks that also serves authentic English brunch and bakes.

Victoria Memorial. A remembrance in marble

Probably the most viable solution...cha in kulladh.

Mundan at the ghats of Ganga

Well, as the saying goes...He always keeps a watch on you.

Phuchka khabe?

Blissful Bali

Its true how movies inspire you to take a step ahead and see the unseen. It was the Eat Pray Love moment and we three were on board for Bali to make some beautiful memories.

The interesting part is the currency conversion. 1 INR = 197 IDR :P So you pay in thousand for a cup of tea and millions for a meal. A billionaire stint in life ;)

Indonesia has been ruled by Dutch for centuries by invading via Dutch East India Company. It was also invaded by Japanese during World War II. The landscape of Bali changes almost every 40 km. From hills to upscale city life to mountains to rice terraces to beautiful temples to waterfalls and mountains. The rich vegetation is owing to the volcanic nature of the island.

Bali is a Hindu state so don't be surprised when you see gigantic statues of Hindu Gods adorning the streets.

Now you may dig the pictures...

Ravana

Uluwatu

Padang Padang beach

Blue Fin Japanese restaurant

Empty inside. Full outside.

Quite impressive

A handful of waterfall

Lemme bloom

Nasi Goreng - Chicken curry

Tirtha Empul

According to Balinese mythology every spring has special mystical powers and taking shower in each washes away your sins. 

Volcano and fertile bloom. We all have a little fire and a little flower in us.

A brunch with an ACTIVE Volcano for a date

Not mine

Tanah Lot...takemeto the other side of the sea

Bedugul

On the hills...cold and misty

a pinch of culture

Rock Bar - a bar to remember

Holy monkey forest

Burial ground for monkeys...one of the most heart melting sights.

souvenir shops at Ubud

Under sea walk

Damage - Rs 400 only

Ayana resort and spa

Our top picks:

Indian Eats: Rang Mahal, Kuta Square

Nightlife: La Favella, Seminyak

Luxury escapes: Ayana Resort and Spa, Jimbaran.

Luncheon: In rice fields near Ubud.

Water sports: Nusa Dua

Wildlife: Ubud Monkey Forest

If you are game for authentic delicacy, do try a special cup of Luwak coffee.

Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee. The high price is due to the uncommon method of its production. It is produced from the coffee beans which are digested by Indonesian civet cats. The coffee is then collected from their poop and then processed and sold.

Yes believe it or not, its true.

Civet Cats

Till my next blog, Selamat Tinngal (good bye)