8 - 10 January 2023
Having flown from Edinburgh to Bangalore we had a short rest in the 080 Transit Hotel before heading to Calcutta care of Indigo.
Arriving at a very quiet domestic terminal we could not find an ATM and were challenged to find the pre-booked taxi booth. Luckily I had a few rupee notes from our last visit to India which was pre-covid ! Finally we found the booth and after paying Rps 130 we were met by the driver and taken to his Ambassador taxi which was very old. He managed to finally get the luggage in the boot and on to the front seat with one case with us in the back. We set off to the city at a stately 20 mph.
We had chosen the Lalit Great Eastern as our cruise pick up was from the lobby. The hotel had seen better days and some renovations were under way. But the room was huge and the staff all helpful !
9 January 2023
We wandered the city streets dodging the drivers and being assailed by the tooting horns. Unlike some India cities we have been to there was no hassle from street sellers etc.
Finding restaurants was a challenge as the hotel only offered a buffet. We did find the Chutney Company opposite the hotel which was popular and good. Having already consumed much Indian food we settled for spagetti !
10 January
The central area is dominated by the colonial buildings most of which are sadly in need of a lot of TLC. In order to learn more we took a 3 hour walking tour which was fascinating.
We then headed to the Victoria Monument which is a very grand building housing a museum which was largely dedicated to the independence freedom fighters and the Indian National Army which fought with the Japanese in WW2.
Having flown from Edinburgh to Bangalore we had a short rest in the 080 Transit Hotel before heading to Calcutta care of Indigo.
Arriving at a very quiet domestic terminal we could not find an ATM and were challenged to find the pre-booked taxi booth. Luckily I had a few rupee notes from our last visit to India which was pre-covid ! Finally we found the booth and after paying Rps 130 we were met by the driver and taken to his Ambassador taxi which was very old. He managed to finally get the luggage in the boot and on to the front seat with one case with us in the back. We set off to the city at a stately 20 mph.
We had chosen the Lalit Great Eastern as our cruise pick up was from the lobby. The hotel had seen better days and some renovations were under way. But the room was huge and the staff all helpful !
9 January 2023
We wandered the city streets dodging the drivers and being assailed by the tooting horns. Unlike some India cities we have been to there was no hassle from street sellers etc.
Finding restaurants was a challenge as the hotel only offered a buffet. We did find the Chutney Company opposite the hotel which was popular and good. Having already consumed much Indian food we settled for spagetti !
10 January
The central area is dominated by the colonial buildings most of which are sadly in need of a lot of TLC. In order to learn more we took a 3 hour walking tour which was fascinating.
We then headed to the Victoria Monument which is a very grand building housing a museum which was largely dedicated to the independence freedom fighters and the Indian National Army which fought with the Japanese in WW2.